Replace 'bare mortal' with a more idiomatic English expression #40984
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This is a "what do you think?" PR, not a "you must do this" PR. The expression "for bare mortal" isn't very idiomatic in English. I did a [quick google](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&q=%22bare+mortal%22#ip=1) to double-check, and the top hits were all this page, and then I found one other use: "how can a bare mortal like me ...". Most other uses were a Thomas Pynchon quote, "the bare mortal world that is our home”, where the phrase has a different meaning. What I'd say is "mere mortals" instead. It's [widely used](https://www.google.com/search?q=for+mere+mortals) to mean "accessible". Now, because it's so widely used, it's less distinctive, and it lacks some of the Franglish charm of "bare mortal." In interface design, we should always go for the principle of least surprise, but I'm less sure about what's best in language use.
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Longest ever PR comment for a change which is basically a nit. :) |
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This is a "what do you think?" PR, not a "you must do this" PR. The expression "for bare mortal" isn't very idiomatic in English. I did a quick google to double-check, and the top hits were all this page, and then I found one other use: "how can a bare mortal like me ...". Most other uses were a Thomas Pynchon quote, "the bare mortal world that is our home”, where the phrase has a different meaning.
What I'd say is "mere mortals" instead. It's widely used to mean "accessible".
Now, because it's so widely used, it's less distinctive, and it lacks some of the Franglish charm of "bare mortal." In interface design, we should always go for the principle of least surprise, but I'm less sure about what's best in language use.