Usage question "any" - paging copyeditors

[jack]

Can I say "My book doesn't have any major mistake?"[1] I'm suddenly unsure, and google doesn't help because 'any' is too common a word. Andor does anyone have OED?

[1] Originally 'faux pas', but that's confusing because it's spelt the same in singular and plural.

Comments

[mair_in_grenderich]

what information did you want from the OED?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

How to use "any" :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

is http://www.answers.com/any&r not sufficient?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

That is cool, I didn't think of that. But it doesn't look to make it clear about the "doesn't have any major mistake" case. (And there's the American Heritage dictionary definitions, but I'm always leery about quoting from american dictionaries because 1/3 of the time someone pops up and says it doesn't apply outside the US...)

[mair_in_grenderich]

any adj 1. one or some (but no matter which) from three or more or from a quantity. 2. an appreciable or significant (amount etc) 3. whichever is chosen. ---pron any one, any number or amount. ---adv at all, in some degree. [OE]

paper dictionaries are more fun to look up words in because you get to see all the ones nearby that look fun and exciting. Do you know what an aorist is? Or where the Antonine Wall is?

Do you know what an aorist is? Or where the Antonine Wall is?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hm. A New Zealand Lung Doctor and, um, something like the Maginot line? Or the son of Mr. Wall? *looks them up* Cool! That's useful.

My dad is fond of saying (which are not strictly true) "The Roman Empire conquered the entire known world, apart from Scotland" and "The Romans and the Scots, the fight of the best warriors in history between two bunches of men in skirts"