A good friend of mine wanted to buy a used thingamajig, so he posted that desire on Facebook starting with the phrase “Wanted to buy: thingamajig.”
When I saw this, I thought he made a typo and meant to write “Want to buy,” and I told him so via Messages.
Nope, he replied, that’s what people write these days. Seriously‽ (But he did acknowledge that it’s ungrammatical.)
Not wanting to believe him, and exhibiting a naive faith in humanity, I checked Google, and sure enough, it’s common. I also searched Google ngram, and though it was more common in the 1940s, it is also experiencing an uptick in the printed word.
Goddamnit, he’s right. Also, you kids stay off my lawn!