Misled by the search for truth

“Hey, Joe, where are you AT?”

Oh, but that one does bother me, and not just for the reason that the word “at” is simply not necessary. Adding that superfluous preposition at the end of the simple question, well, it just looks DUMB.

Actually, I take partial blame. Oh not me PERSONALLY, you understand, but my generation. You see, I believe the tendency began back in the 1960s, when a lot of people seemed bent on determining just where “it” was “at” as in “Hey, man, where's it at?”

Clearly, the dude above could just as well have asked, “Hey, man, where is it?” He would have been grammatically correct, of course, but … Anyone who was around back then, and is foolish enough to admit it, would concede that the correct version just doesn't have the right ZING! now does it?

Anyway, that's no excuse for all the other misuses of the word “at.” Not even if you have finally figured out where “it” is. Just let me know, man.