Post by: grampster on December 25, 2006, 02:38:42 PM
(Am I bored on a Christmas night?)
Post by: The Rabbi on December 25, 2006, 03:08:35 PM
Post by: grampster on December 25, 2006, 03:22:03 PM
Post by: wingnutx on December 25, 2006, 03:34:03 PM
Yes, I hate this sort of thing.
I've heard "Let loose the dogs of war" enough to want to strangle the next person who says it.
Post by: Cromlech on December 25, 2006, 03:52:21 PM
Quote
ANTONY:
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Blood and destruction shall be so in use
And dreadful objects so familiar
That mothers shall but smile when they behold
Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war;
All pity choked with custom of fell deeds:
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.
Indeed.
Post by: K Frame on December 25, 2006, 04:03:25 PM
Post by: charby on December 25, 2006, 04:06:38 PM
Post by: 280plus on December 25, 2006, 04:18:36 PM
Post by: Chuck Dye on December 25, 2006, 04:20:13 PM
You really do need to be careful: some very capable folk use the deliberate rupture of phrase for fun. Think "spoonerism."
Post by: Marnoot on December 25, 2006, 04:40:20 PM
Post by: 280plus on December 25, 2006, 04:41:42 PM
Post by: mustanger98 on December 25, 2006, 04:45:59 PM
Post by: Lee on December 25, 2006, 06:37:14 PM
I'm not sure I've ever heard him correctly state a well known phrase. It's kinda funny though...could be worse...kay sirhan sirhan.
Post by: mustanger98 on December 25, 2006, 06:44:43 PM
Post by: Chuck Dye on December 25, 2006, 06:46:44 PM
)
Post by: Monkeyleg on December 25, 2006, 08:22:10 PM
Then there's the creation of new common phrases:
"At the end of the day..."
Whose day? Mine? His? And, if it's so damn important, I want his work to continue past "the end of the day." I don't want to wake up the next morning to hear, "at the end of the day, yesterday, Indianopolis was nuked."
Another one: "at this point in time."
Unless the speaker is from another galaxy, we're on the same space/time continuum. If he's not, I want the TSA insectors at the respective airports to give him the rectal exam of his life. If he survives, I'll just assume it's Ted Kennedy, and that he forgot once again where he was.
"Stay the course."
I don't care where your sentiments lie concerning the Iraq war. But someone should tell Karl Rove to come back from his Cancun vacation and come up with a new line. And somebody should tell Pelosi, Reid & Co. that beating up that tired phrase is getting them nowhere.
"Dude."
Oh, this one tops it for me. One word, and I go nuts. It's the laziest and most meaningless word in the contemporary English language. It once had meaning--a man who dressed with class or finesse or simply dressed formally.
Now, it's a description, a salutation and something of an insult to me.
***********
"Hey, dude. You got any jobs?"
"Excuse me, 'dude', but my name is Mr. Baker. And, if you're looking for a job, you'll take that bone out of your nose, get rid of the purple dye in your hair, and cover up those skull tattoos."
********
"Hey, dude. Nice wife."
"Yeah, and if you or one of your fellow 'dudes' makes one wrong move, I'll blow a hole in you my dog could walk through."
***************
"Whoa, dude. That was an awesome ad we shot." [High fives]
"Yeah, dude. I shot the same 'creative' concept you just came up with back in 1982. But then you were just a little 'dude' in diapers. Congratulations on your spontaneous creativity."
***************
I love the English language. Almost every word has at least a dozen synonyms, but each with its own particular intent. Depending upon the inflection of the voice, or the words surrounding it in a sentence, a single word can deliver any number of interpretations.
"Dude" just doesn't cut it.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 25, 2006, 08:29:25 PM
Post by: doczinn on December 25, 2006, 08:31:19 PM
Post by: Monkeyleg on December 25, 2006, 09:22:37 PM
I'm guessing that I'm two generations your senior, and that over in the sandbox the slang is different.
I'm also hoping that, when you get back home, you won't wear a bone in your nose, have purple hair, or call old farts like me "dude."
Come home safe, and come home to happiness. Thank you for all you're doing.
Post by: 280plus on December 26, 2006, 03:23:45 AM
Post by: El Tejon on December 26, 2006, 04:49:59 AM
Post by: doczinn on December 26, 2006, 05:25:41 AM
Actually, I can't see using it for "old farts." It has limited usefulness, and anyone who'd never use it wouldn't "get" the warning.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 05:41:36 AM
Post by: doczinn on December 26, 2006, 06:14:49 AM
"Dude." "Buddy!" "Homey."
"Buddy." "Dude." "Homey!"
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference.
Post by: HForrest on December 26, 2006, 07:23:22 AM
I think it was already mentioned, but I'll second it: "I could care less" bugs me.
Post by: JonnyB on December 26, 2006, 07:28:23 AM
Gaaah!
Another time, I encountered the whole group of them - ranging fomr 25 to 50 years of age - standing around. When I walked in, someone said "Ask JonnyB; he'll know". "Know what?" "What does BTU stand for?" Y'all are shittin' me, right? In a group of 6-7 adults, none knew it. One had the gall to tell me "I'd never have guessed that." I responded that I didn't guess; I knew.
jb
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 07:46:45 AM
Dunno, I don't think I ever called anyone "buddy" or "mac."
It's before our time. My point was that "dude" only replaced those generic terms. I guess its immediate predecessors were "man" and "fella," which probably make more sense, or are a little more complementary. BTU? As in British Thermal Units? Johhny, why would you expect anyone to know what that means? Why would it matter? Unless perhaps you all install furnaces for a living. Even then, knowing what it stands for isn't that useful.
Post by: JonnyB on December 26, 2006, 07:58:15 AM
And yes, I did mean British Thermal Unit. I suppose I should have added that for those here that didn't know what it meant...
I hope they're few in number, though.
jb
Post by: Fjolnirsson on December 26, 2006, 10:28:07 AM
Quote
"Dude." "Buddy!" "Homey."
"Buddy." "Dude." "Homey!"
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference.
"Buddy." "Dude." "Homey!"
Bonus points to anyone who gets the reference.
Adam Sandler. Can't remember the name of the skit, but it was a group of guys on a train....
Post by: Waitone on December 26, 2006, 11:40:59 AM
Weeping and wailing and snatchin' of teeth.
Hey y'all, wa chis!
Clemson University (properly spelled and pronounced)
--Clempsun (NJ inmates are the biggest offender)
--Clemzun (biggest offenders is national sports media)
--Clemmons (free range ignorance)
Gotta stop. My chest tightens just thinking of the abuse.
Post by: El Tejon on December 26, 2006, 11:59:12 AM
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 12:13:54 PM
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?
Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?
Post by: French G. on December 26, 2006, 12:42:07 PM
It is DUCT tape! The tape in question was originally made and marketed for taping flexible ventilation ducting. No DUCKS. You want a duck, get AFLAC.
Post by: The Rabbi on December 26, 2006, 12:45:04 PM
Bald-faced lie.
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?
Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?
Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?
I think its a "hard row to hoe." Refers to hoeing hard-packed dirt in long rows.
Can't forget "I don't give a damn" either.
Post by: Brad Johnson on December 26, 2006, 01:35:55 PM
"Money is the root of all evil"
My mother seems to be the queen of verbal disasters. She doesn't misquote. Oh, no, that would be an improvement. She mangles, maims, and otherwise completely eviscerates the english language like few others can. I've lost count of how many "VDV's" she's bought (DVD's). She thinks my "distilled" camera takes great pictures (digital). She's always reminding me to "turn downs those boomers in your car before you have to go see a alderologist" (sub volume & audiologist). As of this Christmas we have a new phrase - "your father got us one of those wide load plastic tv's with that ultra boomer sound on it" (widescreen plasma, 5.1 surround sound with subwoofer).
We pat her on the head, smile, give her a hug, then go around the corner to laugh.
Brad
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 01:38:33 PM
Post by: Monkeyleg on December 26, 2006, 01:41:20 PM
Fistful, it's "bald-faced lie." I don't know the origins, though.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 02:49:25 PM
Post by: cosine on December 26, 2006, 03:31:09 PM
Post by: zahc on December 26, 2006, 03:47:52 PM
English got where it is today by following other languages down dark alleys, hitting them over the head and going through their pockets for loose grammar.
I'm not bugged by most of the things in this thread any more than I am by english itself.
Post by: Marnoot on December 26, 2006, 04:08:33 PM
Quote from: zahc
English got where it is today by following other languages down dark alleys, hitting them over the head and going through their pockets for loose grammar.
That wins quote of the week for me 
.
Post by: doczinn on December 26, 2006, 06:07:08 PM
Quote
Adam Sandler.
You win the prize, a cylindrical aluminum sculpture, printed in gold and black, widely believed to have contained the Nectar of the Gods. Just send 19.99 for shipping and handling.
Post by: Monkeyleg on December 26, 2006, 06:21:53 PM
), I have to wonder about the origins of either or both terms.When I get a chance--which is likely never--I'll do a bit more research.
Post by: Stand_watie on December 26, 2006, 06:42:58 PM
Fistful, "bold faced lie" makes more sense. However, having heard the term "bald faced lie" for decades (even before the internet ), I have to wonder about the origins of either or both terms.
When I get a chance--which is likely never--I'll do a bit more research.
), I have to wonder about the origins of either or both terms.When I get a chance--which is likely never--I'll do a bit more research.
FWIW, it occurs to me that "bald" and "bold' ('faced lie') either could be a duplicate of the other just with a differing accent..IE 'Bold' in English sounds like 'Bald' in Scots or Irish or vice-versa.
Post by: charby on December 26, 2006, 06:53:55 PM
Bald-faced lie.
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?
Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?
Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?
I think its a "hard row to hoe." Refers to hoeing hard-packed dirt in long rows.
Can't forget "I don't give a damn" either.
Tough row to hoe is how I always hear it.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 26, 2006, 07:00:00 PM
Post by: charby on December 26, 2006, 08:16:27 PM
Post by: The Rabbi on December 27, 2006, 03:36:52 AM
but easy ho's are more fun
"She was a tough ho to ro', yo."
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 27, 2006, 03:38:37 AM
Post by: Brian Williams on December 27, 2006, 04:24:53 AM
Brian is often misspelled as Brain.
witness the SS card, Our Government hard at work...
Post by: CNYCacher on December 27, 2006, 07:39:29 AM
Example:
"She gave my brother cookies, which he doesn't like cookies."
AURGGGH!
There are two ways to say what you are trying to say:
"She gave my brother cookies, which he doesn't like."
"She gave my brother cookies, and he doesn't like cookies."
No one knows the difference between "to", "too" and "two" either anymore. This sentence will actually stop me in my tracks and confuse me: "We have received to many complaints about your grammar."
Most of what everyone else already mentioned annoys me too.
Post by: 280plus on December 27, 2006, 07:55:01 AM
Any kind of Kabob other than Shish.
sangwich
Post by: BrokenPaw on December 27, 2006, 08:20:50 AM
Quote
sangwich
Well, yeah, everyone knows it's pronounced "sammich". Re the "bald-faced lie": It may have something to to with:
Quote
American Heritage Dictionary
bald (bôld) Pronunciation Key
adj. bald·er, bald·est
5. Lacking ornamentation; unadorned.
6. Undisguised; blunt
Thus a bald-faced lie is a lie that is made without guile; it's an assertion made in the open with no attempt at hiding it.bald (bôld) Pronunciation Key
adj. bald·er, bald·est
5. Lacking ornamentation; unadorned.
6. Undisguised; blunt
-BP
Post by: garyk/nm on December 27, 2006, 09:45:14 AM
Could of, should of....
Grrrr
Post by: Monkeyleg on December 27, 2006, 01:26:03 PM
As in, "My wife and myself went shopping." Or, "The only person in the store was myself."
Then there's the constant use of "loose" where "lose" is the proper term.
Post by: meinbruder on December 27, 2006, 07:32:52 PM
I've heard it used in so many contexts which bear no relation to the phrase, sometimes as a stand alone statement. On several occasions I had to leave the room or run the risk of strangling the user.
}:)>
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 27, 2006, 07:39:30 PM
Post by: meinbruder on December 27, 2006, 07:53:35 PM
What is the proper usage of the phrase? Or is it the phrase itself you don't like?
It is singular. Its, denotes possession; on the other hand, its denotes something exists. Its hard to tell the usage in a spoken phrase. Finally, what is good? Chocolate is good, so is beer. What does it have to do with anything, exactly what is it ? The expression doesnt seem to mean anything.
}:)>
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 27, 2006, 08:08:18 PM
Post by: meinbruder on December 27, 2006, 08:14:32 PM
"It" usually refers to a situation, not to a particular object or commodity. Sometimes it means that any one of a set of options is acceptable. In this case you may have a point, so "They're all good" might make more sense. The phrase usually means, "whatever, don't worry about."
That all sums "it" up handily. Thank you for illustrating my point so eloquently.
}:)>
Post by: The Rabbi on December 28, 2006, 03:22:16 AM
But whatever, it's all good.
Post by: crt360 on December 28, 2006, 03:23:05 AM
Example: "How do you like the dinner?" "It's all good."
It sounds like you would also disapprove of "all of it."
Example: "Would you like some pie?" "Yes, give me all of it."
Besides, I thought it was "s'all good."
Post by: Iapetus on December 28, 2006, 03:26:38 AM
Yes I am, just found one in another thread, so apologies to the innocent that may not know any better.
It is DUCT tape! The tape in question was originally made and marketed for taping flexible ventilation ducting. No DUCKS. You want a duck, get AFLAC.
It is DUCT tape! The tape in question was originally made and marketed for taping flexible ventilation ducting. No DUCKS. You want a duck, get AFLAC.
In the UK, there actually is is a brand of duct tape called "Duck Tape".
Also, in England, the phrase "Bare-faced lie" is the only one I've heard used.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 28, 2006, 03:39:58 AM
Post by: 280plus on December 28, 2006, 03:43:08 AM
Q "How's it going?" or "How are you doing?"
A "It's all good."
How do we define "it" in that situation?
What is "it"? :The Saga Continues.
Story at 11
Post by: 280plus on December 28, 2006, 03:44:57 AM
Post by: Dannyboy on December 28, 2006, 04:36:02 AM
The use of "of" for "have"
Could of, should of....
Grrrr
Could of, should of....
Grrrr
This one is my all time favorite. Drives me nuts every time I see it written out this way. Another is, "for all intensive purposes."
Post by: Ben on December 28, 2006, 04:53:31 AM
Post by: Newt on December 28, 2006, 05:34:26 AM
When it's spoken, it really doesn't sound much different than the way it is supposed to be spelled. It's the written form that gets me.
Should've, or Could've
Leno had the duct tape kid on his show one night. The kid said the origin of the word was duck tape, and yes, I think it went back to one of the world wars. That's what he said; I have no proof.
The other one that gets me is, "supposably".
Post by: charby on December 28, 2006, 05:52:46 AM
Can we get back to roing the ho???
then I got married so no more rowing random ho's anymore.. aw but the ho's I rowed, some easy some hard, but the ho's go rowed.
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 28, 2006, 05:55:08 AM
Post by: Jamisjockey on December 28, 2006, 06:17:24 AM
There instead of thier
herd instead of heard
etc etc etc.....
Post by: Silver Bullet on December 28, 2006, 06:38:51 AM
I believe I have the thread winner: "Right or wrong, he knows what he is talking about."
That sounds like CBS' defense of Dan Rather after the forged Bush military document fiasco.
Post by: MechAg94 on December 28, 2006, 07:04:17 AM
At one time, writing a letter or memo was not something you did in five minutes. These days, you whip out an email or internet post in seconds. Many people just don't care about spelling or grammar. IMHO, poor spelling or grammar reflects poorly on the writer especially if done repeatedly.
Post by: mfree on December 28, 2006, 10:11:17 AM
Later duck tape was stuck to ducts and became duct tape...
Post by: Brad Johnson on December 28, 2006, 10:37:26 AM
Quote
"Duct" tape was originally adhesive on strips of cotton duck fabric.
Later duck tape was stuck to ducts and became duct tape...
Later duck tape was stuck to ducts and became duct tape...
...and, of course, the worst possible thing to use on ducting is "duct" tape. That is unless you actually want your system to leak.
Now on to the mis/overuse of the words "basically", "totality", and "dichotomy"...
Brad
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 28, 2006, 10:59:45 AM
Post by: JohnBT on December 28, 2006, 01:03:14 PM
It's voilà [French < voi "see!" + là "there"]
_________________
And going back a few posts to the word ax, or aks or axe, it really is a word. In fact, it was a word centuries before ask. The English brought it over hundreds of years ago and it's still commonly heard in Virginia among whites and blacks.
"ax 2 (ks)
v. ax·ed, ax·ing, ax·es Nonstandard
Variant of ask.
Ax, a common nonstandard variant of ask, is often identified as an especially salient feature of African American Vernacular English. While it is true that the form is frequent in the speech of African Americans, it used to be common in the speech of white Americans as well, especially in New England. This should not be surprising since ax is a very old word in English, having been used in England for over 1,000 years. In Old English we find both scian and csian, and in Middle English both asken and axen. Moreover, the forms with cs or x had no stigma associated with them. Chaucer used asken and axen interchangeably, as in the lines "I wol aske, if it hir will be/To be my wyf" and "Men axed hym, what sholde bifalle," both from The Canterbury Tales. The forms in x arose from the forms in sk by a linguistic process called metathesis, in which two sounds are reversed. The x thus represents (ks), the flipped version of (sk). Metathesis is a common linguistic process around the world and does not arise from a defect in speaking. Nevertheless, ax has become stigmatized as substandarda fate that has befallen other words, like ain't, that were once perfectly acceptable in literate circles."
Post by: Brad Johnson on December 28, 2006, 01:16:05 PM
Quote
How about "literally"? It is literally overused by literally everybody, who use it literally all of the time, when they should be using "very," or something else.
So what you're basically saying is that literally anyone who is using the word in its totality is creating a dichotomy?
Brad
Post by: Perd Hapley on December 28, 2006, 01:17:02 PM
Quote
And going back a few posts to the word ax, or aks or axe, it really is a word. In fact, it was a word centuries before ask. The English brought it over hundreds of years ago and it's still commonly heard in Virginia among whites and blacks.
That's nice, but now we have something called "standardization." It's a good thing. Ask has only one correct spelling in the twenty-first century, and I just gave it to you. The pronunciation is standard as well. Ax and axe describe tools used for cutting trees and trimming branches. To be axed means to be hewn with an axe, not consulted for one's opinion on a matter.
Post by: cosine on December 28, 2006, 01:48:19 PM
Quote
And going back a few posts to the word ax, or aks or axe, it really is a word. In fact, it was a word centuries before ask. The English brought it over hundreds of years ago and it's still commonly heard in Virginia among whites and blacks.
That's nice, but now we have something called "standardization." It's a good thing. Ask has only one correct spelling in the twenty-first century, and I just gave it to you. The pronunciation is standard as well. Ax and axe describe tools used for cutting trees and trimming branches. To be axed means to be hewn with an axe, not consulted for one's opinion on a matter. I'm not arguing with you that standardization is not a good or necessary thing, it's just that there's something called "context" that in my opinion should enable one to determine if someone who insists on using "axe" for "ask" is talking about the tool (or the actions taken with such a tool) or the act of requesting.
Post by: Eleven Mike on December 28, 2006, 04:29:28 PM
Post by: RocketMan on December 28, 2006, 08:10:37 PM
Post by: oldcop1971 on February 01, 2007, 07:30:30 PM
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 01, 2007, 07:56:36 PM
Heard some schmuck talk about weapons "cachets" the other day, too.
Post by: The Rabbi on February 02, 2007, 02:44:55 AM
In my time everyone eschewed extremism.
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 02, 2007, 03:01:34 AM
In my time everyone eschewed extremism.
Well, not Barry Goldwater. You moderate weenie.
Post by: MechAg94 on February 02, 2007, 05:32:33 AM
Quote
In my time everyone eschewed extremism.
I would disagree with that. There were plenty of extremists, they just weren't on TV every day.
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 06:27:09 AM
I just read it on a print and I've heard it before, it reminded me of this thread.
It should be something like, "to be completed in a good WORKMANSHIP LIKE manner"
Thene there's "Check it out in good shape". Huh?
[/rant]
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 02, 2007, 08:00:32 AM
I think that second phrase just means that you check it off the list as being in good shape.
Post by: bratch on February 02, 2007, 09:05:05 AM
Post by: Brad Johnson on February 02, 2007, 09:39:16 AM
Quote
"To be completed in a workmanlike manner", what the ^#$& does THAT mean?
It means they failed high-school Engrish.
"...to be completed in a manner consistent with the highest quality of workmanship."
Brad
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 09:41:19 AM
Quote
It means they failed high-school Engrish.
I wouldn't care so much but I've heard it so often for so long now. It drives me NUTS!
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 02, 2007, 09:42:08 AM
Quote
"...to be completed in a manner consistent with the highest quality of workmanship."
Oh. I was just gonna do it in any old way I wanted to, but since I read that...
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 09:55:41 AM
I don't know, it just BUGS me.
Post by: Brad Johnson on February 02, 2007, 10:02:06 AM
Quote
I wouldn't care so much but I've heard it so often for so long now. It drives me NUTS!
Quote
I don't know, it just BUGS me.
Nice to meet you, Bug Nuts.
Brad
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 11:24:27 AM
Post by: crt360 on February 02, 2007, 11:26:45 AM
You see the same thing on other stuff, like kitchen and laundry appliances. What, exactly, is non-professional grade?
When did quality quit becoming a standard goal?
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 11:39:38 AM
Shish means stick, kabob means LAMB. So if somebody is telling you to try these BEEF kabobs or CHICKEN kabobs they are telling you to try some beef lamb or chicken lamb. SHEESH!! There, I feel better now.
Post by: 280plus on February 02, 2007, 11:40:29 AM
Post by: Unisaw on February 02, 2007, 11:43:44 AM
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 02, 2007, 12:07:00 PM
Professional grade can sometimes make sense. In terms of tools, there are definitely some things out there that would make no sense in a professional's toolbox, but are acceptable and affordable for occasional use by the homeowner, hobbyist, etc.
Post by: crt360 on February 02, 2007, 01:33:05 PM
And while we're on the subject, where the H-E double toothpicks is grampster anyways?
Yeah, where is grampster? He hasn't been around in awhile.
Post by: doczinn on February 02, 2007, 01:36:24 PM
Post by: Matthew Carberry on February 02, 2007, 03:47:38 PM
Post by: Bogie on February 02, 2007, 03:55:35 PM
I've developed a bad habit.
"Excuse me. I'm a little deaf - comes from a lot of target shooting. Could you say that again, and please speak clearly this time?"
Got to do it three times at a Hardees today... With the manager standing next to the fellow...
Post by: gunsmith on February 02, 2007, 10:43:29 PM
A cop pulled me over, an, you know what ahmm sayin? he goes "do you know how fast you goin" and I go "no"
Post by: grislyatoms on February 03, 2007, 07:06:22 AM
"spaded" for "spayed"
"my bad" for "my bag"
"libary" for "library"
"ungion" for "onion"
"sellry" for "celery"
"big letters" or "small letters" for "uppercase" and "lowercase"
I get this from users constantly, "Which symbol is a semicolon?"
One of my co-workers has assembled the most ludicrous parcel of butchered cliches and generally poor English I have ever experienced.
"That's gonna be a thorn in our big toe"
" I am auspicious about that situation."
"for say" instead of "per se"
Ugh.
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 03, 2007, 07:41:11 AM
So I go to my friend, "yo that girl is off da hook" ...the he goes, "no man she is off da chain"
Thank you. People think that means wild or unpredictable, but it actually means "out of danger." I'm glad that a lot of them are preferring the "chain" variant, rather than abuse the earlier "hook" phrase." I think the tendency with Black American slang is to "flip da script" when their slang becomes mainstream. Keeps the man guessing.
Post by: Brad Johnson on February 03, 2007, 09:39:39 AM
Quote
"for say" instead of "per se"
Or those who use "per se" to end every other sentence. It's like they are repeating themselves, per se.
Brad
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 03, 2007, 10:05:04 AM
"butt-naked" for "buck-naked"
Why is one preferable to the other? Or in other words, why "buck-naked"?
Post by: Matthew Carberry on February 03, 2007, 10:12:25 AM
And that "buck" came from "buck wild".
And that, in the South, it was "nekkid" if you were unclothed and up to no good.
Post by: 280plus on February 03, 2007, 11:01:18 AM
Post by: doczinn on February 03, 2007, 03:28:29 PM
Post by: 280plus on February 03, 2007, 03:30:17 PM
Walmarts
There's no S at the end of K-Mart!
Post by: 280plus on February 04, 2007, 04:16:15 AM
I still don't like it...
Post by: Old Fud on February 04, 2007, 06:33:40 AM
Every sportscaster on the airwaves keeps telling me that what I'm seeing is "very unique" or "Most Unique".
I keep waiting for "Uniquer" and "Uniquest" to enter our vocabularies.
Then we can graduate to "more uniquer" and "Most uniquest".
Bah!!!
Post by: Old Fud on February 04, 2007, 06:39:44 AM
"All Right" is two words.
It was always thus, and no two-bit long-haired hippy dude that used to run with a bunch of bugs can write a song titled "It's Alright with me" and change the rules of the English language, Dammit.
It's NOT all right with me!
Furthermore, those limp-wristed lace-pants snivelling cowards at Thorndike who decide to change the dictionary and SAY it's all right, just because a few million screaming teenage groupies decided to spell it that way ------ huff, puff, pant ---- are WRONG!!!!
There.
I feel better now.
Fud.
Post by: Thor on February 04, 2007, 06:52:45 AM
Post by: crt360 on February 05, 2007, 11:18:54 AM
"butt-naked" for "buck-naked"
Butt goes with nekkid. Butt-nekkid is the accepted southern term. Buck-naked is appropriate for use in polite company. Once you get to talking about completely nude people doing something, you aren't likely to still be in polite company.
Post by: markdido on February 06, 2007, 02:05:20 AM
People using "loose" for "lose", as in "We don't want to loose our rights" (mostly seen in print)
I once heard Cynthia McKinney NJ-GA (Nut job Georgia) say in a sound bite that President Bush "... has taken us to the blink of war"
The press has recently picked up on the word "exacerbate" but routinely pronouce it as "exasperate", as in "It exasperates me that the media can't say exacerbate"
Post by: 280plus on February 06, 2007, 03:13:55 AM
If it blows warm air around and has the fire in it, it's a furnace, if it makes either hot water or steam, it's a boiler.
Post by: Hawkmoon on February 06, 2007, 01:20:32 PM
I looked all over and walla, there it was. No, not wallah either. Drives me nuts.
It's voilà [French < voi "see!" + là "there"]
Finally -- someone got to my all-time favorite mangled phrase. (I often also see it spelled "wallah!"It's voilà [French < voi "see!" + là "there"]
For those who are interested in the decline of the English language in America, I recommend two books by Edwin Newman: "Strictly Speaking," and "A Civil Tongue" (not tounge). Sadly, what we are really discussing is not the decline of the language but the decline of the educational system. Students are no longer required to read, so everything becomes an exercise out of Hooked on Phonics. In that context, "walla" (or "wallah") makes perfect sense.
Am I the only living American who knows that those long sit-on-em thingies we put on decks are rightly called "chaise longue" (literally "long chair" in French) and not "chase lounge"?
Two other pet complaints, both from the print media:
(1) "So-and-so did not immediately return a call ..." It used to be that, when an attempt to contact good old so-and-so for a comment was unsuccessful, the writer might say "So-and-so had not returned our call at [or "by"] press time." That somehow changed overnight all across the land to "did not immediately return our call," which in my tiny mind conjures up images of an editor hovering over the intrepid reporter's desk with a count-down stop watch as the reporter places the call.
Reporter: Okay, boss, it's ringing. I got an answering machine. Hello, so-and-so, this is the Daily Planet calling and we would like your comment as to the charges against your client in court this morning. Please call me at 234-5678. Thanks. [Click]
Editor: Good, good -- counting down -- five, four, three, two, one. GOT HIM! GO, GO, GO! -- "Did not immediately return call!" PRINT IT! ROLL THE DAMNED PRESSES!
(2) When did "might" (indicative of future conditional uncertainty) get replaced by "may" (indicative of permission)? As in, "If attractive socialite Noel Silverspoon had not ventured into an all-male drug house, she *may* not have been brutally assaulted and decapitated."
Post by: Brad Johnson on February 06, 2007, 01:27:03 PM
Brad
Post by: The Rabbi on February 06, 2007, 01:47:02 PM
How about theatre, metre, louvre, and a lot? After that we can skip to 'done' and 'seen', as in "I done seen it."
Brad
Brad
Theatre is correct. So is centre. Cigaret drives me nuts.
"Done" as a helping verb is probably as old as Shakespeare.
Post by: Brad Johnson on February 06, 2007, 01:54:03 PM
Quote
Theatre is correct.
Yep, I know. So is metre. We just spell it the "lazy way" over here.
Brad
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 06, 2007, 02:32:47 PM
Quote
"Done" as a helping verb is probably as old as Shakespeare.
True, but that doesn't make it right. And Brad, that's not the lazy way, it's just Noah Webster's way. (I guess.)
I'm amused by stores with names like Ye Oldee Butcher Shoppee. I guess one e at the end of the word would not be old-fashioned enoughee.
Post by: The Rabbi on February 06, 2007, 04:57:22 PM
"Ye" comes from the early days of printing. English had two additonal letter, thorn and eth. Thorn was the hard th like thing while eth was the soft th like tether. Anyway, William Caxton got his first letter set from his son in law, a Dutchman, and it didnt have thorn or eth in it. So he substituted the Y for thorn.
Post by: Perd Hapley on February 06, 2007, 05:04:29 PM