Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj

Post to this Thread - Printer Friendly - Home
Page: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]


BS: Language Pet Peeves part II

MaJoC the Filk 28 Jan 25 - 10:50 AM
Donuel 28 Jan 25 - 10:05 AM
MaJoC the Filk 25 Jan 25 - 08:53 AM
Backwoodsman 24 Jan 25 - 03:18 PM
meself 24 Jan 25 - 10:58 AM
Aethelric 24 Jan 25 - 04:06 AM
Backwoodsman 24 Jan 25 - 02:31 AM
meself 23 Jan 25 - 07:57 PM
MaJoC the Filk 22 Jan 25 - 10:34 AM
MaJoC the Filk 22 Jan 25 - 10:25 AM
The Sandman 22 Jan 25 - 04:20 AM
Aethelric 21 Jan 25 - 01:22 PM
gillymor 21 Jan 25 - 07:28 AM
DaveRo 21 Jan 25 - 03:03 AM
Backwoodsman 30 Dec 24 - 05:57 PM
Thompson 30 Dec 24 - 01:17 PM
Backwoodsman 29 Dec 24 - 12:11 PM
Thompson 29 Dec 24 - 09:50 AM
Thompson 29 Dec 24 - 04:50 AM
MaJoC the Filk 17 Dec 24 - 12:00 PM
Donuel 16 Dec 24 - 06:33 PM
Thompson 16 Dec 24 - 05:57 PM
Backwoodsman 16 Dec 24 - 06:34 AM
Doug Chadwick 16 Dec 24 - 04:16 AM
Backwoodsman 16 Dec 24 - 02:20 AM
Backwoodsman 16 Dec 24 - 01:59 AM
Thompson 15 Dec 24 - 04:51 AM
meself 14 Dec 24 - 04:39 PM
The Sandman 14 Dec 24 - 04:12 PM
Lighter 14 Dec 24 - 12:53 PM
Thompson 14 Dec 24 - 03:24 AM
MaJoC the Filk 13 Dec 24 - 06:20 PM
meself 09 Dec 24 - 10:48 AM
The Sandman 09 Dec 24 - 04:24 AM
Thompson 08 Dec 24 - 07:00 PM
Doug Chadwick 08 Dec 24 - 08:18 AM
mayomick 08 Dec 24 - 07:17 AM
MaJoC the Filk 08 Dec 24 - 07:11 AM
MaJoC the Filk 08 Dec 24 - 07:09 AM
MaJoC the Filk 08 Dec 24 - 07:07 AM
Doug Chadwick 08 Dec 24 - 05:08 AM
The Sandman 07 Dec 24 - 05:21 PM
meself 06 Dec 24 - 01:48 PM
Thompson 06 Dec 24 - 03:58 AM
Backwoodsman 05 Dec 24 - 10:29 PM
Tattie Bogle 05 Dec 24 - 07:39 PM
Thompson 05 Dec 24 - 05:50 PM
Thompson 03 Dec 24 - 05:56 AM
Mrrzy 02 Dec 24 - 08:40 PM
Mrrzy 06 Nov 24 - 07:27 PM

Share Thread
more
Lyrics & Knowledge Search [Advanced]
DT  Forum Child
Sort (Forum) by:relevance date
DT Lyrics:













Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 28 Jan 25 - 10:50 AM

> I don't know if a fat chance is better than
> a slim chance.

It's slimmer, with a side order of scorn. Hold the hope.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Jan 25 - 10:05 AM

I don't know if a fat chance is better than a slim chance.
Beyond individual word or grammar choices, my language peeves are the statements that separate the 'other' from ourselves like "They are evil, " as if we are incapable of evil ourselves. I believe if anyone is given absolute power they will become capable of an evil act. Who can resist the ring of power?
In truth everyone is potentially evil, for example, one of my favorite Superman scenes is when he is a waiter and is humiliated by a truck driver he leaves the restaurant, so when the trucker leaves later he finds his truck skewered by telephone poles up in the air. Yes, I am amused by revenge and retribution which is evil. Much literature and movie plots involve evil revenge. I wouldn't say that evil should not be punished when the punishment fits the crime but culture has excused extreme evil.
We can recognize the evil revenge of a Trump figure but it would be bigotry to assume all his followers are evil


although I bet they are. :^/


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 25 Jan 25 - 08:53 AM

Possibly-fresh peeve: the use of "fast" and "slow" to describe clocks which are ahead (resp, behind) standard time. I know it stems from clocks traditionally being wound up and corrected at the same, erm, time; but it winds me up summat cruel when "slow" is used for a clock which I know for a fact is behind but gaining, as our world-famous chiming clock is on a Monday morning before I correct it.

I leave as an exercise the deduction of why said clock gains one minute a day, but loses one or two minutes a week, all without manual adjustment.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 03:18 PM

Fairy Nuff...


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: meself
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 10:58 AM

Backwoodsman: What makes you think you need my approval for anything? I'm really not that powerful. If you want to refer to yourselves as your pets' parents, go ahead; I couldn't care less - but if I hear a newscaster or some public authority figure publicly referring to you as your pets' parents, I'm going to grumble, and perhaps post something curmudgeonly about it on Mudcat.

Some people give their cars pet names, and assign them a gender; I've got no problem with that, either, but I don't expect reporters and police to use said pet names and genders when they're recounting the details of, for example, accidents or car thefts.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Aethelric
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 04:06 AM

All dogs are either bitches or sons of bitches.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 02:31 AM

As a childless couple, my wife and I regard our dogs as our ‘family’, and ourselves as the dog’s ‘parents’. We didn’t realise we needed your approval to feel that way and, frankly, we don’t give a flying fuck.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: meself
Date: 23 Jan 25 - 07:57 PM

The owners of pets being referred to as the pets' "parents" - it's even made its way into newscasts in my part of the world ... smdh ..........


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 22 Jan 25 - 10:34 AM

Apologies, MudElf: those last two should be in the current tRump thread. Feel free to translocate.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 22 Jan 25 - 10:25 AM

Hm, Sandman: Does that mean the offensive little oik is King Con or King Conned?

Meanwhile, I've noticed that he's into Dunning-Krugerrands cryptocurrencies, whose only proven use is to finance crime and North Korea. Now (courtesy today's Beeb coverage) I heard that he's boosting AI in some not-yet-explained manner. My instant response: "AI is dead."


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Jan 25 - 04:20 AM

Trump is only a puppet, he like many politicians thinks he has more power than he has, if he upsets the people who really pull the strings he will be out


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Aethelric
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 01:22 PM

I think we will get even more references now to Laura Nawder, who ever she is?

And Lore abiding citizens – is that Folklore, or maybe family lore, lore of the land or what?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: gillymor
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:28 AM

So Trump has pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters, which means that if he doesn't like the outcome of the midterm elections or doesn't care to leave office when his term is up he can call on his violent, knuckle-dragging constituents to storm the Capitol again, this time with impunity. Welcome to the third world.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: DaveRo
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 03:03 AM

OT-ish, but I've noticed that 'slew' turns up a lot in the UK papers, usually in the phrase "a slew of executive orders". I suspected this was American which Websters confirms:
Slew appeared as an American colloquialism in the early 19th century. Its origins are unclear, but it is perhaps taken from the Irish slua, a descendant of Old Irish slúag, meaning "army," "host," or "throng."
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slew

To me this word has a slight negative bias - you get slews of bad things but not good ones. But this might just be because of the aforementioned executive orders. Do folk in America receive a slew of gifts at Christmas?

Only ish, because UK papers increasingly use US words - especially if they're short. I read yesterday the the Prince of Darkness is "the UK's pick for US ambassador'.

Mind you, Australian words appear more frequently too. I initially read 'throng' in the above quote as 'thong'. Rather the opposite!


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 30 Dec 24 - 05:57 PM

LOL, Thompson! :-)


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 30 Dec 24 - 01:17 PM

It was probably illegible for exception, Backwoodsman.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 29 Dec 24 - 12:11 PM

On the Morrisons' Do-it-Yerself checkouts, my p**s almost boils when I hear that woman's disembodied voice declare "Your Clubcard is "excepted"!! Aaaaaaaarrgghh!


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 29 Dec 24 - 09:50 AM

And I've just heard that the difficulties at Omaha Beach were "exasperated". I'll be they were!


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 29 Dec 24 - 04:50 AM

A drawer is apparently now called a draw. Kind of logical, but urrkk.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 17 Dec 24 - 12:00 PM

Fresh peeve: something being described as "actionable", when it's merely meant that some seldom-specified action can be taken about said thing. In my lexicon, "actionable" only ever pertains to things that yield lawsuits (sense 2 in the Wictionary entry); but perhaps that comes from reading Private Eye at a formative age, wherein Messrs Sue Grabbit and Runne feature heavily.

Is this yet more leakage of management memo-speak into real life? Would that this were actionable in the legal sense.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: When Pet Peeves Attack.
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 06:33 PM

Low and Bee Holed. now toss that tea.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 05:57 PM

Low and behold is only one of a flock of migrating spellings; another two are the aforementioned giving free reign, and hone in for home in. If there's a vaguely similar in sound word with a vaguely similar meaning, it'll rush gratefully into the arms of the linguistically confused.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 06:34 AM

Possibly, Doug. Although I see it mostly in non-humorous posts by Americans on several US-based guitar forums (where I mostly lurk), so I’m persuaded that it’s nothing more than illiteracy or semi-literacy, more often than not.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 04:16 AM

I suspect that while ‘Low and behold’ is most likely a mistake, ‘Et viola!’ may be Fractured French used for comic effect.

Another example of Fractured French would be ‘Mersey buckets’ to say thank you.

DC


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 02:20 AM

Try again…damn autocorrect!

‘Low and behold’ seems to be almost as common as ‘Et viola!’.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 16 Dec 24 - 01:59 AM

‘Lo and behold’ seems to be almost as common as ‘Et viola!’.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 15 Dec 24 - 04:51 AM

Ah, now, I have to object to the objection to Celtic Rock. What about Cashel?
Today I read again "Low and behold" and flinched so hard I nearly threw my tea over my shoulder.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: meself
Date: 14 Dec 24 - 04:39 PM

And then there's the recently-ubiquitous "an elite" in reference to a single (high status) person.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: The Sandman
Date: 14 Dec 24 - 04:12 PM

celtic rock


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Lighter
Date: 14 Dec 24 - 12:53 PM

How about "aircrafts"? It'sp ractically the rule in US media.

Also, "I'm a twenty-three-years-old fashion model."

I hear the pointless pluralization frequently. The first I noticed, maybe twenty-five years ago, was "the jobs market." Now it's normal.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 14 Dec 24 - 03:24 AM

This morning I'm reading a thesis which includes the use of the flinchworthy malopropism "giving X free reign". Free rein! Free rein! It's like when you're riding your hunter across the countryside and let the reins fall so the little darling can answer the signals of your body as she leaps the walls and ditches! Nothing to do with reigning!


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 13 Dec 24 - 06:20 PM

I can't remember whether this has been covered here before, but it's just raised me to red heat: "learnings" looks to me like an illiterate's way to say "lessons" in a way which doesn't invoke the spectre of Teacher. Is it some fragment of the horrific null-content space-filling suit-speak that's started leaking from board meetings into real life? Not to put too fine a point on it: *ARGH*issimo.

Sorry about that; I feel a bit better now. Now where was I?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: meself
Date: 09 Dec 24 - 10:48 AM

Re: "'n'". Trouble is, often word-processing programs will decide which way the apostrophe is going to face (the wrong way), and, in my experience, it takes some time and ingenuity to trick the program into allowing the apostrophe you want. And, to make matters worse, a lot of text you see now on-line has originated on a cell-phone, which is even less accommodating.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Dec 24 - 04:24 AM

Apparently YO is considered insulting in Kerry


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 07:00 PM

Dubliners do indeed say howya - an occasionally, ironically, yo. I've never heard alright in Ireland, and in England it's mostly orright?

Today's peeve: spotting 'n' used as a short form for and (eg rock 'n' roll), but with the apostrophes the wrong way round - the first and second apostrophes should both face the same way, as these are not quotation marks, but markers indicating a missing letter. (Since the Courier used in the typing of this translates into Times, my expression of this here will probably look confusing.)


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 08:18 AM

..... if you're following the street pronunciation, it should be "I cant see nothin"

More like "I cant see not'n".

DC


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: mayomick
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 07:17 AM

Thompson
To my ear , Hi is short for hi ya , which is a blending of the three words “how are ya”
( conas ta tu )
You will still hear older people when they meet in Dublin asking “how’re ya ?“or “how are ya ?“ . Over the past twenty years ,this how ya/hiya ? has been gradually replaced with "alright ? ” - the common British greeting.   

I often heard YO being used as a greeting last time I was in the US


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 07:11 AM

.... Yup. Oh, and if you're following the street pronunciation, it should be "I cant see nothin".


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 07:09 AM

.... Argh aquared: it's shoved the snipped content into the top of the message. Let's see if a second commit clears it ....


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 07:07 AM

Sorry, Doug: "personhole" contains "son", so that's still male.

> I cant see nothing

If you're not objecting to the missing apostrophe in "can't", that's just an intensifier, as in Shakespeare's time. The "twice no is yes" logical stunt was an affectation of Dr Johnson and co-conspirators, around the time they started polluting the English language with imports from Latin.

.... I'd go further, but every time I try, something happens with the wretched scratchpad mouse-substitute on this laptop, and it eats the entire message. Argh.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 08 Dec 24 - 05:08 AM

Manhole.
Yo.
and pass me them things
I cant see nothing


The last three seem to be examples of American expressions which have crept into British English. Are you putting forward Manhole as an Americanism?

Perhaps it is adolescent slang for a male body part but I have never heard it used as such. As an entrance to a drain or utility service trench to give access for maintenance, it is a perfectly normal word in British English.

In these days of diversity and equality, perhaps we should be calling it a personhole. ;-)

DC


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: The Sandman
Date: 07 Dec 24 - 05:21 PM

Manhole.
Yo.
and pass me them things
I cant see nothing


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: meself
Date: 06 Dec 24 - 01:48 PM

My impression is that 'Hey' as a greeting is very much an American thing, and a somewhat regional thing at that. I would be interested to know if it has spread, or if it has long been established in other places. In Canada, it would only be a greeting if a person were taken by surprise, and would be followed by something considered more cordial, e.g., "Hey! How're you doing?"


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Dec 24 - 03:58 AM

First time I saw "Hey" was in To Kill a Mockingbird.
As for "Hi", until around the 1940s it was a shout used to alert someone, rather than a greeting.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 05 Dec 24 - 10:29 PM

For many years my standard greetings have been “Nah then” or “Hey-up”. Maybe a Backwoods thang?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 05 Dec 24 - 07:39 PM

Noticing an increasing tendency in TV dramas for people to address each other as “Hey”. Think I first noticed it in an Australian soap, but it has crept into the latest episode of “Shetland” even. How many of you say “Hey” when you mean “Hello”? I would usually say “Hi” rather than “Hey” - do real people actually do it?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 05 Dec 24 - 05:50 PM

I have made a new word, relating to floods, nosebleeds, vomit, etc: fountainous®


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Thompson
Date: 03 Dec 24 - 05:56 AM

Ireland (and many countries) is rent by rent at the moment - rents are rising exponentially, and people renting hate those who own their homes. A bit crazy; they should be hating the landlords, and the government that is largely composed of landlords!


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 08:40 PM

Something I forget what was "rent by divisions" - is that better than being divided by rending?


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate

Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves part II
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 Nov 24 - 07:27 PM

He was a former is coreect in obits only, I would think.


Post - Top - Home - Printer Friendly - Translate


Next Page

 


You must be a member to post in non-music threads. Join here.


You must be a member to post in non-music threads. Join here.



Mudcat time: 12 February 9:12 PM EST

[ Home ]

All original material is copyright © 2022 by the Mudcat Café Music Foundation. All photos, music, images, etc. are copyright © by their rightful owners. Every effort is taken to attribute appropriate copyright to images, content, music, etc. We are not a copyright resource.