The word nauseous should be expunged from our vocabulary because it has two possible meanings:

1) causing nausea

2) feeling nausea

But there are already two words that convey the meaning without the innate confusion -- nauseating and nauseated.

Whenever I hear nauseous, I have to check to see which meaning is intended.

This has caused me major problems at various times, like when my date said, "I'm nauseous," and I replied, "It's your perfume."

-- PAUL A. ALTER, Wilkinsburg

I am troubled by the use of the noun "fun" as an adjective. But it's probably way too late to do anything about it.

I have always cringed at the expression "a fun couple," and even more at "that was so fun!"

I want to yell, "So much fun, you blockhead!" But I know better.

-- ESTHER TUCKER, Squirrel Hill

We received the following from BILL GALBRAITH of Point Breeze:

May I complain about my pet hate in the spoken word? It is the word "kilometer."

Practically everybody now says "kil-OM-eter." It should be "KILo-METer."

The metric system has provided us with the really elegant procedure of using a single measurement for each of length, weight and time, and then attaching a set of prefixes to give different sizes of the measurements. Going upwards there are kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, and more that are not required in normal life.

And going downward, there are milli-, micro-, nano-, and more. So, to separate the "O" of "kilo" and join it to the "M" of "meter" to give "OM," like a Buddist mantra, is irritating and illiterate.

If the above horrible pronunciation is used, then why not "kil-OG-ram," "nan-OS-econd," "cent-IM-eter," which no one in his or her right mind would use -- I hope!

So why select "kilometer" for this brutal treatment?

Of course, I know perfectly well that no one is going to change to the correct pronunciation because of my request, but at least it relieves my feelings.

Portfolio editor John Allison wrote back to say:

"Mr. Galbraith: Thanks very much for writing. I like your style.

"But one obstacle -- I have two Webster's dictionaries here (New World and Collegiate). New World has ki-LOM-et-er as the first pronunciation. Collegiate has kil-OM-et-er as the first.

"Collegiate even notes that first pronunciation is 'not parallel with other metric-system compounds.'

"So -- we can't call KILo-METer 'the correct' pronunciation. (It is correct, but not 'the' correct -- it's listed as second in both cases.)

"Now, you could say that you reject the linguistic forces that have caved in. But it does take a chunk out of your argument.

"So -- lemme know if you want to recast. Thanks."

Mr. Galbraith stuck to his guns:

Dear Mr. Allison: Many thanks for your letter [he wrote back, making us wonder: Is an e-mail a letter?].

The argument here is the difference between "accepted usage" and "logic." As a scientist, I am much more interested in the latter, and frankly don't give a damn how many dictionaries say "kil-OM-eter."

Perhaps you would like to add the following just before my last sentence?

"Many dictionaries accept 'kil-OM-eter,' but I still insist that it is ugly and irrational, and will still say so if I am the last person to use the logical pronunciation."

Mr. Galbraith, we like your moxie.