In a fit of redundancy, CVS announced this week that it was celebrating its “50-Year Anniversary.”
Actually, the ad in which it made the announcement didn’t use the hyphen, but I can’t help myself, especially when vampires are involved. (And don’t get me started on “BOGO.” Gads.)
Unfortunately, use of “xx-year anniversary” has become all too common. Why, I don’t know. Ignorance seems to spread for no particular reason. Some people seem to think phrases like “50th anniversary” or “10th anniversary” need another syllable.
They don’t.
The “anni-” in “anniversary” means “year,” and “anniversary” means “recurring yearly.”
So saying that CVS is having its “50-year anniversary” is like calling it a pharmacy and drugstore.
Or it’s like calling a CVS a “CVS store,” given that CVS is short for Consumer Value Stores.
So wish CVS a happy 50th anniversary. And suggest that its communications department hire a good editor.
