BS: Language Pet Peeves part II

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 08:12 PM

I remain annoyed at people who think, when specifying their pronoun [singular], that they have to conjugate it, or decline it, or whatever.

If it's they, then it becomes them and their.

If she, her and hers.

If he, him and his.

Just specify the gender! The rest follows!

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Nov 23 - 11:58 AM

Than before, I think. Gruntled, I am not.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Nov 23 - 05:50 PM

The didn't "drop" that toolbox in space. They let it go, yeah, but it didn't fall, so dropped is not the mot juste, to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 09:23 PM

I guess it's falling ... eventuallu

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 05:33 PM

Seen on a poster describing a statue of William Wallace in the Scottish Borders - "the statue was unvailed"....
Where was the prufreeder?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 11:59 AM

The old thread in pages of 50 from the start.

The old thread in pages of 50 from the most recent.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:54 AM

They did as much if not more work than their husbands or partners

Taking the second part on its own:- "They did more work as their husbands ..." is incorrect.

"Than" cannot be replaced by "as". It's just that an "as" is missing.
It should be:- "They did as much as, if not more work than their husbands or partners".

It would better rewritten as:-
"They did at least as much work as their husbands ..."

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 04:06 AM

Looking back at my post above, it would be better as:-

"They did as much work as, if not more than, their husbands ...."

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:48 PM

Does 'debunk' mean 'get out of bed' ?

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 02:24 PM

Demean: be kind

Delay: pick up off the floor

Decoy: become willing to talk about sensitive subjects

Decaf: leave the restaurant

Debar: leave the pub

Demob: part from the other gang members


Maybe we should be taking these to the joke thread, rather than polluting this thread which is, essentially, for grumpy people.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 04:43 PM

Here in the States I've not heard debar, but disbar

Debar means to exclude or prohibit someone from participating in something (which, oddly enough, means the same as to bar someone), while disbar means to remove someone’s professional license or authority to practice a profession.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 04:25 AM

The didn't "drop" that toolbox in space. They let it go, yeah, but it didn't fall ...

Technically, anything in orbit is constantly falling but the curvature of the Earth means that the ground is falling away at the same rate. Astronauts have a 'sense' of weightlessness but their mass is being acted on by the Earth's gravity, so they still have weight.

I think that whoever let the toolbox go should have been made to go and get it.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Lighter
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:45 PM

Oxford has "debark," both transitive and in transitive, from as far back as the seventeenth century.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 12:18 AM

Ah yes, Steve, the old "Dead man was killed by brother" headline that makes chief subeditors foam at the mouth!

People were asking me for an example of the increasing use of "than" where "as" would be correct. Here's a beauty:

‘They did as much if not more work than their husbands or partners’ – calls to speed up end of exclusion of female farmers from pension rights

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 12:46 PM

It would be better as "They did as much work as their husbands, if not more", Doug, but it's the creeping use of 'than' that I'm after here.
But in fact in the rather clunky sentence, as second 'as' would be correct:
"They did as much, if not more, work as their husbands [did]."

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 09 Nov 23 - 01:49 AM

Unbearable - it's hard to carry a bear.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 11:54 AM

Declare: to leave the Burren behind.
Deplore: give up imploring.
Desist: lance that boil.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 12:49 AM

Unavailable, like in France where they don't let girls wear Muslim scarves in school?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 04:43 AM

Denude, to put your clothes on.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 11:27 PM

Despoil - stop behaving like children

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 18 Nov 23 - 02:35 AM

Desecrate - chop up all those pallets for firewood.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 09 Nov 23 - 04:53 AM

All those adverts that claim "Now 30% better" without stating what they are comparing the new product to.

I am usually there shouting "Than What!!"

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:35 PM

‘Deplane’. Or, even worse, ‘debark’. WTF? It’s ‘disembark’.

Subject: BS: Language pet peeves Mk II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 11:02 AM

As Mk 1 seems to have disappeared into the error of its ways I thought I'd resurrect it, in the hope that this'll be a temporary measure only. Anyway:

A couple of recently-spotted doublings-up:

"I married my husband last Thursday!" (You've married him twice...?)

Headline on our local news website: "Missing woman disappears in the night" ....Huh?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 12:11 PM

I could read it but not post to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 04:15 AM

Ah, that was me, G-Force. That joke was a straight copy 'n' paste from Quora and I neglected to do an edit. Mea culpa. :-(

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 01:02 PM

Different to, different from, different than. I can stomach the first, I'm happy with the second but I find the third to be just an ugly Americanism. I do like SOME Americanisms...

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 05:00 PM

Decry: to stop blubbering

Deglaze: to remove all your windows

Delight: to turn off the lights when you go to bed

Denude: to get dressed

Deliver: to chuck out the offal

Deride: to get off your horse

Declare: to dump your girlfriend

Desire: to decide not to impregnate your girlfriend

Describe: to not write it down

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Nov 23 - 04:56 AM

Debrief: to...oh, never mind...

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 12:51 PM

All right then:

Debrief (v.i.) to remove your knickers

(v.t.) to remove someone else's knickers

I'll get me coat (it's long enough to cover me up...)

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 04:26 PM

Delay, Doug? I thought that meant "to get off 'er..."

I've only got the one coat...

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 04:53 PM

I thought debar was deplace where you ordered debeer...

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 05:07 AM

Beat you to that one, Thompson! :-)

Deterred - to flush the lavvy

Depict - ancient attempt at ethnic cleansing in Scotland

Dead - to use an adblocker

Dearest - to let your prisoner go, then find your spellchecker

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Nov 23 - 05:55 PM

Traduisez en englais, s'il vous plonk.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Nov 23 - 05:56 PM

Despot: to dab on stain remover

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Neil D
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 09:37 AM

A pet peeve of mine is the deliberate misspelling of words. When I used to deliver meat in Cleveland the 2 largest grocery chains were Bi-Rite and Sav-Mor. I hated the idea of a generation of kids forever misspelling those 4 words.
In company I worked for the head of IT was super smart about computers. He'd been programming since childhood. But when he broadcast an Email about a meeting and I pointed out that in the phrase "goto the breakroom". go and to should be separate words, he didn't even believe me.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: G-Force
Date: 08 Nov 23 - 03:56 AM

A recent post on the joke thread had 'laying' instead of 'lying'.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 11 Nov 23 - 03:57 PM

Sometimes debark is worse than debite.

Here in the States I've not heard debar, but disbar, which helps when differentiating it from datbar.

I'll go my room now...


Jay

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 21 Nov 23 - 11:29 AM

Um, I didn't start this thread... what is missing?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Nov 23 - 05:23 PM

I thought it was me. There's all sorts missing.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 29 Nov 23 - 05:05 AM

The increasing use of "purposefully" in place of "purposely", a completely different word.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Nov 23 - 06:44 AM

”The increasing use of "purposefully" in place of "purposely", a completely different word.”

Amen on that, Thompson. Drives me nuts! I might be doing American friends a disservice, and apologies if that’s the case, but I have the strong impression that it started over there, another ‘I could care less’ kind of error?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Nov 23 - 07:42 AM

It's not an error if it becomes widely adopted. In the UK "I could care less" isn't used, but if it's common currency in the US it's unfair to call it an error. Personally, I can't get my head round how it's supposed to make sense but I still hesitate to call it an error. I've been castigated by several here for criticising the nonsensical "albeit" (all be it? Although be it? Although it be?), which equally doesn't make sense, but it's widely used, especially by those of pretentious inclination, and there's no way I can call it an error.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Nov 23 - 07:44 AM

I could care less…

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Nov 23 - 08:14 AM

Prior to this moment in time, I could care less either, albeit controversial, and I said so on a daily basis, but could you give me an alternate form of words going forward?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 03 Dec 23 - 01:18 PM

Using literally to mean figuratively is still wrong, despite it being common usage and in the dictionary.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 03 Dec 23 - 01:35 PM

Only if you think it's wrong. It's used by so many people that's it's regarded by many (including me!) as wrong no longer.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: BobL
Date: 04 Dec 23 - 03:49 AM

If people use literally to mean figuratively, what do they use when they want to mean literally?

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Dec 23 - 06:23 AM

Context is everything. When someone uses literally in its literal sense you can tell straight away. It's literally a piece of cake.

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Dec 23 - 03:49 PM

Just the other day I heard, for about the 4th time, some 'expert' in a TV program about BBQ contests say "with some 'au jus' ".

And just now I read an article misusing "Less" for "Fewer".

It's hopeless, but some of us still fight...