I actually had someone say that to me once, but in that case it was grammatically correct. I had introduced myself to someone at a party, and I later introduced her to a wallflower. Later, the wallflower said to me, "I was pleased to meet your acquaintance. I didn't know anyone other than the host, and I was glad you talked to me and introduced me to someone else." That is the only time I would expect to hear that.

You are entirely correct in stating that the correct phrase is, "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," or "it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." It is sort of an archaic phrase, and the only people I ever hear it from are either older people or people whose native language is not English. What I hear most often is, "It's a pleasure to meet you." (And that's usually followed by, "I have heard so much about you," which always makes me wonder what the hell people have been saying about me. The next time I hear that, I think I will ask exactly what it is they've been told about me.)

I must say that as a person who loves English, I am frequently distressed by its usage. It seems to me that people say the most ridiculous things, and have no idea what they are saying. Two of my favorites are, "He had a sh**load of...(insert noun of your choice)," and "he had a buttload of...(again, insert the noun of your choosing). The thing that cracks me up about those two is that they both have the same origin. One origin is "shipload" and the other is "boatload", both referring to a large amount such as would be found on a cargo ship. I think people just don't know the origin of the phrase, so they say both of them incorrectly. I often wonder why they don't stop to think about what they are saying. How much, exactly, is a load of crap? How much can be loaded in someone's rear end? (Actually, don't answer that second one--I really don't want to know the answer.)

There is another one which is very popular here, and I believe, from listening to people from other areas of the US, that it must be popular in various areas. What it is is the substitution of "ignorant" for the word "rude." Here, it is pronounced "ingnernt", and is generally used like this: "I thought it was really ignernt of him to say that." What they mean to say is that someone said something rude. The people who say it seem to be completely and blissfully unaware that "ignorant" means "lacking in knowledge." I suppose you could make an argument that what they are trying to say is that someone is lacking in knowledge of correct manners, but I am pretty certain that the people who say that are not aware enough of what they are saying to think it through to that conclusion.

So, now that we have identified a problem, let me ask you something. What are we, who know about grammar, to do about it? How do we educate those around us without sounding pompous and rude (or, if you prefer, ignernt)? How do we save English from the fools who use it and abuse it daily?

Please get back to me when you have a plan.