Drivel vs Dribble

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'Drivel' is technically the correct word to use when attempting to say someone's writing is incoherent, but I still see a lot of journalists that use "dribble" instead, and dribble/drivel used to mean the same thing, which is what they hang their hat on when using 'dribble'. Decide it here on ILX, which is the right one to use, which one do you use, and why?

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Drivel	31
Another 'think' coming	3
Dribble	0
Neither, find other words	0
Elroy Jetson	0

― Neanderthal, Thursday, 4 September 2014 16:58 (eleven years ago)

Drivel, ime, is only used as a noun, while dribble is properly speaking a verb.

― Aimless, Thursday, 4 September 2014 18:11 (eleven years ago)

cannot remember ever seeing "dribble" used outside the context of basketball or saliva

― linda cardellini (zachlyon), Friday, 5 September 2014 03:53 (eleven years ago)

it's fucking drivel

― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Friday, 5 September 2014 08:24 (eleven years ago)

I've seen people use "dribble" in this context but it can be used an indicator that they're the type of person who is wrong.

― how's life, Friday, 5 September 2014 08:29 (eleven years ago)

Oxford dictionary mentions an archaic usage of 'drivel' (presumably its original meaning) as a verb describing saliva or drool dripping from the mouth. So, when people started using drivel to mean nonsense, they were alluding to the words dripping or streaming out like saliva. It would seem people 'mistakenly' using dribble in that way are just doing the same thing. Maybe it will eventually become accepted usage.

― dubmill, Friday, 5 September 2014 09:44 (eleven years ago)

I've seen people use "dribble" in this context but it can be used an indicator that they're the type of person who is wrong.

OTM, and the type of people who considers themselves smart but don't do much reading. See also "for all intensive purposes."

― Malibu Stasi (WilliamC), Friday, 5 September 2014 12:03 (eleven years ago)

http://dribbble.com

― markers, Friday, 5 September 2014 12:18 (eleven years ago)

Never encountered it outside of "Burn After Reading"

― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, 5 September 2014 13:38 (eleven years ago)

But I guess my experiences don't necessarily jive with everybody's

― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, 5 September 2014 13:39 (eleven years ago)

what's up with the sudden interest in eggcorns?

― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Friday, 5 September 2014 14:21 (eleven years ago)

But I guess my experiences don't necessarily jive with everybody's
― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, September 5, 2014 2:39 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

new thread: jibe vs jive

― ∞, Friday, 5 September 2014 17:28 (eleven years ago)

jibe turkey

― linda cardellini (zachlyon), Friday, 5 September 2014 20:14 (eleven years ago)

heh

― how's life, Friday, 5 September 2014 22:38 (eleven years ago)

I like the cut of your jibe.

― how's life, Friday, 5 September 2014 22:39 (eleven years ago)

Don't understand those nautical terms too well, I'm pretty much a land-lover

― Sir Lord Baltimora (Myonga Vön Bontee), Friday, 5 September 2014 22:57 (eleven years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Wednesday, 10 September 2014 00:01 (eleven years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Thursday, 11 September 2014 00:01 (eleven years ago)

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=14592

spit and image
spitting image
spitten image

― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Sunday, 14 September 2014 14:54 (eleven years ago)

Ooh, interesting. I've heard the variation "he's the spit of", which probably is a derivative of the more usual "spitting" version but may be just as close to the original, it sounds like? Google ngrams seems to recognise it as popular, but unfortunately it's a phrase that could be used in the non-idiomatic sense, so those results may be useless.

― emil.y, Sunday, 14 September 2014 15:11 (eleven years ago)

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