Words that annoy me for no particular reason.

[PeteXXX]

Quote from Hover fly on receiving his, “It’s a wonder they didn’t draw a face on the turd”.

That's what the little stick is for 😉

 

[mudsticks]

Some white teenagers in Birmingham now have British Asian accents. Even British Asian accents have come into existence in my lifetime.

I love how language evolves, and morphs, and different groups and cultures will take on, or preserve, their own dialect.

I really don't think there's much risk of us all ending up sounding the same.

I'm a dreadful mimic so will pick up accents as a matter of course.

Makes a change from my boring old RP voice.

I just hope no one thinks I'm taking the p*ss when that happens, though

 

[slowmotion]

That's what the little stick is for 😉

If you drew it with that particular stick, the face wouldn't be noticeable. You need a change of colour.

 

[mudsticks]

My recent colon cancer screening kit from the NHS referred to the item under test as "poo" throughout the instructions. Mercifully, they didn't refer to "sitting on the potty".

I wonder if they had a few mystified calls from people who didn't know what faeces, or stool meant, and so just had to settle for a term which although childish, isn't offensive, and which pretty much everyone has come across.

 

[slowmotion]

I wonder if they had a few mystified calls from people who didn't know what faeces, or stool meant, and so just had to settle for a term which although childish, isn't offensive, and which pretty much everyone has come across.

Yes, of course they did, but they could have put it in adult language too and not infantilise people.

 

[Seevio]

It always annoys me when footballers say "the lads showed character out there today." I'm pretty sure that's not correct use of the word character, but if it is, stop it anyway. It's irritating.

I blame Brendon Rogers for this one.

 

[slowmotion]

"Flex", as in "flex the rules". What's wrong with "bend"? Bend has worked for decades. Does flex add any meaning at all?

Plonkers.

 

[mudsticks]

Yes, of course they did, but they could have put it in adult language too and not infantilise people.

It's always going to be a tricky subject to get the tone just right on, isn't it?

"Flex", as in "flex the rules". What's wrong with "bend"? Bend has worked for decades. Does flex add any meaning at all?

Plonkers.

I'm seeing flex more often used as a term for showing off, atm .

Either physically or materially or even intellectually.

If someone tries to act all superior they're often accused of *flexing*

... Idiots

 

[DaveReading]

I'm seeing flex more often used as a term for showing off, atm .

Either physically or materially or even intellectually.

That's hardly a new usage.

 

[mudsticks]

That's hardly a new usage.

View attachment 568647

Yup. I know, but the usage has changed somewhat.

The ing part is often left off and reflects an attitude, as much as an action.

 

[Fnaar]

'optic' or 'optics' has popped up a lot recently, as in 'he did it for the optics' (possibly for effect/appearance, or something). Haven't quite worked out what it means yet, for me it's still a device for measuring out spirtis from inverted bottles in a pub.

 

[Fnaar]

"Can you speak to that, Fnaar?" (in work meetings)

No, I can speak ABOUT it, but not TO it. It isn't a living, conscious entity, it is an idea, a concept, or an issue we are discussing. As such, it has no ability to comprehend my words, so me speaking TO it would be utterly pointelss. As is this meeting. I hate you all. I resign. Goodbye!

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Yes, of course they did, but they could have put it in adult language too and not infantilise people.

I agree, however when you're dealing with a childish sense of humour it's possible to go too far the other way and be so proper and adult that it causes unintentional mirth.
When I joined the forces at 18, part of the NBC (chem / bio warfare) training covered "defecation drills". (In plain English, going for a cr*p). We were told how to decontaminate parts of the suit, doff it, defecate, decontaminate, and don the trousers again. Some of the young men and women had not been subjected to doffing, donning and defecating before, but not to worry... Every leisure time visit to the loo from that point on was referred to as "going to carry out the defecation drill", and young men on nights out would occasionally have to "doff undercrackers due to defecation contamination" issues.

I have no doubt whatsoever that @Drago still has the words "defecation drill" burned into his poor old brain.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

The utterly pompous 'egregious'.

 

[mudsticks]

The utterly pompous 'egregious'.

You missed a bit off there

You mean the

'The utterly pompous 'egregious' JRM '