Anyone else bugged by the slaughter of common phrases...?

[JonnyB]

A year or so ago, one of the guys in our IT (I.S.) department, a young fellow of 25 or so, asked another IT guy how to spell (phonetically) "post". "Post?" "Yeah, you know: I'm post to stop at the store for milk on my way home."

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

[Perd Hapley]

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. 

[JonnyB]

Do you mean I'm weird for expecting everyone to know what it means?

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

[Fjolnirsson]

"Dude." "Buddy!" "Homey."

"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....

[Waitone]

"Can I axe you a question?"
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.

[El Tejon]

Oh, how could I forget--people who address me as "Kirt". 

 

[Perd Hapley]

Bald-faced lie. 
Shouldn't it be "bold-faced lie"?

Hard road to hoe.
Shouldn't it be "a long row to hoe"?

[French G.]

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 The tape in question was originally made and marketed for taping flexible ventilation ducting.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.   

[The Rabbi]

Bald-faced lie. 
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.

[Brad Johnson]

...and quite possibly the single most common misquote ever:

"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

[Perd Hapley]

The other day, my wife said, "Don't bite the mouth of the hand that gives it to you."  It would have been funnier if she could have worked in the gift horse somewhere in there.

[Monkeyleg]

doczinn, my apologies. For some reason I thought you were still overseas.

Fistful, it's "bald-faced lie." I don't know the origins, though.

[Perd Hapley]

Monkey, I just looked it up on the errornet, and the various sites seemed to tell me that the original expression was "bare-faced lie," which then gave birth to bald and bold.  Bold makes more sense to me because a lie would be more outrageous and brazen if printed in bold-face type.  Which we see a lot on the internets.

[cosine]

Ziva David, anyone? 

[zahc]

This thread thread reminds me of a guy I saw once, who was polishing the tires on a comically beat up AMC.

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.

[Marnoot]

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  .

[doczinn]

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.

[Monkeyleg]

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.

[Stand_watie]

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.

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.

[charby]

Bald-faced lie. 
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.

[Perd Hapley]

Yeah, the row (instead of road) is obvious to anyone who knows what a hoe is used for.  The hard, long or tough could be interchangable. 

[charby]

but easy ho's are more fun

[The Rabbi]

but easy ho's are more fun

"She was a tough ho to ro', yo."

[Perd Hapley]

I am not responsible for this.   

[Brian Williams]

My boss is an idiot and he is the best (worst) butcher of the Queen's english I know.  He goes shopping at Kmark and Walmark, sits on the miranda and thinks plethora is really clithora. 
Brian is often misspelled as Brain.

witness the SS card, Our Government hard at work...