Thread: Your least favourite English word Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


To visit this thread, use this URL:
http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=70;t=030234
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Recently, Oxford Dictionaries had an interactive page where readers could submit the words they liked least in the English language.

"Moist", "Brexit" and "no" came top of the list before trolls got hold of the site and the page had to be closed down. So - what are your least favourite words, for any reason at all - sound, pronunciation, associations, whatever?

(Btw, please let's try to avoid obscenities.)

I remember someone saying once she hated the word "parsnip" because of the shape people's mouths made when they said it.

I think "yummy" would probably be top of my list, along with "smoothie". Has anyone got "work" on theirs? Anyway, over to you.
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I was surprised by 'moist' since the GBBO had been enthusing about the dampness of drizzle cakes using the very word.
And I know that there's one which makes me cringe, but I can't remember what it is! Except that it's used in management speak.
 
Posted by Sarasa (# 12271) on :
 
Moist is on my list, and it made me cringe when it was used so frequently on GBBO this week.
My husband can't stand the work 'ramekin'.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
One of my favourite poems is Edwin Morgan's Canedolia which is all about the suggestiveness of words (in this case placenames) irrespective of meaning.

- what is the best of the country?

blinkbonny! airgold! thundergay!

and the worst?

scrishven, shiskine, scrabster, and snizort.


I think you can dislike a word for the sound - as above - or the meaning - 'selfie', 'Trump' - or the context in which you have (all too often) heard them - 'leverage', 'synergy'.
 
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on :
 
"Horrid" is one of mine. There's just something... twee about it.
 
Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
For what it's worth, geirvarta was recently voted the worst word in Icelandic. It means nipple, but is made up from the words for spear and wart...

AG
 
Posted by Jack the Lass (# 3415) on :
 
I can't stand "chillax". It just reminds me of David Cameron trying to be down with the kids. Stupid, pointless word.
 
Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
Working in a very corporate environment, I abhor business jargon more than most, though these often come in phrases (out of the box calculation) or undefined three letter acronyms (TLAs).

I think my most hated word (along with its cognates) is neoliberal as it attempts to co-opt the positive connotations of the term 'liberal' and uses them for a concept which is really rather conservative and utterly repugnant.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I'd forgotten about "faffing". Grr.
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
Never heard of "faffing", so hard to dislike it.

I'd nominate "arguably" and "hoodie".

The first because it's disingenuous and the second because I have a vision of a criminal with a penis head. Sorry for that image and beung obscene. I faff that the world should adopt the Saskatchewan English term "bunnyhug" for this item of clothing.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Not a word but a phrase: the meaningless "going forward" (as in "We will adopt this new policy going forward").

[ 27. August 2016, 14:38: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Jack the Lass:
I can't stand "chillax". It just reminds me of David Cameron trying to be down with the kids. Stupid, pointless word.
I totally agree!
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
The New York Times did a similar survey, and "moist" and "ointment" were high finishers.

I'm more interested in words that just sound bad to people, regardless of normal use.

The odd one for me is "pizza." If you get past it quickly, fine. If you carefully enunciate both syllables? Nails on a chalk board.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
What is it about "moist"? Would "joist" or "oyster" also be in the same category?
 
Posted by Nicolemr (# 28) on :
 
Phlegm. Ugh, that's gross.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
"Torrid". Whether talking about sex or weather conditions, it sounds so melodramatic.
 
Posted by Hilda of Whitby (# 7341) on :
 
Smegma.
 
Posted by Bene Gesserit (# 14718) on :
 
Leveraged
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
Pro-active I can't stand - the only trouble being I'm not sure what people would have said before they started saying that. Also 'bullet points'..aaarggghhh!
It also drives me mad when people say certain things ungrammatically (not that I don't, I hasten to add)...but particularly when it's people like journalists etc who surely ought to know better. For example: 'We were sat on the wall' or 'The boy was laid (often pronounced 'led') on the floor...which might be OK if someone were actually laying the boy on the floor. Surely it should be 'we were sitting on the wall, or seated, and the boy was lying on the floor.
Oh just remembered a word I absolutely cannot stand, and that is 'gobsmacked'. Ok maybe to use now and then, in the pub or whatever, but all sorts of people use it all the time. What's wrong with using 'astounded', 'astonished', 'shocked' etc? It is an absulutely horrible expression, I think.
 
Posted by Urfshyne (# 17834) on :
 
Surely the one word that most young people dislike most is "Don't".
 
Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :
 
Words that my family know to avoid around me are nice and posh.
And moist is too squelshy and squirmy.
 
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I have issues with "Plaza" but only in a special context. My husband has the annoying habit of saying "i'm going down to the plaza" when he means "I'm going to the supermarket" or "strip mall." I'm sure he picked it up from their pretentious names for themselves. Rather like all the cities and housing developments around here that call themselves Whatever Point (preferably Pointe, the extra e just makes it, right?) in spite of being nowhere near any geographic feature that would add any meaning whatsoever to the word. It makes me want to stick that Pointe right up their Plaza.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
"Impact," when used as a verb.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
Quadroon.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
Rather like all the cities and housing developments around here that call themselves Whatever Point (preferably Pointe, the extra e just makes it, right?) in spite of being nowhere near any geographic feature that would add any meaning whatsoever to the word. It makes me want to stick that Pointe right up their Plaza.
I always insist on pronouncing floofy shopping plazas or housing developments with that word as such-and-such pwahnt. If they want it to be French, dammit, it should be French. We also have near here a shopping plaza called Towne Centre. Which I pronounce "toon sahntruh." Pretentious twats.
 
Posted by Jonah the Whale (# 1244) on :
 
Wellness. It ought to mean "health", in which case it would be fine. But it means something slightly different and is used in a fluffy, trendy, faddish way that people on the latest health bandwagon love. Ugh.

I actually really like the word "moist".
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
We also have near here a shopping plaza called Towne Centre. Which I pronounce "toon sahntruh." Pretentious twats.
Early in my junior year of high school, my English teacher assigned some reading—an early American piece entitled "Massacre." She pronounced it "MASS-a-cruh." The entire class looked at her funny, and finally someone asked, "Do you mean 'MASS-a-ker'?" "No," she answered. "It's spelled "cre" at the end—MASS-a-cruh."

I really am not making this story up. The rest of the year, we all jokingly talked about things like sitting in the "centruh" or the "middluh" of the "theatruh."

/sidetrack
 
Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :
 
I never have figured out what "behither" means.
 
Posted by ThunderBunk (# 15579) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
We also have near here a shopping plaza called Towne Centre.
Good lord. Give it another generation, and the USA may learn to spell.
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
You all know I detest overly. I don't mean it's overly used, but that it is used at all. It shouldn't exist.

And unnecessary verbing. Work on the basis that nouns are nouns and verbs are verbs. Resist the temptation to turn nouns into verbs. It isn't always possible, but do try.
 
Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
And unnecessary verbing. Work on the basis that nouns are nouns and verbs are verbs. Resist the temptation to turn nouns into verbs. It isn't always possible, but do try.
Our current intense dislike is "disrespect" as a verb. Soon no doubt, we'll move on to "happy" used as one - "go and happy the dog" etc.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
And unnecessary verbing. Work on the basis that nouns are nouns and verbs are verbs. Resist the temptation to turn nouns into verbs. It isn't always possible, but do try.
As Calvin told Hobbes, "verbing weirds language."
 
Posted by Egeria (# 4517) on :
 
Words that make me want to throw a novel across the room: "luscious," "scrumptious," and "luxuriate." I once picked up a crappy romance novel while under the impression that it was a real mystery, and that last word gave the game away! Even typing those words makes my stomach do a slow roll...

Any and all business-speak and psychobabble. Unfortunately, that would be a very long list. I especially detest the expression "in denial," which seems to mean "I know your circumstances better than you do and I'm not going to believe a word you say."

And in the library world, the expressions that people use to avoid talking about actual books, research, and so forth: "information science" and its relatives. I am not an information scientist, or an information manager, or a custodian of documents, or a learning resources centrist. I am a librarian. And when I am in the Library taking notes for a conference presentation, I am not an "information consumer"--I am a researcher. (And I'm not giving any donations to the "School of Information," which does not have, and does not seek, accreditation from the American Library Association.) [Projectile]

There are lots of other works and expressions that ought to be jettisoned, either because they were stupid to start with or because of overuse: "wake-up call" for anything but the kind you request in a hotel, "the new normal," "bad-ass" (colleague at UCLA, I'm looking at you), "sucks" (vulgar, juvenile, and ubiquitous), and "iconic." [Mad]

And finally pomo-speak. It's no accident that the pomos and self-proclaimed "critical theorists" (neither critical nor theoretical) produce prose that "wins" bad writing awards. It's meant to disguise the writer's inability to do research and to think clearly, all the while sounding brilliant (because obscure). I am especially appalled by the simple-minded use of "around" as an all-purpose preposition. We have discussions on that subject, not around it. I am concerned about this or that problem, not around it.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gee D:
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
And unnecessary verbing. Work on the basis that nouns are nouns and verbs are verbs. Resist the temptation to turn nouns into verbs. It isn't always possible, but do try.
Our current intense dislike is "disrespect" as a verb. Soon no doubt, we'll move on to "happy" used as one - "go and happy the dog" etc.
The verb "disrespect" predates the noun by two decades (1610s vs. 1630s) and both of them predate you and me by over three centuries.

One of my pet peeves is people who bitch about "innovations" that are older than they are. The more centuries, the worse.
 
Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :
 
I nominate all those meaningless corporate buzz-words that get thrown around and then picked up by churches to make us sound like we're actually doing something when we're not:

missional
visionary
collegial
networking
servant leadership
stewardship
study group
"smart" goals & objectives
 
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Jonah the Whale:


I actually really like the word "moist".
All about context.
 
Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
Associated with the Olympic Games is "to medal." She did not medal, although she was expected to win at least a silver. [Confused]

[ 28. August 2016, 00:19: Message edited by: Lothlorien ]
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
quote:
Originally posted by Jonah the Whale:


I actually really like the word "moist".
All about context.
Some contexts are moister than others, as Betty Crocker said to Duncan Hines.

[ 28. August 2016, 00:30: Message edited by: mousethief ]
 
Posted by crunt (# 1321) on :
 
Brekky and din-dins, especially brekky.
 
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
As soon as I saw the title and before I read the OP my choice was work - but then I've been retired nigh on two decades!

[Big Grin]

I consign all, or most, management speak to the bin but the word actualise used as management speak really aggravates me!
 
Posted by Tobias (# 18613) on :
 
I hate 'pop'. The 'popping' of a balloon I can bear, but not the numerous other senses in which the word is used:
"I'll just pop out; she'll pop by later; pop it in the oven; pop a cardigan on. Just pop up on the bench for me."

Moreover, the word often brings other horrors with it:

"Adding a pop of colour gives vibrancy to a space!"
"This mascara will make your eyes really pop!" [Ultra confused]
"A look that's trending with women now is to rock a high pony twinned with a pop lip!"
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:
Associated with the Olympic Games is "to medal." She did not medal, although she was expected to win at least a silver. [Confused]
Oh yes.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I think we have slid over to what usage we dislike rather than inherently abhorrent words. Difficult to separate perhaps.

Language takes on the character of its age - at present ISTM arid, technological, polysyllabic, vague and depressing. As David Frost said some decades ago, a modern translation of Psalm 23 would start 'The Lord is my sheep maintenance operative'.
 
Posted by ThunderBunk (# 15579) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
I nominate all those meaningless corporate buzz-words that get thrown around and then picked up by churches to make us sound like we're actually doing something when we're not:

missional
visionary
collegial
networking
servant leadership
stewardship
study group
"smart" goals & objectives
Let them all be consigned to the fiery furnace. And "being church" along with them.
 
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Naughty and cross ( in the context of being cross).

I'm not sure why, but I think they sound like nursery words. I've disliked then both since I was a child.

One of the lists I saw when I was reading and article about this had hello as a word many people said they disliked.

Huia
 
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I don't like the sound of "oily".

Generally I prefer the sound of words with hard consonants. I love the sound of "cuckoo clock" with its four hard ks. Soft consonants are fine in longer words, but I don't like the sound of short words with a preponderance of vowels and only soft consonants.
 
Posted by MSHB (# 9228) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
I nominate all those meaningless corporate buzz-words that get thrown around and then picked up by churches to make us sound like we're actually doing something when we're not:

missional
visionary
collegial
networking
servant leadership
stewardship
study group
"smart" goals & objectives
And then there are the church-related terms that are borrowed by commercial enterprises. Many years ago I was surprised when a conference speaker was called a "technology evangelist".

I suspect that "servant leadership" and "stewardship" were actually church terms borrowed by the business world. But that won't stop the church world from borrowing them back.

Missional, visionary, and collegiate might also be examples of this.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
I nominate all those meaningless corporate buzz-words that get thrown around and then picked up by churches to make us sound like we're actually doing something when we're not:

missional
visionary
collegial
networking
servant leadership
stewardship
study group
"smart" goals & objectives
How could I forget "networking"? Or its churchy cousin, "fellowshipping"?

And I cringe every time I see that a church has an "executive pastor."

(I will say, though, that I've heard "stewardship" in the church all of my 50+ years—long before I heard it in any other context.)

[ 28. August 2016, 13:00: Message edited by: Nick Tamen ]
 
Posted by Doone (# 18470) on :
 
I cringe at 'hubby' ugh [Projectile]
 
Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Doone:
I cringe at 'hubby' ugh [Projectile]
Worse than that is "husby" and yes, I have heard it used. [Disappointed] [Ultra confused] [Projectile]

Management speak. And "kingdom purposes" because I have no idea what it's supposed to mean. (We had a thread here a while back in which we concluded that kingdom purposes are those which further the cause of Christ. That cleared it up nicely.)
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
If terms containing two words are included, I hate hate hate "no problem", when "you're welcome" should be said.
 
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
Indeed. I hate "no problem" when clearly there was no possible problem.

"Would you like a carrier bag?"
"No, thank you, I've brought my own."
"No problem."

Seriously, did I look as though I thought there might be a problem in not requiring a carrier bag? Do I seem in need of reassurance that there is no problem with using my own bag?
 
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
As soon as I saw the title and before I read the OP my choice was work - but then I've been retired nigh on two decades!

[Big Grin]

I consign all, or most, management speak to the bin but the word actualise used as management speak really aggravates me!
Speaking of which, when did we stop pressuring people to do stuff and start pressurizing them?
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
If terms containing two words are included
No, this is about single words you don't like. You (or anyone else) are welcome to start an entire new thread for phrases you hate. I'm sure it'll get a lot of mileage, going forward.

[ 28. August 2016, 17:19: Message edited by: Ariel ]
 
Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
Smart. Such as he or she looks smart, meaning well dressed. It always strikes me as better then looking dumb I guess.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
"Ignorant"

As used in statements like "That was ignorant behaviour you displayed at the party", or "Your ignorance of history is quite shocking".

Look, if you wanna say I'm rude or stupid, just come out and say I'm rude or stupid. Don't try to pass off your animosity as some detached factual observation about the state of my knowledge.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
I have a question.

Does the phrase "go on-line" predate the emergence of the internet in the early '90s? I ask, because I'm reading a book about technology and resources, written about five years ago, in which the writer repeatedly says things like "After France announced its nuclear-energy policy in the 1970s, many new reactors went on-line". Meaning, the reactors were built and put into operation.

To me, that seems anachronistic, even if we acknowledge that "on-line" can be extended to non-internet stuff. It still shouldn't be used to describe things that predate the internet.

(And yes, I know the internet was invented in the late 60s, but I don't think anyone was talking about "being on-line", in a cyber-sense, until the early 90s.)

[ 28. August 2016, 19:42: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
I believe I read about things going "online" before the internet. According to dictionary.com the term originated in the early forties. I remember hearing the term used about systems in the space programs in the sixties.
 
Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
Smart. Such as he or she looks smart, meaning well dressed. It always strikes me as better then looking dumb I guess.
This pond difference works the other way too. In Canada I saw an advertisement which started with the statement, "I'm smart", meaning, I'm clever, which put my back up immediately; how arrogant!
For me, smart means either well turned out, or a stinging feeling.
 
Posted by ThunderBunk (# 15579) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
I have a question.

Does the phrase "go on-line" predate the emergence of the internet in the early '90s? I ask, because I'm reading a book about technology and resources, written about five years ago, in which the writer repeatedly says things like "After France announced its nuclear-energy policy in the 1970s, many new reactors went on-line". Meaning, the reactors were built and put into operation.

To me, that seems anachronistic, even if we acknowledge that "on-line" can be extended to non-internet stuff. It still shouldn't be used to describe things that predate the internet.

(And yes, I know the internet was invented in the late 60s, but I don't think anyone was talking about "being on-line", in a cyber-sense, until the early 90s.)
Can't find a date for on-line, but off-line seems to date from 1926, originally used re. the railways (or railroad, if you prefer).
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
"reach out" to someone, which apparently means "to talk to them"
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
Worst word?

It's init, init?
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Lyda and Thunder:

Thanks. Guess I stand corrected.
 
Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by ThunderBunk:
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
I nominate all those meaningless corporate buzz-words that get thrown around and then picked up by churches to make us sound like we're actually doing something when we're not:

missional
visionary
collegial
networking
servant leadership
stewardship
study group
"smart" goals & objectives
Let them all be consigned to the fiery furnace. And "being church" along with them.
Or "doing life".
 
Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :
 
A bit more delicate-- this is probably the only context in which I could mention it-- but I hate that suddenly "passed" is a substitute for "passed away". As in "grandma passed last night." It always makes me think of passing gas.
 
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
"Bae." Really, was "Babe" (also obnoxious) so long you had to drop the freaking b to save time?
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
Ignorance and stupidity are two very different things. Ignorance means lack of knowledge; stupidity means lack of ability to think.
 
Posted by Jonah the Whale (# 1244) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Tree Bee:
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
Smart. Such as he or she looks smart, meaning well dressed. It always strikes me as better then looking dumb I guess.
This pond difference works the other way too. In Canada I saw an advertisement which started with the statement, "I'm smart", meaning, I'm clever, which put my back up immediately; how arrogant!
For me, smart means either well turned out, or a stinging feeling.
Growing up in the UK I always felt that the primary meaning of "smart" was well-dressed. Turns out that usage is a relative neologism from the early 1700s. The "clever" meaning is more than twice as old.
 
Posted by bib (# 13074) on :
 
I have a particular loathing for the word DUDE. I find it low class, crude and disrespectful. It seems to have become a common form of address among the young men of my acquaintance, probably heard originally on tv, but once established it is hard to remove.
I also cringed during the Olympics to hear athletes described as MEDALLING rather than having won medals.
I also grieve the loss of the adverb eg a person is described as running slow instead of slowly. The examples of this change are legion.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Ignorance and stupidity are two very different things. Ignorance means lack of knowledge; stupidity means lack of ability to think.
Yeah, but in the common parlance, the two are often used interchangably.

The Irrefutable Stupidity Of Sarah Palin

The writer uses examples such as her not knowing what Hamas is, which, properly speaking, would be an example of ignorance, not stupidity.

I suppose that there are legitimate cases where you would sincerely call someone ignorant, meaning lacking knowledge, and not mean it with the same insulting connotations that go with "stupid". In my experience, however, the word is usually not used in such an objective manner.

Personally, for the meaning of "lacking knowledge", I prefer to use "uninformed", which I don't think carries quite the same baggage as "ignorant".
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
Oh, and am I the ONLY person who has a major issue with infantile words used to describe bodily functions and discharge, and related matters?

For example, the word for urine that rhymes with "me", the word for feces that rhymes with "you", and the word for "toilet" that rhymes "naughty".

I just can't understand why adults insist on using those words(especially the word for feces, which, unlike the word for urine, can't even be justified as an onomatopoeia). Is it some desire to re-live their childhood or something?

I wish we could just remove the taboo against using vulgar slang for the same things(eg. the words that rhyme with "miss" and "pit"), so people who don't like using the formal Latin words could start using those instead. Though, if I my theory about infantile regression is correct, I guess it wouldn't have the desired effect.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by bib:
I also grieve the loss of the adverb eg a person is described as running slow instead of slowly. The examples of this change are legion.
I am not keen on the use of "legendary" to describe a celebrated actor or musician, especially if they are still very much alive and kicking!
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
I am not keen on the use of "legendary" to describe a celebrated actor or musician, especially if they are still very much alive and kicking!
Well, maybe they are legendary. Have you ever met them? Can you be sure they are real?
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Well, the Prom concert I saw on the TV last week featured two "legendary" musicians, both of whom I've heard live and one of whom I've met (albeit many years ago).

Mind you, they could have been Doppelgangers, or very clever Virtual Reality holograms - but I doubt it! [Cool]
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Clocks are described as running slow, I think. Rather than slowly.

One of my ex-pupils, died in a road accident aged 12, was described on the funeral service sheet as a legend. I think the word has developed a side use which people not of the culture which uses it do not understand. It will probably die out. (He was a very lovely boy and a great loss to the world, don't get me wrong.)

And with regards to Palin's ignorance - she was ignorant of things she should have known about, if she had done the homework necessary for the job she was touting for, so her ignorance was evidence of her stupidity.

[ 29. August 2016, 11:10: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 
Posted by Eirenist (# 13343) on :
 
'Iconic'; what's wrong with 'famous'?

And all olde worlde coinages, like 'Fayre' for 'fare' meaning food.
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Dartford Trinity Church is guilty of the 'Fayre' misnaming of their very nice little snack place. 'Fayre', to me, is a fake ancient spelling of 'Fair', and has its place on a Bank Holiday Monday or similar. But not for food. Even when partnered with 'Ye' and 'Olde'.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Eirenist:
'Iconic'; what's wrong with 'famous'?
Thanks -- you just beat me to it!
 
Posted by Curious Kitten (# 11953) on :
 
I offer up banterbury, bant, and lege, as words I could happily never hear again and really hope never make it into the dictionary.
 
Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:
quote:
Originally posted by Eirenist:
'Iconic'; what's wrong with 'famous'?
Thanks -- you just beat me to it!
One Direction are famous, they are not iconic.
Not expecting you to now like the word, but they are different.
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:

For example, the word for urine that rhymes with "me", the word for feces that rhymes with "you", and the word for "toilet" that rhymes "naughty".
Accents are weird. Next you're going to tell me that merry, marry and Mary all have the same vowel sound.

I don't particularly object to the words that you dislike, although to me, the word that doesn't rhyme with "naughty" refers to a portable device for small children, rather than to the porcelain throne.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
'Solutions' attached to each and every trade or business - I suppose to give an impression of daring and innovative plans fresh-minted just for you. I just passed 'Letting Solutions': listen, you're just common or garden letting agents pushing around the usual paperwork.
 
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Oh, and am I the ONLY person who has a major issue with infantile words used to describe bodily functions and discharge, and related matters?

For example, the word for urine that rhymes with "me", the word for feces that rhymes with "you", and the word for "toilet" that rhymes "naughty".

I just can't understand why adults insist on using those words(especially the word for feces, which, unlike the word for urine, can't even be justified as an onomatopoeia). Is it some desire to re-live their childhood or something?

I wish we could just remove the taboo against using vulgar slang for the same things(eg. the words that rhyme with "miss" and "pit"), so people who don't like using the formal Latin words could start using those instead. Though, if I my theory about infantile regression is correct, I guess it wouldn't have the desired effect.
We say "poo" or "poop" because there are WAY too many people out there, in way too many settings, who can't cope with hearing "shit" and don't have a clue what "feces" means. And "number 2" is even worse in the cutesy-twee sweepstakes.

Believe me, I loathe having to use childish words. But in many circumstances, it's that or lose my job/friendship/standing in that particular community/whatever.

Seriously, how am I to keep a straight face when I have to use circumlocutions like "The child used the f-bomb"? Among adults! But just try doing otherwise at a PTO meeting or similar.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Curious Kitten:
I offer up banterbury, bant, and lege, as words I could happily never hear again and really hope never make it into the dictionary.
I guess I've been fortunate. I've never heard those words.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Ignorance and stupidity are two very different things. Ignorance means lack of knowledge; stupidity means lack of ability to think.
Yeah, but in the common parlance, the two are often used interchangably.

The Irrefutable Stupidity Of Sarah Palin

The writer uses examples such as her not knowing what Hamas is, which, properly speaking, would be an example of ignorance, not stupidity.

I suppose that there are legitimate cases where you would sincerely call someone ignorant, meaning lacking knowledge, and not mean it with the same insulting connotations that go with "stupid". In my experience, however, the word is usually not used in such an objective manner.

Personally, for the meaning of "lacking knowledge", I prefer to use "uninformed", which I don't think carries quite the same baggage as "ignorant".
Sarah Palin is stupid because she, even as a vice presidential candidate, never saw the point of becoming more knowledgeable about important policy issues. She wallowed in her ignorance.

[ 29. August 2016, 14:42: Message edited by: Lyda*Rose ]
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
The use of devastated when one has suffered anything short of a terminal diagnosis. Yes, anything. Loss of a job, lousy exam results, repossession, all bad, but you can recover from those. Believe me, you can.

I have heard athletes describe themselves as "devastated" when they have finished fourth in an Olympic final, albeit in a personal best time. Fine, you can be disappointed. OTOH failing to buy a lottery ticket, or changing the usual numbers and thereby missing the jackpot is just tough. Pull your big girl panties up and get with it, as Erin used to say (IIRC).
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Sarah Palin is stupid because she, even as a vice presidential candidate, never saw the point of becoming more knowledgeable about important policy issues. She wallowed in her ignorance.
In electoral terms it was her greatest asset. Heck, look at Trump.
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Oh, and am I the ONLY person who has a major issue with infantile words used to describe bodily functions and discharge, and related matters?

For example, the word for urine that rhymes with "me", the word for feces that rhymes with "you", and the word for "toilet" that rhymes "naughty".

I just can't understand why adults insist on using those words(especially the word for feces, which, unlike the word for urine, can't even be justified as an onomatopoeia). Is it some desire to re-live their childhood or something?

I wish we could just remove the taboo against using vulgar slang for the same things(eg. the words that rhyme with "miss" and "pit"), so people who don't like using the formal Latin words could start using those instead. Though, if I my theory about infantile regression is correct, I guess it wouldn't have the desired effect.
We say "poo" or "poop" because there are WAY too many people out there, in way too many settings, who can't cope with hearing "shit" and don't have a clue what "feces" means. And "number 2" is even worse in the cutesy-twee sweepstakes.

Believe me, I loathe having to use childish words. But in many circumstances, it's that or lose my job/friendship/standing in that particular community/whatever.

Seriously, how am I to keep a straight face when I have to use circumlocutions like "The child used the f-bomb"? Among adults! But just try doing otherwise at a PTO meeting or similar.
Perhaps the circumlocutions allow people to have less vivid sensory images of what is being produced in the activity? Less disrupting to others' appetites and sensibilities.

Myself, I prefer that the waste substance produced isn't named, but to refer the location or activity instead. "Going to the potty" (or toilet), is specific but doesn't elaborate on what exactly is being done (in Boy Scouts, we called it the kybo). In my view, "turd" is the worst word as it conjures excessive floating vividness in my nerdy brain.

[ 29. August 2016, 15:53: Message edited by: no prophet's flag is set so... ]
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lamb Chopped:

Seriously, how am I to keep a straight face when I have to use circumlocutions like "The child used the f-bomb"? Among adults! But just try doing otherwise at a PTO meeting or similar.
Many years ago, my grandfather (who has long since passed away) was required to give evidence in court against someone who had assaulted him. The magistrate would not accept "first he cast aspersions on my parentage" in his account of what happened, and required him to repeat the actual words used.

Even though, much to my grandfather's mortification, there were ladies present. He once told me that being forced to repeat those words in open court was among the most embarrassing incidents of his life.

He was well aware what the words meant - he'd done his time in the army in the war, and no doubt both heard and used much worse - but not in mixed company.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Sarah Palin is stupid because she, even as a vice presidential candidate, never saw the point of becoming more knowledgeable about important policy issues. She wallowed in her ignorance.
In electoral terms it was her greatest asset. Heck, look at Trump.
sigh [Roll Eyes] If I gotta, I gotta.

[ 29. August 2016, 16:24: Message edited by: Lyda*Rose ]
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
Stetson, you're confusing me. First you would prefer to be insulted with "stupid" instead of "ignorant." Then you say they mean the same thing. If they mean the same thing, why do you care which one is used to insult you?

Indeed, in your first post on the subject you say both that they are synonymous, and that someone calling you "ignorant" is making a comment on the supposed state of your knowledge. So does "ignorant" mean "stupid," or not?

quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
For example, the word for urine that rhymes with "me", the word for feces that rhymes with "you", and the word for "toilet" that rhymes "naughty".
Accents are weird. Next you're going to tell me that merry, marry and Mary all have the same vowel sound.
If Stetson won't, I will. Those all have the same vowel sound in these parts.

quote:
Originally posted by bib:
I have a particular loathing for the word DUDE. I find it low class, crude and disrespectful. It seems to have become a common form of address among the young men of my acquaintance, probably heard originally on tv, but once established it is hard to remove.
This is interesting. Why do you find it low-class? In the US west it's a vestige of cowboy days and doesn't carry any class connotations at all, unless you think surfers are lower class.
 
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
I believe I read about things going "online" before the internet. According to dictionary.com the term originated in the early forties. I remember hearing the term used about systems in the space programs in the sixties.
I think it was used (and is still used, AFAIK) in relation to factory machinery starting up for production, too. As in the machines might have been functional for a long time before they actually went "on line" for production.
 
Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
Go-to. As in 'I'll reach out to Mike, he's our go-to guy for best-in-class feasibility analysis.'
 
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
Trending, or even worse, trending up. (Meaning gaining popularity, especially on social media.)
 
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
quote:
Originally posted by bib:
I have a particular loathing for the word DUDE.
In the US west it's a vestige of cowboy days and doesn't carry any class connotations.
I've heard the claim that it's from the Spanish dudo, "I doubt", as in "Dudo que sea un verdadero vaquero" (I doubt that he's a real cowboy). In that context it carries the connotation of poseur, faker, dandy.
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
I don't like the sound of "oily".

Generally I prefer the sound of words with hard consonants. I love the sound of "cuckoo clock" with its four hard ks. Soft consonants are fine in longer words, but I don't like the sound of short words with a preponderance of vowels and only soft consonants.
Yes, but if the word for 'oily' was not that but a word with hard consonants, perhaps it wouldn't really make it sound like what it is, if you see what I mean. 'Oily' sounds like what it is.
Don't you think that marshmallow sounds like what it is, all soft and mushy? It wouldn't be the same at all if it were called a klink-klonk..you would expect that to be a word for nuts or bolts, or spanners or something.
 
Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
Clocks are described as running slow, I think. Rather than slowly.
[Geek alert]

I believe this is what is called an 'adjectival resultative'. It is analogous to phrases like 'The grass grew tall' and describes what the subject was like as a result of the verb.

The grass grew tall = As a result of how the grass grew, it was tall.
The clock is running slow = As a result of how the clock runs, it is slow.

Granted, if a mechanical clock is running slow, then probably it's also running slowly, but the construction emphasises the result rather than the cause.
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
Dartford Trinity Church is guilty of the 'Fayre' misnaming of their very nice little snack place. 'Fayre', to me, is a fake ancient spelling of 'Fair', and has its place on a Bank Holiday Monday or similar. But not for food. Even when partnered with 'Ye' and 'Olde'.
"I suppose they think if they spell it with a y more people will come."

(Susie Blake's snobbish newsreader on Victoria Wood's show.)
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ricardus:
quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
Clocks are described as running slow, I think. Rather than slowly.
[Geek alert]

I believe this is what is called an 'adjectival resultative'. It is analogous to phrases like 'The grass grew tall' and describes what the subject was like as a result of the verb.

The grass grew tall = As a result of how the grass grew, it was tall.
The clock is running slow = As a result of how the clock runs, it is slow.

Granted, if a mechanical clock is running slow, then probably it's also running slowly, but the construction emphasises the result rather than the cause.
Ah, now that's interesting. In fact, is it the clock itself actually running slow or slowly, or is it the hands on the clock, or is it the mechanism whether mechanical or electical?
What, actually is a 'clock'?
I think we have to define exactly what we're talking about here before we can definitely say whether or not the 'clock' is running slow or slowly
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
In fact, perhaps it would be simpler to rely on sundials..I don't suppose they run at all!?
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cornflower:
In fact, perhaps it would be simpler to rely on sundials..I don't suppose they run at all!?
But in Seattle in the winter they're never online.
 
Posted by OddJob (# 17591) on :
 
In general English, 'showcase' used as a verb.

In a Christian context, 'quiet time'. If one intends to study the Bible and/or pray alone, say so. In my first couple of years as a practising Christian, I genuinely thought fellow believers were advocating a regular daytime snooze.
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
quote:
Originally posted by cornflower:
In fact, perhaps it would be simpler to rely on sundials..I don't suppose they run at all!?
But in Seattle in the winter they're never online.
Haha! They're probably not that much in summer either, in Britain...in fact they often come to a full stop!
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by OddJob:
In general English, 'showcase' used as a verb.

In a Christian context, 'quiet time'. If one intends to study the Bible and/or pray alone, say so. In my first couple of years as a practising Christian, I genuinely thought fellow believers were advocating a regular daytime snooze.
Yes, a lot of 'Christianese' can be annoying. It's a bit like listening to Dutch, which if you know some German, you think you can almost understand, but not quite. And after a while, you end up using the same phrases or words yourself!
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Speaking of which, when did we stop pressuring people to do stuff and start pressurizing them?
1938, according to an etymological dictionary. "Pressuring" (in this sense) only dates from 1922, so there's not much in it.
 
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ricardus:
Go-to. As in 'I'll reach out to Mike, he's our go-to guy for best-in-class feasibility analysis.'
That whole sentence is a study in barf.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
I believe I read about things going "online" before the internet. According to dictionary.com the term originated in the early forties. I remember hearing the term used about systems in the space programs in the sixties.
I think it was used (and is still used, AFAIK) in relation to factory machinery starting up for production, too. As in the machines might have been functional for a long time before they actually went "on line" for production.
Since factory production often involves "lines" where one part of assembly leads to the next, that is a logical source for the term "online".
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:

If Stetson won't, I will. Those all have the same vowel sound in these parts.

Yes, I think we both come from green dots.

(Code fix)

[ 30. August 2016, 07:11: Message edited by: Firenze ]
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cornflower:

Don't you think that marshmallow sounds like what it is, all soft and mushy? It wouldn't be the same at all if it were called a klink-klonk..you would expect that to be a word for nuts or bolts, or spanners or something.
And yet, it derives its squidgysoundingness from words not intended for that purpose. Admittedly, there is something squidgy about a marsh, the location where the variety of the mallow plant which produced the original squelchy gunge used to make the confection was found. (I heard somewhere that the method for extracting it had been lost to human knowledge, which is good, as early purple orchids were nearly wiped out by having gloop extracted from its bulbs to make an early soft drink.)
 
Posted by Honest Ron Bacardi (# 38) on :
 
Penny S wrote:
quote:
(I heard somewhere that the method for extracting it had been lost to human knowledge, which is good, as early purple orchids were nearly wiped out by having gloop extracted from its bulbs to make an early soft drink.)
The method is still around - I've seen it done IRL! There are various recipes around with the details in (it involves boiling the roots for about 30 mins. I seem to recall), though many seem to add gelatine as well, which shouldn't be necessary if done correctly. The addition of whipped egg whites is a later invention - the original marshmallow was a solid sweet.

You can buy powdered orchid root at Turkish grocers (probably under-the-counter as I'm sure the product must be illegal by now) - it's called salep - and you can get ice-creams made from it. Best avoided on conservation grounds I think.
 
Posted by Eirenist (# 13343) on :
 
'Buccaneer' or 'buccaneering' used to praise a businessman. The word actually means 'a disreputable adventurer'. I am a buccaneer, you sail a bit close to the wind, he's a crook.

Also 'Award-winning', of a TV series - what is the award, and who gave it? we are never told.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:

If Stetson won't, I will. Those all have the same vowel sound in these parts.

Yes, I think we both come from green dots.

(Code fix)
Good call.
 
Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
Baby-talk words like lippy and leccy.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sparrow:
Baby-talk words like lippy and leccy.
To which I'll add the aforementioned "yummy", and follow it up with "tummy".
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
Laters (or is it "laterz"?) as in "'K, laters people."
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
quote:
Originally posted by Sparrow:
Baby-talk words like lippy and leccy.
To which I'll add the aforementioned "yummy", and follow it up with "tummy".
nom nom nom
 
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Thank you, Honest Ron - but I think I will give salep a miss. (The name was lurking about in my mind but had confused itself with Shropshire.) Interesting that it is the same name here in the past and Turkey in the present.
Does the marshmallow have to be a particular species?
 
Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by OddJob:

In a Christian context, 'quiet time'. If one intends to study the Bible and/or pray alone, say so. In my first couple of years as a practising Christian, I genuinely thought fellow believers were advocating a regular daytime snooze.
John Ortberg says "sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap." I agree. So I say here, here! Let's all go for a bit of "quiet time". (Although now that I say that, with the air quotes it's starting to sound more like a similar euphemism hubby and I use when arranging a marital liaison... but hey, that's good too...)
 
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
"closure". Ugh! Overused by non-clinicians and sounds vapid.
 
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
quote:
Originally posted by Sparrow:
Baby-talk words like lippy and leccy.
To which I'll add the aforementioned "yummy", and follow it up with "tummy".
nom nom nom
I absolutely abhor nom nom nom! It's so childish. There's a food writer in Atlanta who kept saying that a certain food was "so yummy in my tummy". I sent a flippant email to her and asked her how old she was and that I was surprised a grown woman would resort to such baby talk. Others also wrote scathing emails to her. I don't think she used those words again.
 
Posted by Beenster (# 242) on :
 
Flange

Penetration
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
'Function' - and the Room they are held in. I mean, is there any word more quelling of any suggestion of sociability or merriment?

Also 'flunkey'.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
Thank you, Honest Ron - but I think I will give salep a miss. (The name was lurking about in my mind but had confused itself with Shropshire.) Interesting that it is the same name here in the past and Turkey in the present.
Does the marshmallow have to be a particular species?
Ahem. The Recipe thread is thataway -->

Firenze
Heaven Host
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
'Function' - and the Room they are held in. I mean, is there any word more quelling of any suggestion of sociability or merriment?

Also 'flunkey'.
A "function room" is bad enough, but what are the other rooms?
 
Posted by SusanDoris (# 12618) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Penny S:
I was surprised by 'moist' since the GBBO had been enthusing about the dampness of drizzle cakes using the very word.
And I know that there's one which makes me cringe, but I can't remember what it is! Except that it's used in management speak.
But moist's designation as a hated word must have been around for quite a time, since Terry Pratchett used it for for Von Lipwig's name and I think he, Moist, pronounced it Mo - ist when he first was mentioned.
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by SusanDoris:
But moist's designation as a hated word must have been around for quite a time, since Terry Pratchett used it for for Von Lipwig's name and I think he, Moist, pronounced it Mo - ist when he first was mentioned.
Not sure that follows. Having someone introduce himself as "I'm Moist" is comical whether or not Moist is a hated word. Of the Twilight the Darkness riffs on this by calling him "Mister Slightly Damp".

ETA: Anecdotally I find much more moist-hatred amongst Americans than Brits.

[ 31. August 2016, 14:22: Message edited by: Leorning Cniht ]
 
Posted by Eirenist (# 13343) on :
 
L.C., it's due to our climate.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I'm one of those people who get sick just saying the word vomit.
 
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on :
 
This seemed relevant to the discussion of infantile phrasings...

Is repeating your toddler's cute speech mistakes bad for her development?

[ 31. August 2016, 17:03: Message edited by: Stetson ]
 
Posted by Leaf (# 14169) on :
 
"Preggers." Oh God do I hate "preggers." Why would you take a word for a normal biological process and split it in half, such that the front half is correct and the back half is cutesy? We don't do this for other biological events:

"Look! He has an erectie!"
"Aww, poor kid, she has a nosebloopie!"

It's just so weird and inappropriate. If you mean "pregnant" say "pregnant." If you must find a cutesy euphemism - well, first of all, give your head a shake, but failing that - go all out and depart from the word with "knocked up" or "up the duff" or whatever your culture recognizes.
 
Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
"Eachandevery." And yes, it is a single word, judging by the speech of the two people who drive me crazy using it in place of "each." (One sprinkles it through his sermons!)
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
A "function room" is bad enough, but what are the other rooms?
Relation Room, Inverse Function Room, and Surjection Room
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:
I'm one of those people who get sick just saying the word vomit.
Hm, I think 'puke' is worse.
 
Posted by cornflower (# 13349) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leaf:
"Preggers." Oh God do I hate "preggers." Why would you take a word for a normal biological process and split it in half, such that the front half is correct and the back half is cutesy? We don't do this for other biological events:

"Look! He has an erectie!"
"Aww, poor kid, she has a nosebloopie!"

It's just so weird and inappropriate. If you mean "pregnant" say "pregnant." If you must find a cutesy euphemism - well, first of all, give your head a shake, but failing that - go all out and depart from the word with "knocked up" or "up the duff" or whatever your culture recognizes.
Also the product of 'being preggers' - 'sprog'
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by cornflower:
Also the product of 'being preggers' - 'sprog'
When I were a lad... "Sprog" was the schoolboy slang of choice at my school for "new boys" coming into the Senior School (in the Upper Fourth).
 
Posted by Beautiful Dreamer (# 10880) on :
 
I think "twerk" is a stupid word, and the dance it describes isn't much better.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
A "function room" is bad enough, but what are the other rooms?
Mostly not in use. They're non-functioning. [Snigger]
 
Posted by Eirenist (# 13343) on :
 
Presumably a lavatorry, toilet, bathroom, W.C.,, or whatever euphemism is customary in your culture would be a bodily function room?

Other unfavourite words; 'Kid', or 'Kids' for child or children.

'Student' used of any school-attender under 18; they are pupils or schoolchildren.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
A "function room" is bad enough, but what are the other rooms?
Well, when I had "the runs" last week (yes, I know that's a euphemism in itself), I could have done with a Malfunction Room. Or several, closely spaced.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Eirenist:
Presumably a lavatorry, toilet, bathroom, W.C., or whatever euphemism is customary in your culture would be a bodily function room?
No, a function room is used for social/business functions.
 
Posted by Amorya (# 2652) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:
quote:
Originally posted by cornflower:
Also the product of 'being preggers' - 'sprog'
When I were a lad... "Sprog" was the schoolboy slang of choice at my school for "new boys" coming into the Senior School (in the Upper Fourth).
… leading to "Sprog-Bashing Day" every Friday 13th.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
quote:
Originally posted by Eirenist:
Presumably a lavatorry, toilet, bathroom, W.C., or whatever euphemism is customary in your culture would be a bodily function room?
No, a function room is used for social/business functions.
Especially upstairs in pubs.
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
… leading to "Sprog-Bashing Day" every Friday 13th.
[Ultra confused] I dread even to think...
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stetson:
Yes, I think we both come from green dots.
That's totes adorbs!

Except that when I listen to the "merged" vowels of "cot" and "caught" on that wikipedia page, I hear different vowels. They are similar (much more similar than they would be in my accent) but they're not the same - the vowel in "caught" is rounder than the one in "cot". They're close enough that they're probably the same IPA letter, but one of them must have a diacritic, surely?

When you and mousethief say that these words sound the same to you, is the wiki page a fair representation of how they sound, or are they even closer than that in your accents>
 
Posted by ExclamationMark (# 14715) on :
 
Tory
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
When you and mousethief say that these words sound the same to you, is the wiki page a fair representation of how they sound, or are they even closer than that in your accents
The sound in the wiki page that they say goes with cot, nod, and stalk, is also what caught, gnawed, and stalk sounds like. The second little speaker sound doesn't sound like any vowel I use. I can tell they're different, but the second sound sounds like the first sound with a floofy accent. I don't differentiate in my speech between the two, using the first exclusively, and I have never noticed (until I entered into this cot/caught discussion, some years ago) that other people used the one sound for some words and the other for others. I figured it was just the way they sounded because of where they were from, and didn't cotton on to the fact that they were using 2 sounds where I just had 1. I hope that makes some sense.
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
We seem to have migrated some way from "your least favourite word" to discussion of accents and beyond. Perhaps we could migrate back again.

Fank yew

Ariel
Heaven Host
 
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
That's totes adorbs!

Oh, sweet Jesus.

The first time I ever heard these two words, I knew that I would be squelching the urge to murder whenever I heard them, seperate or jointly.
 
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I'm baffled by the use of floor to mean something other than the floor of a building. "He fell to the floor" now seems to include pavements, roads, lawns etc.

Is this a new usage? Or an import?
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
My wife talks about her "pelvic floor". Now that's a phrase I hadn't heard until about 5 years ago. But I'm a mere male.
 
Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
That's totes adorbs!

Don't you mean amazeballs?

[Ultra confused]

(Code fix)

[ 02. September 2016, 09:51: Message edited by: Firenze ]
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
They throw your fedora
Wherever the floor is
And start doing horas and taps

People have been being floored for a long time.

Actually, I could do with a return to that: I'm getting tired of 'gobsmacked', still more 'totally gobsmacked'.
 
Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:
I'm one of those people who get sick just saying the word vomit.
It IS gross! I much prefer "tossed my cookies" or "barfed". And lately, with my medical problems, I seem to be doing that quite a lot. [Waterworks]
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
People have been being floored for a long time.
Indeed. My friend the etymological dictionary suggests that floor meaning "floor, pavement, ground, bottom (of a lake etc)" is Old English and so has been in use longer than floor meaning "level of a house" which arrived only in the 1580s. Can't say I've ever used floor to mean the bottom of a lake though.

Since you ask (!?), "to be floored" in the sense of being physically knocked down is from the 1640s and in the metaphorical sense from 1830.
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:
Can't say I've ever used floor to mean the bottom of a lake though.
But we do talk about the ocean floor.
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Nick Tamen:
But we do talk about the ocean floor.
Hmm, perhaps everyone else does; I'm not sure I do! I would tend to talk about the sea bed (or a lake bed or a river bed.) You're quite right, though... ocean floor. Hadn't thought of that. I'm sure I'd never say "ocean bed".

[ 02. September 2016, 13:39: Message edited by: Teekeey Misha ]
 
Posted by Nick Tamen (# 15164) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Teekeey Misha:
quote:
Originally posted by Nick Tamen:
But we do talk about the ocean floor.
Hmm, perhaps everyone else does; I'm not sure I do! I would tend to talk about the sea bed (or a lake bed or a river bed.) You're quite right, though... ocean floor. Hadn't thought of that. I'm sure I'd never say "ocean bed".
Well, to be honest, I rarely talk about it at all. But what I usually hear, particularly in news reports, is ocean floor (and river bed).

FWIW, the Wiki article on "Seabed" begins "The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, or ocean floor) is the bottom of the ocean."
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Gosh, and I thought it floated on the surface!
 
Posted by Anselmina (# 3032) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
Indeed. I hate "no problem" when clearly there was no possible problem.

"Would you like a carrier bag?"
"No, thank you, I've brought my own."
"No problem."

Seriously, did I look as though I thought there might be a problem in not requiring a carrier bag? Do I seem in need of reassurance that there is no problem with using my own bag?
Sheesh! Chillax, bro!
[Biased]
 
Posted by Anselmina (# 3032) on :
 
Ref: floor.

If I fall outside, I fell down on the ground. If I fall inside, I fell on the floor.

If someone makes me speechless, amazed or whatever, I'm floored. If I'm naughty and restricted to my home after school, I'm grounded.

Simples! <squeak>
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
Indeed. I hate "no problem" when clearly there was no possible problem.

"Would you like a carrier bag?"
"No, thank you, I've brought my own."
"No problem."

Seriously, did I look as though I thought there might be a problem in not requiring a carrier bag? Do I seem in need of reassurance that there is no problem with using my own bag?
Do you have a similar problem with "de nada" or "de rien"?
 
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I don't think anybody has ever said "de nada" or "de rien" to me. They're not expressions I'm familiar with.
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
The French and Spanish are idiomatic aren't they? Though I get the translation influence. I believe Germans use "bitte" for both please and you're welcome.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
I don't think anybody has ever said "de nada" or "de rien" to me. They're not expressions I'm familiar with.
They are Spanish and French, respectively, and are the normal ways of saying "you're welcome" in those two languages. Literally they mean "of nothing" or slightly less literally "it's nothing."

Quite similar to "[it's] no problem."

It seems to be a pretty international way of saying "you're welcome."
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
I believe Germans use "bitte" for both please and you're welcome.
Russian is much the same with "пожалуйста".
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
The French and Spanish are idiomatic aren't they? Though I get the translation influence. I believe Germans use "bitte" for both please and you're welcome.
Of course they're idiomatic, yes. But they clearly arose from the idea that it was not a problem to do that for you. It was nothing.

"Bitte" literally means "[I] ask/beg/request." I've never figured out the logic of using it for "you're welcome."

Of course "you're welcome" to mean "de nada" is also idiomatic, since "you're welcome" literally means something along the lines of "we're happy to let you enter this place."
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Just a gentle reminder, this thread is about your least favourite English word. Please let's not get into the comparative merits of phrases in foreign languages. Especially untranslated ones.

Thank you

Ariel
Heaven Host
 
Posted by Tree Bee (# 4033) on :
 
A current buzzword that crops up far too regularly is 'robust'. I raise my eyes to the heavens each time I hear it.
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Of course they're idiomatic, yes. But they clearly arose from the idea that it was not a problem to do that for you. It was nothing.
In a conversation that goes '"Here's this thing." "Thanks for doing that". "No problem."' the "no problem" makes sense. It was no problem to do this thing for you.

In the conversation '"Would you like a bag?" "No thank you, I have my own." "No problem."', it doesn't make sense. The cashier hasn't done anything for you, so it makes no sense for him to claim that it wasn't a problem.
 
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
In the conversation '"Would you like a bag?" "No thank you, I have my own." "No problem."', it doesn't make sense. The cashier hasn't done anything for you, so it makes no sense for him to claim that it wasn't a problem.
Perhaps: they turned down your offer, and you're saying you're not offended.
 
Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by mousethief:
Perhaps: they turned down your offer, and you're saying you're not offended.
Perhaps. It seems just a little precious to imply even the possibility of offense in this case, though.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" "No thank you." "I'm not offended." ?
 
Posted by Teekeey Misha (# 18604) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
In the conversation '"Would you like a bag?" "No thank you, I have my own." "No problem."', it doesn't make sense. The cashier hasn't done anything for you, so it makes no sense for him to claim that it wasn't a problem.
Surely the "No problem" is attached not to the deed that he hasn't done but to your thanks. His claiming that it wasn't a problem makes as much sense as your thanking him for not doing anything!

It makes more sense if you consider the conversation without any ellipses:

He: Would you like a bag?
You: No; thank you [for offering me a bag but] I have my own.
He: [It was] no problem [offering you a bag].

That said, I don't like it either!
 
Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
This seems to have run its course for single, unlovely words, and is morphing incorrigibly into Grammatical Infelicities, so me (and the hosts) has thunk about it, and yourselves might like to take discussion there going forwards, innit.

Cheers

Ariel
Heaven Host
 


© Ship of Fools 2016

Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.5.0