language police
1
8.1
- noun
- /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ pəˈliːs/
- Offensive
:
policía del lenguaje
- (Okay, I am playing language police a bit here, guilty as charged, but I really mean to ask about what drew you to that word.
Examples
-
The language police often criticize people for using slang in formal settings.
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(I shall never join the language police, nor lobby for changes in this case, but I do regard the examples as instructive.)
Academic text (1993) -
And I don't think that many people will overtly call in the language police for you as an ally, not a foe, for using the word queer.
Blog text (26) -
The second step that I took to reduce the chances of being indicted by the thought and language police of the Equity Office was to write an exordium that goes beyond an introduction in that it requires the students not just to acknowledge its stipulations but to agree with them before they sign up.
Academic text (2003) -
Some teachers acted as the language police, correcting students' grammar during discussions.
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Critics argue that the language police hinder creativity by enforcing strict rules on word usage.
Synonyms
28
6.8
A person who wants rules and standards followed exactly
21
7.9
A person who always wants things done exactly and carefully
1
8.7
A person who supports strict rules about language and grammar
A person who often corrects other people's grammar in a strict way
A person who often corrects how others use words and their meanings
Antonyms
How Pedantic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'language' (the domain) + 'police' (enforcers): it denotes people who enforce or monitor language use. Although metaphorical (they are not literal law officers), this is a straightforward, productive extension and is likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Language police compares people who watch words, the language, to officers, the police, who force others to follow rules, creating a picture of someone checking every little mistake. So it means people who are overly strict or who loudly 'correct' how others speak or write.