Pet Peeve of the Day: People Who Say "Cut and Paste" When They Really Mean "Copy and Paste"

Image credit: Zazzle.com

It seems like I hear it on a daily basis.

"Check out this cool article. I cut and pasted it from the Wall Street Journal's website."

"I sent you the specs yesterday. Just cut and paste them from my e-mail." 

"This homework is plagiarized. Someone clearly cut and pasted it from the internet."

NO, NO, NO. Nobody CUT nothin'. You COPIED it.

WHY???

The words copy and cut are easy words. We all learn them in, like, preschool. Everybody knows what they mean. Hence my confusion.

If you CUT something, you take it away forever. If you cut your hair, that cut-off hair is gone for good. If you cut out trans fats from your diet, you eliminate them. If they cut you during an audition, you ain't getting that part, girlfriend.

Same with text. There is no way to CUT and paste something from the internet, unless you have admin rights and are editing the web page itself. If you COPY some text, the original page stays intact. Nothing is cut from it.

So why do people say CUT and paste when they really mean COPY and paste?

I am truly stumped. Maybe the phrase "cut and paste" is irresistibly catchy, with those cute little one-syllable words. Maybe people are so focused on the pasting part of the operation that they figure the first part doesn't matter. Maybe people just hear the phrase "cut and paste" more often, so it sticks in their head and they don't stop to think about whether it's accurate or not.

Alas, I fear this is yet another example of a VTD. A Verbally Transmitted Disease, where inaccuracies and poor grammar get spread around the world through carelessly open mouths and ears.

Resist VTD! Say COPY AND PASTE when that's what you're doing.