What English expression do you hate the most?

[DaveReading]

Or worse, “myself”. People think using “me” is somehow informal and “I” or “myself” are somehow better spoken, but in using them incorrectly expose their lack of eloquence.

We'll let Joan Armatrading off, though.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

"And did these feet In ancient times
Walk upon England's pastures green"

And so on, and so forth.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

A friends beloved dog died recently. He was lovely; I was genuinely sad to hear the news.
... But am I a bad person for nearly PMSL at the FB comments from acquaintances; you can guess the kind of ****; it's all about 'beloved fur babies' and 'you have a puppy angel now'.

I have no soul.

There are far too many words used to make something/someone dying sound less like dying

I used to have a dog - she died - that is what happened

I didn;t have a furbaby - she didn't pass over (nor did my Mum and Dad) they died - dog and Mum and Dad

anything else is wrong - no matter what your beliefs - if you go to heaven (or hell) then you die first
Passed over annoys me because it sounds like you take a trip

I don;t really think lessening it helps - using the right words helps people accept thins
IMO



- actually same concept was said by a Nurse who gave us a lecture on Child Abuse when I was a teacher
spotting it - not doing it before some wag (who may or may not have been in the Police at some point!) asks!!!


anyway - she was ona mission for people to use the correct terms for things
because they had a huge problem because kids - especially girls - had loads of different words for different parts of the body
and sometimes different people would use the same word to refer to a different part

so when they interviewed a possible abuse victim (or worse!) then the victim might say she (or he) was touched on their xxx
but then the word xxx could be interpreted to mean several different things to different people
but the person talking to the victim knows damn well what they mean - but can also see how the statement they have is not enough

which a lawyer could use to get an abuser off due to confusion


so - looking at the thread title - annoying thing in English - using the wrong word for something rather than using the correct word

 

[Drago]

It's like those who have experienced crime are now survivors instead of victims. I mean, whoever thought of that represents a salary that can be saved by sacking the them for having nothing better to do - theyd get a job with the Guardian easily enough somdont feel guilty about letting them go.

We're all survivors, day in, day out, else we'd be dead. Those who've been on the wrong end of crime are victims.

This subversion of the correct use, and then by custom the meaning, of words is annoying.

And another one - behaviours with an s on the end. Next they'll be telling us you get a flock of sheeps.

 

[Andy in Germany]

It's like those who have experienced crime are now survivors instead of victims. I mean, whoever thought of that represents a salary that can be saved by sacking the them for having nothing better to do - theyd get a job with the Guardian easily enough somdont feel guilty about letting them go.

We're all survivors, day in, day out, else we'd be dead. Those who've been on the wrong end of crime are victims.

This subversion of the correct use, and then by custom the meaning, of words is annoying.

And another one - behaviours with an s on the end. Next they'll be telling us you get a flock of sheeps.

Unfortunately "victim" has been devalued a lot as well; we're seeing a sort of linguistic inflation.

 

[matticus]

Who knew?

If you know, you know!

 

[Cavalol]

Two spring to mind

'Snowflake': This is 99.9% of the time directed at someone who has the tenacity to disagree with whatever outdated/sexist/racist/misogynistic/stupid views you've just spotted.

'Woke': Similar to 'snowflake' but directed at such terrible things as the modern day world have decided to champion (human rights, pollution, the ozone layer, the BBC etc, etc etc) that your tiny little mind can't comprehend because it didn't happen in 1972.

 

[Drago]

'Woke' seems to get trotted about a lot as an alternative flavour to gammon.

It's scary that people that throw about such childish language think they know how to run the country.

 

[matticus]

I just read a (sports) interview that uses our old favourite "optics".
and I thought "hmm, that seems to be dying out now. And good riddance!"

 

[DaveReading]

I just read a (sports) interview that uses our old favourite "optics".
and I thought "hmm, that seems to be dying out now. And good riddance!"

It's OK, as long as it's an interview with a publican ...

 

[swee'pea99]

I just read a (sports) interview that uses our old favourite "optics".
and I thought "hmm, that seems to be dying out now. And good riddance!"

Brings to mind the very first time I (mis)heard the term 'that's a big ask', watching a scrum form up - I immediately thought 'that's a bit personal'.

 

[Conrad_K]

I think that particular "rule" was - like the split infinitive thing - arbitrarily decided by some long-forgotten Victorian clergyman,

A lot of the rules governing "proper" English appear to be the result of trying to bolt Latin grammar onto Saxon and French syntax.

In Britain there's "Received Pronunciation", which is supposed to be proper British English. I don't know how close that comes to what people in various regions actually speak, but I'm guessing "not very close."

American English has no official pronunciation. Or perhaps "too many." Almost all English textbooks come from New York schoolbook publishers. They vary considerably between the different publishers, as I discovered as my parents moved about the country. And not one of them is even close to the honking Yanqui "Noo Yawkese" most New Yorkers actually speak. I mostly grew up in the American South, where we used New York textbooks that might as well have been in a foreign language.

 

[Drago]

Two spring to mind

'Snowflake': This is 99.9% of the time directed at someone who has the tenacity to disagree with whatever outdated/sexist/racist/misogynistic/stupid views you've just spotted.

'Woke': Similar to 'snowflake' but directed at such terrible things as the modern day world have decided to champion (human rights, pollution, the ozone layer, the BBC etc, etc etc) that your tiny little mind can't comprehend because it didn't happen in 1972.

I don't have a problem with "snowflake" per se, but as you rightly point out it's become subverted into a right-wing insult. It's now as bad as gammon going the other way.

 

[Drago]

A lot of the rules governing "proper" English appear to be the result of trying to bolt Latin grammar onto Saxon and French syntax.

In Britain there's "Received Pronunciation", which is supposed to be proper British English. I don't know how close that comes to what people in various regions actually speak, but I'm guessing "not very close."

American English has no official pronunciation. Or perhaps "too many." Almost all English textbooks come from New York schoolbook publishers. They vary considerably between the different publishers, as I discovered as my parents moved about the country. And not one of them is even close to the honking Yanqui "Noo Yawkese" most New Yorkers actually speak. I mostly grew up in the American South, where we used New York textbooks that might as well have been in a foreign language.

I got stopped for speeding once in Mississippi by an honest-to-god Justice T. Buford clone.

I went to public school for a short while so ratcheted up the plummy accent to MAX (the Americans seem to like that, especially the chicks) and the slack jawed Sheriff was most impressed.

Suddenly we were best mates, and he slapped the roof of the car and told me to be on my way but be careful because, "...these days the place is crawling with Jews, n***********, hippies, all sorts." This was nearly 30 years ago, and even by the standards of the 90s it seemed a bit neanderthal to me.

I could suddenly feel the anger radiating from my Jewish aunt in the passenger seat (I'm of Jewish heritage too) so I quickly thanked the slack jawed tobacco chewer and zipped off before my aunt exploded and got us both nicked.

 

[Gwylan]

I don't have a problem with "snowflake" per se, but as you rightly point out it's become subverted into a right-wing insult. It's now as bad as gammon going the other way.

Who is Percy?