Is It Just ME?

Two odd phrases keep popping up in print that just seem weird to me. Here is one:

"I am absolutely appalled that another computer containing the personal information of veterans has gone missing," said Sen. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican.

Why not say "is missing" ?
Doesn't "has gone" imply some action on the part of the computer?

And our local newspaper recently had headlines that said:
"City looks to buy land on Ft. Morgan Road"
Is "looks to buy" an accepted English phrase for "considers" or similar?

Maybe it is, but both of those phrases sound rather like Granny Clampett to me. Your opinion?

Comments

Anonymous said…
No, it's not just you. The phrase has gone missing sounds like something a person not familiar with our language might say. I hear it more and more and find it quite awkward. Looking to buy has never caught my attention in the same way. Perhaps because I don't hear it as much. But now that you mention it, I agree with the Granny Clampet observation.
5:55 AM
Anonymous said…
Out of curiosity, i put sentences with both phraes in a Word 2000 document and made sure 'spelling and grammer' tools were turned on. Word 2000 accepted both phrases.
8:50 AM
Anonymous said…
Another PC With Veterans' Data Goes Missing
Computer contains personal information--including social security numbers--of about 36,000 people.
12:47 PM
Anonymous said…
Have you noticed that golf, a noun, as mysteriously become a verb? Congress didn't pass an act or law or anything- it just did. Everywhere, even around the work, one now sees "he loves golfing....", "I was golfing the other day...", etc. I think editors just don't edit anymore, not in the true sense of the word, and poorly educated journalists and advertising copy writers did it. Cary
8:08 PM
Anonymous said…
read that "world" instead of "work!"
8:10 PM
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