This word is frequently misplaced; as, "A large mob, both of men and women." Say, of both men and women.
"They are both alike." Say, they are alike. One of them could not be alike.
Pure slang, and singularly disagreeable.
Do not use it.
"He has no business to go there."
"Build a fire." "Build a canal." Even "build a tunnel" is not unknown, and probably if the wood-chuck is skilled in the American tongue he speaks of building a hole.
By many writers this word (in the sense of except) is regarded as a preposition, to be followed by the objective case: "All went but him." It is not a preposition and may take either the nominative or objective case, to agree with the subject or the object of the verb. All went but he. The natives killed all but him.
"I did not know but what he was an enemy." Omit what. If condemnation of this dreadful locution seem needless bear the matter in mind in your reading and you will soon be of a different opinion.
"A man by the name of Brown." Say, of the name. Better than either form is: a man named Brown.
"The bad weather is calculated to produce sickness." Calculated implies calculation, design.
"Can I go fishing?" "He can call on me if he wishes to."
In American politics, one is not a candidate for an office until formally named (nominated) for it by a convention, or otherwise, as provided by law or custom. So when a man who is moving Heaven and Earth to procure the nomination protests that he is "not a candidate" he tells the truth in order to deceive.