Words that annoy me for no particular reason.

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RichardB

Slightly retro
Location
West Wales
Amazon advert that states "...this couple shopped 50% off in the black friday sale" You can't "shop off". You can save 50%, you can get 50% off, you can shop in a sale. Is it me or is this terrible grammar?

Agreed. 'Shop' as a transitive verb grates on me. 'Shop electricals!'. Grrrr.

Also 'I need to catch up on me socials', meaning I need to check in to FaceTwitaSnapaGram to see if my life still has meaning.
 

figbat

Slippery scientist
I just read one that triggered me - "normalcy". I know it's a US/UK thing and I am generally aware and accepting of such cultural differences, but some of 'their' words I just can't get on with, especially if they start invading 'our' culture.

As a chemist I used to make a stand for element names - sulphur rather than sulfur, caesium not cesium, aluminium not aluminum but even those I am more relaxed about now and I generally go with the IUPAC versions (sulfur, caesium, aluminium). There is one very common misspelling though that always triggers me and I almost always have to correct and that is phosphorous.

Lots of people use this spelling for the element, many of whom are trained and educated chemists. Spell checkers don't catch it because the word phosphorous is genuine and has a meaning, but it is not the name of the 15th element - that is phosphorus.

Phosphorous has a meaning similar to sulfurous or nitrous; it can be a generic term of 'relating to phosphorus' or a technical meaning related to the valence of the P and thus differentiated from phosphoric (see also sulfuric and nitric).
 

yello

Guest
I've long since left the world of corporate speak so my only exposure to it is on TV and films, so I can deem it fictitious in that context!

A word that doesn't bug me, yet leaves me clueless every time, is the current usage of 'gaslighting'. The number of times my wife has had to explain it to me - which is kinda ironic I guess, she probably suspects me of some kind of reverse gaslighting (and, yes, I had to look it up, again, to check its meaning!)

The derivation is, I suppose, interesting though. Could equally have been 'baby jane-ing' I guess :laugh:
 
I've long since left the world of corporate speak so my only exposure to it is on TV and films, so I can deem it fictitious in that context!

A word that doesn't bug me, yet leaves me clueless every time, is the current usage of 'gaslighting'. The number of times my wife has had to explain it to me - which is kinda ironic I guess, she probably suspects me of some kind of reverse gaslighting (and, yes, I had to look it up, again, to check its meaning!)

The derivation is, I suppose, interesting though. Could equally have been 'baby jane-ing' I guess :laugh:



Convincing your girlfriend she's crazy or paranoid is called gaslighting, and it's a dick move.


But convincing her she's a robot with artificial implanted human emotions is called bladerunning. It's a Phillip K. Dick move.
 

PK99

Legendary Member
Location
SW19
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Super.

especially when it precedes 'simple' or 'easy' etc...
620107


Grrr!
 
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