Discussion Groups / English Usage / May 2009

I've always thought of the phrases to be used when loosely reporting
the content of someone else's speech to be as discussed in the Merriam-
Webster's Learner's Dictionary:

to that effect or to the effect that —used to indicate that the
meaning of words is roughly correct even if the words themselves are
not completely accurate ▪ He said more time was needed to reach a
decision, or words to that effect. = He said something to the effect
that more time was needed to reach a decision.

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:

With that basic or general meaning, as in He said he was very worried,
or words to that effect. This term is also put as to the effect that
when introducing a clause, as in She was a little vague but said
something to the effect that she'd repay the loan very soon.
[Mid-1600s]

Oxford English Dictionary:

effect. n. Purport; drift, tenor, essential significance. Now only in
phrases, as to the effect that, to that (also this) effect, words to
that effect.

But I see that usage on the Web has strongly shifted towards
"something to the effect of" rather than "that."

"of": 1,280,000
"that": 286,000

In the edited English of Google Books, "that" is more common, but not
by a huge margin:

"of": 824
"that": 1,564

I suspect this shift is influenced by more common uses of "effect of"
in contexts like "the effect of these compliments was to make him
conceited."

Of course hordes of people write "to the affect of" and "to the affect
that"--a familiar spelling error.

But what do you think of "to the effect of"? It sounds like a mistake
to me. Does anybody know of any formal discussion of this point?

Paul Brians