In the fashion of the 800-pound gorilla, who may sit anywhere he pleases, The New York Times has the clout to influence style for everyone else. In its curious affection for “like” instead of “such as,” the great gray eminence sets an abysmal example for writers everywhere.

The Times modestly identifies its Manual of Style and Usage as “the Official Style Guide Used by the Writers and Editors of the World’s Most Authoritative Newspaper.” On page 190, we find this piece of misguided guidance:

“Like is the preferred expression (rather than ‘such as’) in this kind of phrase: painters like Rubens.”

In the field of stylistic guidance, worse advice rarely has been given. The problem lies in the many functions of “like.” It may be dragooned into service as a verb: They like baseball. It is a noun: We shall not see his like again. It is an adjective: The team buys suits of like design. It has been a preposition since the 13th century: Her room is like a pigsty. It is a teenager’s all-purpose adverb: She is, like, gorgeous. Finally, and thoughtlessly, as the Times recommends, it may be misused as a conjunction: “He carried a bag like a doctor carries.” Aaargh!

Thus, we could have learned from the Times over the past 12 months:

• that John Wells of “West Wing” is one of television’s most successful producers of shows “like ‘E.R.”‘

• that critics of CIA director George Tenet will consign him to the company of men “like Allen W. Dulles.”

• that HBO may have paved the way with movies “like ‘Angels in America.”‘

• that global heavyweights “like the Baosteel Shanghai Group” are big hitters in Brazil’s burgeoning steel industry.

• that a bibliophile has collected colorful editions of poets “like Diane Wakoski and Charles Bukowski.”

Enough? In each instance, we stumble for a nanosecond over “like.” Wrong word! The writers didn’t want “like.” They needed “such as.” They were not making direct comparisons. They were offering examples. The misbegotten “like” triggers questions: Who are these poets like Wakoski? What movies were like “Angels in America”? Who were men like Allen Dulles?

Better-edited newspapers, such as The Washington Post and USA Today, consistently get it right. In the Post, we may read about “authors such as the late Stephen Ambrose,” Pontiac’s overseas rivals “such as Toyota and Honda,” and professional wrestling “in places such as Japan, Italy and England.” Editorial writers cope with “autocracies such as China and Vietnam” and “low-paying employers such as restaurants.” Bully for them!

Last October the Post urged European nations “such as Britain and France” to act against genocide. The Post’s Paul Blustein predicted that “nations such as Mexico and Turkey” will hold their own in the international textile market. Music critic Tim Page remarked upon “once-celebrated figures such as Walter Piston and William Schuman.”

In USA Today, a Texas correspondent writes about “large employers such as J.C. Penney.” A business writer covers “some of corporate America’s most established firms, such as Ford Motor and FedEx.” A music critic discusses “screen musicals such as ‘Anything Goes.”‘ An editorial writer copes with “devastating illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.”

James Kilpatrick is a syndicated columnist.