Oh fer crying out loud, lighten up Francis.
I was just goofing with you and your disdain for "the word".
Many people believe it's (notice my proper use of "it's") about time "the word" got proper respect. After all, it's in the dictionary...ain-it?
Besides, if you can post about the word "ain't" I can post about the word ain't.
So, why does it have an apostrophe anyway?
It's a contraction of "I am not" or "am not"
Contraction of ‘and is not’ ...
One of the most annoying phrases in the English language is “lighten up”. It’s meant to invalidate the other person’s point or idea. (I do admit it’s and its gives me fits).
When I taught high school my students always trotted out that it was in the dictionary. If you have ever bothered to actually look it up, it’s listed as nonstandard. It IS creeping into the language, for some reason. Of course, a lot of things are creeping into the language. Poor spelling, inability to express oneself in written form, inability to discern the difference between words like their and there, and on and on. Does it matter? Maybe not to you.
And now, I’m done with you. You can feel free to continue if you would like. But my name is not Francis, so I will assume you’re not talking to me.