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The use of the verb proselytize doesn't attract criticism from linguistic conservatives these days. But it's part of a class of verbs that has been subject to the scorn of language mavens for ages. In particular, jeopardize (in the 19th century) and finalize (in the 20th) have irritated some writers.

Was Palin peaceful, as the context of the quotation implies, or perplexed, which is the generally accepted meaning of nonplussed? This confusion may be the result of a kind of sense drift: a word was used to mean something other than what the dictionary says it means.