Words and Phrases I Detest: rant thread.

[BeRational]

I do not like nucular instead of nuclear.

[Anchorman]

There are quite a few grave stones in a local church yard which state 'He fell asleep on .......'  I nodded off on one of the seats there once .... Phew, what a lucky escape!  I could have been buried.

Blame Paul for the 'falling asleep' bit.

[Dicky Underpants]

Another version of it is when politicians talk about 'The whole country thinks/is doing etc'.

Beat me to it. Or "What the public want to hear us talking about is"

[Dicky Underpants]

... and to, like, put what you say into, like, modern English ...
"Are you, like, sure the notice doesn't, like, mean exactly  what it says?  The windows may have, like, been modified to be, like, non-closeable.  "Wellness" - just a trendy,like, word for "health" as far as I can see, so, like, "health and wellness" is, like, tautological.

And I will resist to my dying day the epidemic (well it's been some 20 years now) to use "I was like" to mean "I said" or "I thought".

[Gordon]

Looking back at my working life, and at 'meetings' in particular, I used to detest some of the phraseology used: in particular "connect the dots", which in my experience was often uttered by those with more enthusiasm than experience and who, ironically, would struggle to find their own bahookie even if allowed to use both hands.

[jeremyp]

Blame Paul for the 'falling asleep' bit.

Except that the man who fell asleep did wind up dead - briefly.

[jeremyp]

Looking back at my working life, and at 'meetings' in particular, I used to detest some of the phraseology used: in particular "connect the dots", which in my experience was often uttered by those with more enthusiasm than experience and who, ironically, would struggle to find their own bahookie even if allowed to use both hands.

I hate the verb "to table" as in "to table a motion", especially as the Americans think it has the exact opposite meaning to its British usage.

[Nearly Sane]

One of my former employers, a bank, adapted 'thinking outside the box' to 'thinking outside the bank' - which seemed idiotic and counterproductive.

[Dicky Underpants]

Except that the man who fell asleep did wind up dead - briefly.

He was 'briefly' dead? Have you become a believer again?
"We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye"

[jeremyp]

He was 'briefly' dead? Have you become a believer again?
"We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye"

No. It was just a story. It's like saying Icarus was briefly able to fly. I don't believe Icarus ever did fly, it's just what is in the story.

[Dicky Underpants]

No. It was just a story. It's like saying Icarus was briefly able to fly. I don't believe Icarus ever did fly, it's just what is in the story.

I'm all for talking about specific references like Icarus in this way. Your comment had a vaguer frame of reference.
Not that I ever did believe that you'd rediscovered your faith.
No more likely than me being a theist again, I'd say.

[SqueakyVoice]

.   ...to use "I was like" to mean "I said" or "I thought".

I keep hearing people saying, "I'm like on a train."
No. You are on a train. If you were 'like on a train' it might be a bus or possibly a tram. Look around. Is it a bus? No. Is it a tram? NO.  It. Is.  A. train. and you are ON a train.

[Roses]

I keep hearing people saying, "I'm like on a train."
No. You are on a train. If you were 'like on a train' it might be a bus or possibly a tram. Look around. Is it a bus? No. Is it a tram? Is it a tram? NO.  It. Is.  A. train. and you are ON a train.

I find that very irritating too.

I also dislike the word 'wicked' being used when they mean very nice, i.e. " My Mum makes a wicked chocolate cake!

[BeRational]

Pacific, instead of specific.

Could of, instead of could've.

[Nearly Sane]

Pacific, instead of specific.

Could of, instead of could've.

Could of, would of, should of are the last words of a fool

[BeRational]

When answering a question, the person starts by saying "So ...."

[Gordon]

When people refer to the 'floor' when they are outside, when they really mean the 'ground'.

I recently saw one of these fly-on-the-wall TV programmes involving the police somewhere around London - they chased a guy across a field and brought him down and then radioed in to say that the suspect was 'on the floor' when he was, in fact, 'on the ground'.

I don't suppose it really matters - but it does annoy me.

[Harrowby Hall]

Relared to Gordon's complaint about police usage.

Police reports that use "male" or "female" instead of "man or "woman".

My immediate assumption is that someone promoted above his or her level of linguistic competence does not know the difference between a noun and anadjective.

[SteveH]

Pacific, instead of specific.

If I ever heard anyone say "pacific" when the meant "specific", I'd be highly irritated, but I never have, though I frequently read it stated as a pet hate of people. I suspect that it doesn't really exist as a genuine malapropism.

[SteveH]

I prefer to say someone has died rather than 'passed away'.  The term RIP doesn't make any sense, once a person is dead that is it.

So you believe, but others disagree.

[Udayana]

...
My immediate assumption is that someone promoted above his or her level of linguistic competence does not know the difference between a noun and anadjective.

But so many police reports and statements, especially spoken rather than written, sound like that!

[Nearly Sane]

If I ever heard anyone say "pacific" when the meant "specific", I'd be highly irritated, but I never have, though I frequently read it stated as a pet hate of people. I suspect that it doesn't really exist as a genuine malapropism.

You suspect that because you have not experienced something that it's never happened? Really? And all the people you have heard mention it are lying?

[Gordon]

Again looking back at 'meetings' when I was working - "we are where we are" and "touch base".

[Nearly Sane]

Again looking back at 'meetings' when I was working - "we are where we are" and "touch base".

I think sometimes 'we are where we are' is ok. If you are trying to deal with a mess, and people start on the whole who's to blame thing, it's a quick way to get away from that.

[ekim]

If I ever heard anyone say "pacific" when the meant "specific", I'd be highly irritated, but I never have, though I frequently read it stated as a pet hate of people. I suspect that it doesn't really exist as a genuine malapropism.

I believe Derrick Trotter used it in 'Only Fools and Horses'.