I cringe when print sport writers and talking sports people misuse certain words, again and again. I won’t get into “misnomer” today, but that’s a common culprt.

They also mangle “ridiclous.” Guy makes a three-point shot and announcer says, “That shot was ridiculous.” He/she means, I guess, it was terrific, splendid, out of this world. Sure. Fine. But that’s not what ridiculous means. Here is a definition of ridiculous:

“Deserving or inviting derision; absurd.”

Ridiculous comes from a Latin root meaning laughable.

So, when Steph Curry sinks a three-pointer, it is hardly laughable, hardly ridiculous. Anything but.

It’s important to use words correctly.