Invented phrases

[srw]

PAH, this thread is just a load of old monkey tennis.

Pigs and Hens?
Post a Heart?
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension?
Parents Are Home?
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon?

You know the moderators are a bit suspicious of novel abbreviations.

 

[TVC]

One less than brilliant Technical Director I had said "He should get off the pot or stop p*ssing".

It was difficult to follow what he was trying to say after that.

 

[ColinJ]

Or break through the 'glass ceiling' FFS.

That one may be overused but it gets the point across well, so I wouldn't "send it to room 101".

 

[mr messy]

Not sure if its a 'midgets dick' or a 'midges dick'?

Either way, I've no idea how much in size it refers too

It's bigger than a midge's baw hair.
I'd like to get 'umbrolly' and 'deceivious' into the dictionary, both roll off the tongue beautifully...

 

[Andy_R]

I'm quite partial to the late great Sir Terry Pratchett's "embuggerance"

 

[Drago]

Embuggerance is very much a term favoured in the military.

 

[Profpointy]

the ones I hate are misused phrases: "begging the question" - which actually means "assuming what you are trying to prove" NOT "that is the key question" or variant thereof. A perfectly good phrase no longer usable as half (at least) of your audience will misunderstand your point.
Then "reaching a crescendo" - nooo ! The crescendo is a steady increase in volume, not the loudest bit.

strategic & tactical - these are about scale or size - not good versus bad as used in businessqq

"quantum leap" - that would be the smallest possible finite change then

I quite like some of the clichés which convey meaning concicesly, precisely or just with colour. eg "singing frome same hymn-sheet", "we are where we are" to close down a profitless.blame debate, aforementioned "glass ceiling" conveys a clear point, I have a soft spot for the Blackaderism "not at home to Mr Cock-Up". I do try and avoid management speak, but the occasional one creeps in, though I did once give a presentation to a bunch of managers naughtilly doing "bullshit bingo" complete with cards to fill in. I rather huffilly said they'd not get any off me - and indeed, got a clear round which I'm rather proud of

 

[Profpointy]

I'm quite partial to the late great Sir Terry Pratchett's "embuggerance"

particularly fine term. I also like the similar, but subtly different "buggerment" (origin a work colleage)

 

[Bazzer]

When I was at the Southport airshow on Sunday, I saw Sefton Council have wheelie bins with labels for "Co-mixed Waste". WTF is co-mixed?

 

[srw]

When I was at the Southport airshow on Sunday, I saw Sefton Council have wheelie bins with labels for "Co-mixed Waste". WTF is co-mixed?

Someone half-remembered "commingled".

 

[srw]

The point is, is that...


(Listen carefully - it's all over the place!)

 

[Bazzer]

Someone half-remembered "commingled".

That's it. but it was "Co-mingled" not "Commingled"
Felt wrong as I typed it. I blame a senior moment and beer coming together, not co-mingling.

Still don't get "Co-mingled", If it's mixed recycling, or even mixed non recyclable, then say so.
I see the Council uses the same term in Council meetings:
the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) Working Group that a 'co-mingled collection' be developed be approved

 

[Lullabelle]

"As keen as custard" is one of my favourites

As keen as mustard is the phrase I was taught

 

[Profpointy]

That's it. but it was "Co-mingled" not "Commingled"
Felt wrong as I typed it. I blame a senior moment and beer coming together, not co-mingling.

Still don't get "Co-mingled", If it's mixed recycling, or even mixed non recyclable, then say so.
I see the Council uses the same term in Council meetings:
the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) Working Group that a 'co-mingled collection' be developed be approved

what's the difference between co-mingling and mere common-or-garden mingling? We need to know

 

[swansonj]

the ones I hate are misused phrases: "begging the question" - which actually means "assuming what you are trying to prove" NOT "that is the key question" or variant thereof. A perfectly good phrase no longer usable as half (at least) of your audience will misunderstand your point.
Then "reaching a crescendo" - nooo ! The crescendo is a steady increase in volume, not the loudest bit.

strategic & tactical - these are about scale or size - not good versus bad as used in businessqq

"quantum leap" - that would be the smallest possible finite change then

I quite like some of the clichés which convey meaning concicesly, precisely or just with colour. eg "singing frome same hymn-sheet", "we are where we are" to close down a profitless.blame debate, aforementioned "glass ceiling" conveys a clear point, I have a soft spot for the Blackaderism "not at home to Mr Cock-Up". I do try and avoid management speak, but the occasional one creeps in, though I did once give a presentation to a bunch of managers naughtilly doing "bullshit bingo" complete with cards to fill in. I rather huffilly said they'd not get any off me - and indeed, got a clear round which I'm rather proud of

Mild disagreement over "quantum leap" - in principle, the quantised v continuous distinction could apply at any scale, it's just that in practice, we only observe them at the very small scales. But a quantum leap in physics would be any transition in a single step, rather than continuously, from one state to another.

When a phrase is misused often enough, its new meaning becomes its actual meaning. Thus, it would now be pretty futile to insist on the original meanings of "breaking the mould" and "square peg in a round hole". Don't you think "begging the question" has almost completed the transition to the new meaning? And, of course, "literally" is well on the way.

It's all part of the rich joy of language and should be celebrated not bemoaned.