Thank you mmcleod. I was slightly behind your posting on this one, it is comforting to see that other people caught onto the big to-do about the usage "to-do". If anyone is curious, do, dare, dedi, datus is the Latin verb for do, where "dare" (pronounced dahri) is the infinitive. So... when you received dares in grammar school, you really were receiving "to do" lists. If the need is seen to shorten the "to do list" to "todo list" we might as well call it "dares". "Contacts, Calendar, Dares, Time..."
While you are correct about hyphen usage in American English, there are some important considerations to take into account. Firstly, neither the word "to" nor the word "do" are adjectives. Which makes my first question, "How can two non-adjectives form a compound adjective?" It is important to note that the usage of the word "to-do" in front of "list" does NOT make it an adjective. A "grocery list" is a list of groceries. Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that a "'to-do' list" is a list of to-dos. This brings me to my second point, that the usage of the word "to-do" as a hyphenated word is used to represent a fuss, brouhaha, hubbub, etc. If one has a list of such events, then we would call it a list of to-dos. (And consequently one would have a hectic life if they have such a list.) Rather than being some complex compound adjective, to do is a simple infinitive. I went to the store to buy groceries. The verb is "went". "To buy" is the infinitive form of the verb "buy". A reasonable explanation of the history of the "to do list" is that it is a shortening. I have to do this. I have to do that. Don't forget to do this at this time. It is much simpler to say, do this, that, etc. As found at m-w.com "to do : necessary to be done". But what's the big to-do about this whole mess? (Sorry, I had to get that in there) If your life is more unstable than is normal, it is a "to-do list". As for the rest of us it is a "to do list", but never a "todo list".
Slashdot Mirror
Thank you mmcleod. I was slightly behind your posting on this one, it is comforting to see that other people caught onto the big to-do about the usage "to-do". If anyone is curious, do, dare, dedi, datus is the Latin verb for do, where "dare" (pronounced dahri) is the infinitive. So... when you received dares in grammar school, you really were receiving "to do" lists. If the need is seen to shorten the "to do list" to "todo list" we might as well call it "dares". "Contacts, Calendar, Dares, Time..."
While you are correct about hyphen usage in American English, there are some important considerations to take into account. Firstly, neither the word "to" nor the word "do" are adjectives. Which makes my first question, "How can two non-adjectives form a compound adjective?" It is important to note that the usage of the word "to-do" in front of "list" does NOT make it an adjective. A "grocery list" is a list of groceries. Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that a "'to-do' list" is a list of to-dos. This brings me to my second point, that the usage of the word "to-do" as a hyphenated word is used to represent a fuss, brouhaha, hubbub, etc. If one has a list of such events, then we would call it a list of to-dos. (And consequently one would have a hectic life if they have such a list.) Rather than being some complex compound adjective, to do is a simple infinitive. I went to the store to buy groceries. The verb is "went". "To buy" is the infinitive form of the verb "buy". A reasonable explanation of the history of the "to do list" is that it is a shortening. I have to do this. I have to do that. Don't forget to do this at this time. It is much simpler to say, do this, that, etc. As found at m-w.com "to do : necessary to be done". But what's the big to-do about this whole mess? (Sorry, I had to get that in there) If your life is more unstable than is normal, it is a "to-do list". As for the rest of us it is a "to do list", but never a "todo list".