ATTENTION JOURNALISTS OF AMERICA!!!! YOUR INCORRECT WORD USAGE IS MAKING ME CRAZY!

"troop" (noun) 1. an assemblage of persons or things; company; band. 2. a great number or multitude. 3. Military. an armored cavalry or unit consisting of two or more platoons and a headquarters group. 4. troops, a body of soldiers, police, etc.

So, no, it is not correct to say, "Eight troops were killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq today," or, "Four troops have been reported killed by insurgents outside of Kabul."

They are soldiers, sailors, Marines, pilots, men and women, but unless they are all together as a functioning unit and all have experienced the same fate, no, they should not be referred to as troops. It is no0t a synonym for individual persons.

Please stop using this word incorrectly. It only validates the notion that English is going to Hell in a hand basket.

I once heard a TV reporter say a story was "heart rendering." I wonder how that works, exactly.
Can we also consider that, "On the up-and-up" means something is honest or legitimate; it does not indicate that business is flourishing.

"Thoughtful" is not interchangeable in meaning with "pensive" or "introspective."

Just because you heard it on TV doesn't mean it's OK to perpetuate the error.