Further/Farther

I’m sick of people looking at me like I’m crazy when I use the word “farther.” We almost always use “further” when referring to any sort of extension (of distance, situation, time or effort, etc…), but “farther” is just as good a word, and more appropriate in certain sentences, so “the look” must be stopped (and don’t worry your pretty head about the fact that I just used passive voice – forget about it). It’s the look that says, “You are using improper grammar.” Nobody gives me that look. I give the look. I push the button. I also like to defend endangered words.

The problem: It is inappropriate for me to interrupt a conversation or, more accurately, a dialogue or diatribe of my own, to acknowledge and appropriately check another person's “bad grammar face.”

This is perfect forum to, once and for all, make the clarification. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Merriam-Webster:

(For the record, I do appreciate the fact that Merriam-Webster does not distance itself from normal society by forcing rigid and sometimes outmoded definitions and uses of certain words. One might, on the other hand, lament the fact that I can use Merriam-Webster as defense for my assertion that "chocolate cheesecake is the bomb.")

1. far•ther

Usage: Farther and further have been used more or less interchangeably throughout most of their history, but currently they are showing signs of diverging. As adverbs they continue to be used interchangeably whenever spatial, temporal, or metaphorical distance is involved. But where there is no notion of distance, further is used (Our techniques can be further refined). Further is also used as a sentence modifier (Further, the workshop participants were scarcely optimistic), but farther is not. A polarizing process appears to be taking place in their adjective use. Farther is taking over the meaning of distance (the farther shore) and further the meaning of addition (needed no further invitation).