He convinced his opponent by _dint_ of good reasoning:" _dint_,
meaning _force_ or strength, is an obsolete word, and should not now be
employed.

360. "The Danube _empties_ into the Black Sea:" say, _flows_; to _empty_
means _to make vacant_; no river can properly be called _empty_, until it
is entirely dried up.

361. Such words as _bamboozle_, _topsyturvy_, _helterskelter_,
_hurlyburly_, and _pellmell_ are generally to be avoided. They answer,
however, for familiar conversation.

362. Never say _seraphims_, for the plural of _seraph_, but _seraphim_;
the same rule holds with _cherubims_. _Cherubs_ and _seraphs_ are proper
plurals, suiting a familiar style of speaking or writing, while _cherubim_
and _seraphim_ are to be used only in more dignified and solemn discourse.

363. "_There's_ the books you wanted:" say, _there are_: avoid all
abbreviations when they lead to a grammatical error, as in the present
instance.

364. "This prisoner has, of all the gang, committed _fewer_ misdemeanors:"
say, _fewest_. We may say _fewer than_ all, but we must say _fewest of_
all.

365. "I esteem you more than _the others_:" this sentence is equivocal.
Does it mean, "I esteem you more than _I esteem the others_," or, "I
esteem you more than _the others esteem you_?"

366. "The most eminent scholars will, on some points, differ _among one
another_:" say, _among themselves_.

367. "He, from that moment, doubled his _kindness and caresses of me_:"
say, "kindness _for_ and caresses of me;" by omitting _caresses_ we have,
"He doubled his _kindness of_ me," which is not good English.

368. _To differ from_ and _to differ with_: to _differ from_ a man means
to have an opinion different from his; to _differ with_ a person signifies
a _quarrel_ or _rupture_.

369. "He barely escaped having _one or two broken heads_:" a man has but
_one_ head, let it be broken or whole. Say, "He _once or twice barely
escaped_ having a broken head."

370. "Whenever _I fall into that man's conversation_ I am entertained and
profited:" say, _fall into conversation with that man_.

371. "The lecturer _spoke to several points_:" say, "spoke _on_ several
points." He spoke _to_ his audience.

372. "I shall regard your _strictures_ only so far as _concerns_ my own
errors:" say, _concern_; the phrase when filled out should read, "only so
far as _they concern_ my own errors."

373. "I found him better than I expected _to have found him_:" say, _to
fin