Strait or straits (Re: buzz = 'fly close to')

[Charles C Doyle]

Pondering the (etymologically-related) idiom "in dire straits," I was surprised to discover a generous Google presence of the singular "in a dire strait" (174,000 raw hits).

--Charlie
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Poster:       Jonathan Lighter
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"Straits of Hormuz": 154,000 raw hits.

"Strait of Hormuz":  1,200,000

JL


On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 3:50 AM, W Brewer wrote:

> I live but a stone's throw from the Taiwan Straits. That's my natural
> response. A quick glance through some internet maps shows: Taiwan Strait,
> Formosa Strait, Stretto di Formosa, Taiwan Haixia. On the other hand, some
> names can have <-s>, even if only one channel is involved. <<The Straits>>
> could have referred to Gibraltar, Malacca, or Bosporus & the Dardanelles.
> Generally, singular predominates: e.g. Bering Strait; except Florida
> Straits, once without <-s>, usually with <-s> (probably because it's
> L-shaped & involves buku islands/sovereign states).
> WB's conclusion:  Authoritative prescription nowadays: When in trouble,
> when in doubt, use <strait>, especially if only one narrow passage is
> involved, if you don't want to be considered stupid & unable to count.
> It'll always be Taiwan Straits to me. I don't care.

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