Criminal Sentence 673: How big of chunks?

A quote from someone in yesterday's newspaper, in an article about workers trying to stabilize a giant rock that is poised to fall:

"We don't know how big of chunks are going to fall."

That's a big chunk of strangeness in my opinion. I understand what the person meant, but that does sound very odd, doesn't it?

He probably should have said something like this:

"We don't know the size of the chunks that are going to fall."

I realize that regular joes don't always speak grammatically. Perhaps I can let it slide in conversation, but nobody should write a sentence like that.

The construction "how [adjective] of..." works with singular nouns, as in "How crazy of a person are you?" But as we can see here, it doesn't work with plural nouns. I don't really know why. Any theories?

A cool song from Weird Al.

Criminal Sentence 647: Typo on Street Sign

Let's all move to New Zealand so we can see this exciting street sign!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/city-makes-embarrassing-typo-street-230018873.html

Criminal Sentence 565: Wanted: Insect Experience

From a job description online:

"1-3 moth experience required"

It might be hard for this company to find someone with this specific experience!

Criminal Sentence 559: A State of Repetition

Heard on the Diamondbacks' broadcast last night:

"He's from Bremerton, Washington, in the State of Washington."

Thanks for clearing that up!

Reader Question: "Embiggen"

From Chad:

I keep seeing the word "embiggen" on tech blogs that I read (example below). I can't find it in the dictionary. Should I chalk it up to writing style or call the cops (or, more appropriately, the dict-tectives)? I humbly submit "embiggen" for your rogue's gallery (unless I've got it all wrong).

Here's a reference.

http://www.maclife.com/article/gallery/gallery_samsung_galaxy_101_and_ipad_2_side_side

"While you were at home wondering how to get into one of those Oprah Winfrey-style Google keynotes where electronics are given out like Halloween candy, one of our developers was in the audience playing with his new Special Edition Google IO Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Yeah, that's a mouthful.

We stole borrowed the Galaxy and forced it to take pictures with our Wi-Fi+3G iPad 2.

Check out the photos in the gallery below. You can click on any photo to embiggen."

Sentence Sleuth here:

I personally have never heard that word before (if it even is a word). My vote? Not a word! Yours?

Criminal Sentence 551: Bad Lump

Seen on a TV ad:

"... get a lumpsum."

That sounds to me like an odd disease. Doc, help! I have an unidentified lumpsum on my neck!

Just me being weird, I guess.

(Of course, it should be two words: "lump sum.")

Criminal Sentence 548: Nonsensical Nonsense

An IM I received while playing an obviously younger player at online Scrabble:

"Aye you play me harder then a fat kid playing xbox or ps3 dang lol."

I never would have thought to compliment another player that way.

Criminal Sentence 498: Word Invention

A headline in today's paper (for an article about legalizing gambling at horse and dog tracks):

"Measure would legalize racinos"

Will this word be a real word in the future?

Criminal Sentence 487: Kids Can't Eat Here

Not really a Criminal Sentence, but funny.

From my online banking list of credit card purchases:

"RESTAURANT ASS41222472"

I must have eaten at a restaurant, but it wasn't called that!

Criminal Sentence 482: Boys Having Babies

From a book I'm reading:

"The next day he became a grandfather when his son (BJ) gave birth to a son."

The book was not science fiction!

As far as I know, only ladies can give birth.