What English expression do you hate the most?

[Ming the Merciless]

- "your spelling is atrocious!"
- "But Miss, it's just a few vowel shifts and consonant substitutions"

Tub Sims sit just a wef bowel shifts dan soconnant bus stations

 

[Profpointy]

Merch is short for merchandise, but more specifically it refers branded souvenir type stuff like T-shirts or music CDs sold after music gigs, or likewise branded items to support a youtube channel, like that of, say, the Tank Museum or astrophysicist Dr Becky, typically mugs, posters, T-shirts or maybe a recent book

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Try this
https://www.trumpstore.com/

 

[Gillstay]

Argh!

 

[raleighnut]

Try this
https://www.trumpstore.com/

Cheap Tat knocked up in China

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think merch (noun) now has a separate meaning from merchandise (noun).

Merchandise means the full selection of saleable goods. Merch means branded tat.

Now, for some people/organisations, not primarily retailers, that sell a bit of tat on the side the two are synonymous.

But for a retailer, merchandise is the proper stuff that's being sold, merchandising is the activity of planning the range of goods for sale and merch is promotional branded tat.

 

[Drago]

Gaslighting.

I mean, a gas light I an old fashioned light powered by gas, not whatever there'll people use the term for these days. I genuinely don't know what it means in 2025.

It's ridiculous. I mean, whatever next? Lego Bricking? Bourbon Creaming? Book ending? Vacuum cleanering?

 

[bobzmyunkle]

It's ridiculous. I mean, whatever next? Lego Bricking? Bourbon Creaming? Book ending? Vacuum cleanering?

Check out 'sealioning'.

 

[Alex321]

Gaslighting.

I mean, a gas light I an old fashioned light powered by gas, not whatever there'll people use the term for these days. I genuinely don't know what it means in 2025.

It's ridiculous. I mean, whatever next? Lego Bricking? Bourbon Creaming? Book ending? Vacuum cleanering?

What it means is psychologically manipulating somebody so that they doubt their own senses or prerception of reality.

And it stems from a 1938 play (made into a film in 1944) called Gaslight, where a husband basically does that to his wife.

It has been used at least since the 1990's (some earlier references exist), though only really came into common use in the 2010's.

 

[Drago]

Check out 'sealioning'.

How the hell is a normal person supposed to survive in todays world where random phrases have come to have meaning which is noithing to do with the actual words?

I refuse to learn any of them (although thanks to Google I know what sealioning means, but will promptly forget it.)

 

[Alex H]

Woke

I have to look it up every time and instantly forget it

 

[Dave7]

I think merch (noun) now has a separate meaning from merchandise (noun).

Merchandise means the full selection of saleable goods. Merch means branded tat.

Now, for some people/organisations, not primarily retailers, that sell a bit of tat on the side the two are synonymous.

But for a retailer, merchandise is the proper stuff that's being sold, merchandising is the activity of planning the range of goods for sale and merch is promotional branded tat.

It's a slang term for a private parts.

My private parts are not merchandise
But that's only because I can't find a woman prepared to pay for them

 

[Dogtrousers]

What it means is psychologically manipulating somebody so that they doubt their own senses or prerception of reality.

And it stems from a 1938 play (made into a film in 1944) called Gaslight, where a husband basically does that to his wife.

It has been used at least since the 1990's (some earlier references exist), though only really came into common use in the 2010's.

I was puzzled by what this phrase really meant to the extent that I watched the film. (I do like old B&W films)

I think it's now suffering from overuse to the point where it's becoming a bit meaningless.

 

[Alex321]

I was puzzled by what this phrase really meant to the extent that I watched the film. (I do like old B&W films)

I think it's now suffering from overuse to the point where it's becoming a bit meaningless.

Definitely.

And people using it without really understanding what it means.

 

[Dogtrousers]

How the hell is a normal person supposed to survive in todays world where random phrases have come to have meaning which is noithing to do with the actual words?

I refuse to learn any of them (although thanks to Google I know what sealioning means, but will promptly forget it.)

I don't believe you. You are attempting to aardvark us.