What is it with " The " ?

[jdots]

have you noticed the absence of ( the ) lately ?
" Betty is in studio " " Nigel is in bathroom "
" am I on THE acid ? " no really what gives ?

[lazarus]

1. British usage

No idea why it's moving here.

[derby378]

7. Possibly revenge

Americans have been dropping letters from words (honour changes to honor, oestrogen turns into estrogen, anaesthesia turns into anesthesia, etc.), and it's catching on in Canada and parts of the UK. I think the Brits are showing us that the Queen's English still has some fight left in it.

[miss_kitty]

2. Well i think they're trying to talk British English

and they're wrong. I've only heard it for University and Hospital.

I think *they* are on THE acid.

[KurtNYC]

3. Why don't the British use an article there?

"... was taken to hospital" ?

If they keep that up, "WTF" will become simply WF?

WF?

[miss_kitty]

5. I have tried to research that, and some other peculiarities of

British English, and have never come up with an answer. I supose on the other side of *ahem* THE pond, they may wonder why we stick 'the' everywhere we can.

[DrWeird]

6. Or "it."

e.g. "My biscuit has chocolate chips in (it)."

[knitter4democracy]

4. I thought you were talking about

THE Ohio State University. Boy, that one drives me crazy. Like they have more than one? You don't need the definite article in front of the name of the only university by that name.

I've always wanted to get a shirt that says, "An Ohio State University," just to tick them off. :)