# Flaunt vs. flout the rules



## Paulfromitaly

Hello,
This is an excerpt from an interview to judge Judith Sheindlin:
_
The justice system means business and if you're going to try to make a fool of the justice system by not following the rules, by* flaunting* its orders, by not abiding by the laws of the place where you live, there is a consequence._

At first I thought I misheard the word _flaunt_ since the first meaning (and and the only one I knew) of this verb is


> to show or make obvious something you are proud of in order to get admiration


which doesn't make any sense in that context, whereas "to flout" would make sense.
However, after some research, I found this usage note in a dictionary:


> *Usage Note: * _Flaunt_ as a transitive verb means "to exhibit ostentatiously"_._ To _flout_ is "to show contempt for"_._ For some time now _flaunt_  has been used in the sense "to show contempt for," even by educated  users of English. This usage is still widely seen as erroneous and is  best avoided.


Does this usage of "to flaunt" sound wrong to you?
Is it something typical of the AmE legal jargon?

Thank you


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## cyberpedant

Looks to me like the judge has made a mistake.


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## Loob

Yes.  It's a not uncommon mistake - but it's still a mistake...


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## Paulfromitaly

cyberpedant said:


> Looks to me like the judge has made a mistake.





Loob said:


> Yes.  It's a not uncommon mistake - but it's still a mistake...


Do you believe she actually meant to say "flouting" ?


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## ewie

I believe she meant to convey the *meaning* of _flouting_ ... but the word she chose to convey it with was the wrong one: _flaunting_.


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## Packard

The mistake is so frequent that when I correctly use "flout", people "correct me" and tell me to use "flaunt".

< Topic drift removed.  Cagey, moderator >

(I'm a master-flouter but I rarely flaunt; < --- > .)


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## Loob

Paulfromitaly said:


> Do you believe she actually meant to say "flouting" ?


Well, it could be a simple slip of the tongue. But - putting on my "horrible person who always sees the worst in others" hat - I have to say I suspect she is one of the many people who believe "flaunt" means "flout".


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## ewie

Basically what I said, Mrs.L ... only I wore a pretty hat to say it in


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## Loob

ewie said:


> Basically what I said, Mrs.L ... only I wore a pretty hat to say it in


Yes, sorry ewie, I hadn't seen your post when I wrote mine....

You always wear nice hats.


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## Paulfromitaly

Thank you everybody 


Loob said:


> I have to say I suspect she is one of the many people who believe "flaunt" means "flout".


This is so painful..I've always trusted her command of English!


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## sdgraham

Loob said:


> I have to say I suspect she is one of the many people who believe "flaunt" means "flout".



Ms Loob is quite correct. It's one of those distressingly common errors that even students escaping journalism school commit until they've had their knuckles rapped often enough.


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## ewie

Paulfromitaly said:


> This is so painful..I've always trusted her command of English!


Was it actually Judge Judy who said that, Paul?  (I can't say I've ever been particularly impressed by her English ...)


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## timpeac

Paulfromitaly said:


> Thank you everybody
> 
> This is so painful..I've always trusted her command of English!


Yes, me too.

I would add, though, that I don't see anything in the context given that would suggest she wouldn't know the difference if she sat down and thought about it (although, equally, nothing that would suggest she would other than her usual good English). 

As others have said, this particular error is so common that it is one of those that people who are interested in such things actively know about. I'd draw a parallel to "to infer" and "to imply" - many people know the difference, but mixing one for the other is very common, kind of like a spoken spelling mistake - if that makes any sense at all!


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## Hermione Golightly

I would so love to rap Judge Judy on the knuckles. Thanks for that thought.
HG


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## Paulfromitaly

ewie said:


> Was it actually Judge Judy who said that, Paul?  (I can't say I've ever been particularly impressed by her English ...)



Yes 
She was interviewed for the Archive of American television.
To my foreigner's ears her English is quite good.


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## Myridon

On the plus side, she didn't say "flaut" or "flount" (which I do hear from time to time).


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## Hermione Golightly

I agree about her English being good - she is very articulate, "adept at talking" as she herself puts it in the interview. Anybody who can use the word 'excoriated' has a good command of the language in my book

All the more surprising that she confuses 'flaunt' and 'flout' but perhaps it was just one of those occasional mistakes anybody can make.



Hermione

Hermione


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## Loob

Paul, I hate to think of you being downcast at the thought that the Judge might have feet of clay.

Why not contact her (or her staff...) via her website and ask whether it was a slip of the tongue?


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## Paulfromitaly

Loob said:


> Paul, I hate to think of you being downcast at the thought that the Judge might have feet of clay.
> 
> Why not contact her (or her staff...) via her website and ask whether it was a slip of the tongue?


It serves me right: everyone can make mistakes, even judge Judy!


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## ewie

Myridon said:


> On the plus side, she didn't say "flaut" or "flount" (which I do hear from time to time).


Yep, I've heard those two too, Myridon.

(I should apologize to JJ ~ I'm always making so much noise yelling at the screen when her show's on that I can't hear what she's saying much of the time)


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## Packard

Loob said:


> Paul, I hate to think of you being downcast at the thought that the Judge might have feet of clay.
> 
> Why not contact her (or her staff...) via her website and ask whether it was a slip of the tongue?


 
I second that suggestion.  The first thing my journalism teachers taught us was to always go to the single best source for all your information.  In this case Judge Judy herself would be the best source; every other source would simply supply suppositions.


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## panjandrum

Gentle moderatorial reminder ...
We're meant to be talking about flaunt and flout, not about the general quality of Judge Judy's English or the entertainment value of her program(me) (which, we are meant to believe, is not scripted).


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## c0stello

Hi, I looked up this and it said something like 'showing off'. Then there were these example sentences some of which used like, 'flaunting the law'. I couldn't guess what that means.Thanks in advance.


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## Cagey

I think "flaunting the law" is likely to be a mistake.  People are more likely to talk about "flouting the law."

Please give us the complete sentence, so that we can be more certain.


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## c0stello

Ok.Could you look up in google dictionary typing 'flaunt'? The first and second examples there use it like that.


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## Cagey

"_Flaunting_ the law" is a common mistake ~ at least I regard it as a mistake. 

The second result I got in my Google search is Free Online Dictionary's  comment on this:Usage: _Flaunt_ is sometimes wrongly used where_ flout_ is meant: they must be prevented from _flouting_ (not _flaunting)_ the law *...* ​Using _flaunt_ for _flout _is so common that some dictionaries have decided to include this as a standard usage.   Miriam-Webster is one. It includes this Usage note:Although transitive sense 2 of _flaunt_ [= flout] undoubtedly arose from confusion with _flout,_ the contexts in which it appears cannot be called substandard  [omitted: examples of this taken from established writers.]  If you use it, however, you should be aware that many people will consider it a mistake. ....​As I said above, I am one of those people who consider it a mistake.  People who think that use is standard are giving _flaunt_ the same meaning as _flout_ in those contexts.  Look at the definition of _flout_ to see what it means.


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## c0stello

Yeah,flout seems relevant with rules, law etc.By the way, I think you misunderstood.I meant 'google dictionary'.If you are not aware of it, try using it.Its a valuable resource I guess.


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## ewie

(Moderator note: Thread now merged with a recent previous one)


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## Copyright

I hate to play devil's advocate, especially since I use *flaunt *_(If you've got it, flaunt it) _and *flout *_(flout the law) _as every other right-thinking person in this thread does, but I did accept the invitation to look it up and found this by Merriam-Webster:

*flaunt*:

_intransitive verb_
1*:*  to display or obtrude oneself to public notice <a  great _flaunt__ing_ crowd  — Charles Dickens> 
2*:* to wave or flutter showily <the flag _flaunt__s_ in the breeze>  

_transitive verb_
1*:* to display ostentatiously or  impudently *:* parade <_flaunt__ing_ his superiority> 

2*:* *to treat contemptuously* <_flaunt__ed_ the rules  — Louis  Untermeyer>

If you want to meet the source of that last quote, you can click his name for the Wiki article that begins: Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American author, poet, anthologist, and editor.


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## panjandrum

c0stello said:


> Ok.Could you look up in google dictionary typing 'flaunt'? The first and second examples there use it like that.


It's curious that all three of the examples given there use flaunt where I would use flout.  What's more, the definitions given in the Google dictionary (and those quoted from elsewhere at the bottom of their entry) are for the normal use of flaunt - the examples do not illustrate the definitions given.

Black mark for the Google dictionary.


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## Andygc

panjandrum said:


> It's curious that all three of the examples given there use flaunt where I would use flout.  What's more, the definitions given in the Google dictionary (and those quoted from elsewhere at the bottom of their entry) are for the normal use of flaunt - the examples do not illustrate the definitions given.
> 
> Black mark for the Google dictionary.


The footnote at the bottom of the dictionary page is significant





> The usage examples, images and web definitions on this page were  selected automatically by a computer program.


In other words, the usage examples in this dictionary are wholly unreliable since they are not checked by anybody who uses English as his or her native language.

This is, clearly, a Google too far and I would be inclined to see it differently





> It's probably a valuablevalueless  resource I guess.


particularly if you want to know how to use "flaunt"


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## Paulfromitaly

Copyright said:


> 2*:* *to treat contemptuously* <_flaunt__ed_ the rules  — Louis  Untermeyer>
> 
> If you want to meet the source of that last quote, you can click his name for the Wiki article that begins: Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American author, poet, anthologist, and editor.



The fact that many people use "to flaunt" incorrectly is somehow acknowledged by many dictionaries, as underlined by the usage note I quoted in my first post 


> *Usage Note: * _Flaunt_ as a transitive verb means "to exhibit ostentatiously"_._ To _flout_ is "to show contempt for"_._ For some time now _flaunt_   has been used in the sense "to show contempt for," even by educated   users of English. *This usage is still widely seen as erroneous and is   best avoided.*


However that doesn't change the gist of what we've all said: "To flaunt" does not mean "to intentionally not obey a rule, law, or custom".


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## ewie

Andygc said:


> The usage examples, images and web definitions on this page were  selected automatically by a computer program.
Click to expand...

 I'm utterly flabbergasted (etc.)


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## Packard

Again yesterday on the TV melodrama "Bull", a series about courtroom "science".  The judge revoked the bail of the defendant saying, "I will not tolerate someone who flaunts the rule of law."

I don't find it to vexing when a person speaking extemporaneously makes the flaunt/flout error.  But I do find it vexing when a person paid for their writing ability crafts a script where an educated ("judge") makes that error.

Which only goes to prove that this is a common error that even the educated make.

I Googled "script writers, Bull TV show".

Interestingly the protagonist character, played by Michael Weatherly, is based on the early career of Dr. Phil of Oprah Winfrey show.  Dr. Phil is listed as one of the script writers.  I hope he did not quit his day job.


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## sdgraham

Packard said:


> Interestingly the protagonist character, played by Michael Weatherly, is based on the early career of Dr. Phil of Oprah Winfrey show.  Dr. Phil is listed as one of the script writers.  I hope he did not quit his day job.


Well, on his day job (TV), he doesn't know the difference between lie and lay, either.


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## velisarius

What I find interesting is that people are not simply muddling the use of these two verbs. "Flaunt" is tending to usurp the place of "flout", but not vice-versa.

I don't think I've heard this kind of mistake yet:
_
- That's rather a revealing top you are wearing today, Mrs V. 
- Well, "If you've got it, flout it", as they (don't) say.
_
This is an interesting article, from way back in 1997:
If You Got It, Flaunt It
_
_


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## Packard

velisarius said:


> What I find interesting is that people are not simply muddling the use of these two verbs. "Flaunt" is tending to usurp the place of "flout", but not vice-versa.
> 
> I don't think I've heard this kind of mistake yet:
> _
> - That's rather a revealing top you are wearing today, Mrs V.
> - Well, "If you've got it, flout it", as they (don't) say.
> _
> This is an interesting article, from way back in 1997:
> If You Got It, Flaunt It



It is dissimilar to the inflammable/flammable situation (where everybody is correct)

Flammable vs. Inflammable

 [...] both _flammable_ and _inflammable_ are correct, as they both mean "capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly." [...]

Things were fine until 1813, when a scholar translating a Latin text coined the English word _flammable_ from the Latin _flammare_, and now we had a problem: two words that look like antonyms but are actually synonyms. There has been confusion between the two words ever since.


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## sdgraham

velisarius said:


> What I find interesting is that people are not simply muddling the use of these two verbs. "Flaunt" is tending to usurp the place of "flout", but not vice-versa.



I wish I had had a glass of Scotch for every time I had to deal with an errant (so-called) reporter back in my editing days.


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## Oswinw011

Chile's top health official flaunts WHO guidance, says recovered COVID-19 patients immune
I can't believe Reuters made such a mistake one day. Lay the link here for a record.

Chile's top health official flaunts WHO guidance, says recovered COVID-19 patients immune


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## Andygc

Why can't you believe?


sdgraham said:


> I wish I had had a glass of Scotch for every time I had to deal with an errant (so-called) reporter back in my editing days


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## Packard

Oswinw011 said:


> Chile's top health official flaunts WHO guidance, says recovered COVID-19 patients immune
> I can't believe Reuters made such a mistake one day. Lay the link here for a record.
> 
> Chile's top health official flaunts WHO guidance, says recovered COVID-19 patients immune


Maybe key editors are isolating.


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## Oswinw011

Andygc said:


> Why can't you believe?


I thought people would pay more attention to the headline, but the editor seemed to let this conspicuous mistake slip away under their noses. Is this some mistake less perceivable to native speakers than to language learners? (I know some natives didn't differentiate between "you're" and "you are" as they sound the same)


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## Oswinw011

Packard said:


> Maybe key editors are isolating.


That might make sense.


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## Andygc

Oswinw011 said:


> Is this some mistake less perceivable to native speakers than to language learners?


As has already been said several times in this thread, this misuse of "flaunt" in place of "flout" is common. With the ready availability of poorly written and poorly edited text online it is only likely to become more common. The eventual outcome will be that the word "flaunt" will gain an additional meaning in dictionaries, and the dictionary entry etymology will say "arose within English from a very common misuse in place of the word _flout_".


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