Grammar queen

[ciphergoth]

English usage question arising out of a discussion on a wiki. I have my own opinion, but I don't want to bias the poll, so here it is...

[Poll #681358]

Comments

[taimatsu]

Depends how poncy/surrealist/otherwise strange the work in question is. If it's any old show, and the person just happens not to be named, then 'the pilot'. However, if the namelessness is a big important Thing which is Meaningful or Symbolic, then 'the Pilot'. (People do this in those modern-parable stories about runaway trains etc.) Never 'The Pilot' except at the start of a sentence. People do that with 'The Queen' and I *still* think it's wrong.

[wechsler.livejournal.com]

*nods* it's kind of the same "voice" as "The Prisoner" or "The Joker" - someone's "Title" rather than their "title" perhaps.

Or maybe I just need more sleep.