CringeFest 2: rife vs. ripe

Quidsane   Sun May 11, 2008 1:56 am GMT
1. The slums of the city are rife with crime.

2. The slums of the city are ripe with crime.

The second example should never, ever be used...
Russconha   Sun May 11, 2008 11:36 pm GMT
It could be used, but 'ripe' is usually used in a positive manner.
Maybe if you are a gang member and your criminal activities are bearing lots of fruit; then you could say that the slums of the city are ripe with crime.
Skippy   Mon May 12, 2008 3:35 am GMT
I agree that the second one is annoying, without some sort of reference to fruit; for example (I just thought of this off the top of my head, so I'm proud of myself) "The big apple is ripe with crime!" I thought it was pretty good...
guest   Mon May 12, 2008 1:43 pm GMT
<<,Maybe if you are a gang member and your criminal activities are bearing lots of fruit; then you could say that the slums of the city are ripe with crime. >>

Or if you're a big Maffia leader looking for a new place where there is a lot of good, seasoned crime (i.e. in the market for a new job), this would make sense; but only if you're looking to pick 'criminal activities'...
Wintereis   Mon May 12, 2008 7:43 pm GMT
Ripe is not always positive: The infant's diapers gave off a ripe odder.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 7:51 pm GMT
What's an "odder"?
guest   Mon May 12, 2008 7:55 pm GMT
<<,What's an "odder"? >>

Why, dat's one dem dere critters what swims up da rivers 'n streams
Wintereis   Mon May 12, 2008 8:43 pm GMT
So sorry, (odor). Spelling may not be my strongest point. But trust me Guest (since you can't come up with an original name) you don't want to get in a battle of wits with me. You will lose.
Guest   Mon May 12, 2008 8:47 pm GMT
I see that you are not only stupid, but arrogant as well.
Wintereis   Mon May 12, 2008 9:09 pm GMT
I guess that must be the case Guest. I'm afraid that my poor spelling is a hold over from my childhood when I was beset with a severe reading disability witch not only inhibited my ability to excel academically, but also caused severe physical pain throughout elementary school. Luckily it was discovered and, with eye exercises, eradicated. By the time I was in 8th grade I was reading at a college level and have since managed to become a content editor for an influential literary journal and a productions editor for a University publishing house where I edit journals of Anthropology, History, and literature. My spelling has improved some what, but the unfortunate thing is that I've never been able to overcome my spelling problems completely since those formative years. I am sure you never had to overcome such a problem and don’t understand. I guess that makes me stupid as you say.
Russconha   Mon May 12, 2008 11:31 pm GMT
Wintereis,

I think you should see a counsellor. I have never seen an odder response on this forum.
Quidsane   Thu May 22, 2008 5:22 am GMT
HA! You guys are priceless.
Guest   Thu May 22, 2008 7:13 am GMT
Does that mean I can't buy Antimoon with my MasterCard (tm)?