Incorrect use of phrases, that annoy me and probably shouldn't

[Crackle]

Anyone who can give more than a 100%

 

[TVC]

Since when was the floor outside?

He fell on the floor!....... No, he was outside, so he fell on the pavement, he fell on the grass, he fell on the road.

I blame football players.

 

[TVC]

I suppose threads like this are an antidote to threads about homosexual vegetarians.

I agree, sometimes you can't move round here for threads about homosexual vegitarians.

 

[Yellow Fang]

There's an announcement on the train that tells you what to do in an emergency. It concludes by saying, "Please take a moment to read this important information." Presumably, that is 'important' in the sense of 'unimportant'.

Similarly, I was irritated when I heard some businessman on the radio talk about sales skills being not merely soft skills, but hard, tangible skills. Presumably this is 'tangible' in the sense of 'intangible', since a skill cannot be touched or felt, whether hard or soft.

 

[Brains]

There's an announcement on the train that tells you what to do in an emergency. It concludes by saying, "Please take a moment to read this important information." Presumably, that is 'important' in the sense of 'unimportant'.

Similarly, I was irritated when I heard some businessman on the radio talk about sales skills being not merely soft skills, but hard, tangible skills. Presumably this is 'tangible' in the sense of 'intangible', since a skill cannot be touched or felt, whether hard or soft.

I would take a 'soft' skill as being able to play a piano or write software or paint something or make someone better, they may have acomplished somthing, but you cant actually put your finger on it.

A 'hard' skill would be being a brickie who can lay 1,000 bricks a day. Or someone on a production line, or a deck hand on a trawler.
At the end of a day of work you can see exactly what has been acomplished and you can touch it.

 

[vernon]

And on a personal level - and this is not the misuse of words per se (more names) - my name is Stewart but nearly every bugger in a business or non-friend context misspells it as 'Stuart'.

Quite seriously annoying - in a very petty way.

I'm sure that you'll live with it Stu.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I hate that stupid phrase, "Can you give me back the tenner I leant you?". Mrs SJ uses it all the time.

 

[TVC]

I hate people who say 'sequel' when they really mean 'Part 2'

Get over it Rocky, get over it.

 

[Diggs]

Words rather than phrases but I had two resonably senior people sitting near me at a job a while ago.
One used "pacifically" instead of specifically, the other referred to hyperbole as "hyper- bowl"

edit, on reflection that probably should upset me

As does this, after finally adjusting to people posting ads for "mounting bikes" I find an ad for a bike that doesn't even exist.
http://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/saracen-amplitude-2-bicycle-jump-bike/1096140286

 

[Paulus]

Can I get. As in " Can I get a cup of tea" in a cafe. It should be "can I have" or "can I purchase" Can I get implies that they are going to serve themselves.

 

[marshmella]

Hate to hear people say "return it back"Arrgh

 

[vernon]

Anyone who can give more than a 100%

I've given 200% of my daily wage to charity.

 

[Dan B]

"Beg the question" when "give rise to the question" is meant
"Ultimate"when anything other than "final" is meant

 

[jefmcg]

Can I get. As in " Can I get a cup of tea" in a cafe. It should be "can I have" or "can I purchase" Can I get implies that they are going to serve themselves.

Can? Can???

I can still hear the censorious voice of my friend's grandfather saying over the phone "Is that any way for a young lady to ask for another young lady? It's 'May I speak with Simone, please?'"

 

[snorri]

my name is Stewart but nearly every bugger in a business or non-friend context misspells it as 'Stuart'.

I would NEVER do that,