Filling in - a rant.

Gifts to English from all over the world are very welcome. They make the language shinier, more exciting, more precise and more beautiful. 

But may I point out that although in many parts of the world a form may be either filled in or filled out, in England the only thing that can be filled out with propriety is a bra.

Thank you.


Word To Use Today: bra. This word is a shortened form of brassiere (in Britain this long form is used only by very old-fashioned and expensive shops).  Brassière is the French for undershirt or harness, from the Old French braciere, a protector for the arm or later a breast plate, from braz, which means arm.