More Beebglish

Caption under a man speaking on BBC News 24 this morning: Restauranteur.

Restauranteur? The correct term is either Restaurateur or Restaurant Owner, not a mixture of both.

A restaurant is a place which serves food to 'restore' you (i.e., revitalise you), from Old French reastaurer, from the Latin restaurare . The restaurant owner is a restaurateur, the person who restores you.

Does this matter? Yes, it does when it is being pumped out to the whole world by the BBC - viewers assume that the BBC is a model of good English.

Beebglish

Headline on the BBC website today:

Thirteen people have been charged with taking part in a childcare fraud alleged to have earned them £569,568.

Why have they been charged if they have earned the money?

earn.
1. to gain or be paid (money or other payment) in return for work or service.
2. (tr.) to acquire, merit, or deserve through behaviour or action.

Yet another example of the increasing misuse of English at the BBC. What they mean is that the childcare fraud is alleged to have netted them £569,568. We are talking about illicit gains here, not earned rewards.