Dear SPOGG:
I know my two dictionaries were printed in the dark ages and all, but I didn't think there was such a word (nor should there be) as "tornadic." However, the Weather Channel (WC perhaps, ha ha ha) will use the word tornado as an adjective repeatedly. Maybe it is now an official word, but I would still rather hear them say something like "we have some conditions right here ripe for tornadoes" than "it looks like we have some tornadic activity over here." Am I right or wrong or both? Is there such a thing as "tornadic"?
-- P.R.
Dear P.R.,
We hate to be on the side of television broadcasters, who have turned roads into "roadways" and regularly employ even worse jargon. But the very reliable Encarta Dictionary recognizes tornadic as the adjective form of tornado. It's ugly; it sounds awful, but it is OK to use.
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