Mad Doug Biker
Banned from every bar in the Galaxy
- Location
- Craggy Island
"Near miss"
... It's a near hit!!
... It's a near hit!!
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What English expression do you hate the most?
- Thread starter gavroche
- Start date
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raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
Here's the thing, I have a mate called Graham and I have a Cousin Graham.Now I used to do a lot of things along with (mate) Graham and a few others (Bike Race Meets, Beer and Music festivals etc) and when talking to my Mum or other family members about these things just referred to him as Graham but if I was talking about my Cousin (Original owner of the Carlton Clubman) I always prefixed it with 'Our' likewise with 2 other Cousins John and Mark.
Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
My partner is from Cumbria, and they say "our" all the time. It's actually a fairly good system. As @raleighnut says, I've been in a similar situation when I've been telling my Mum about something friend/social related, and then mentioned my cousin Natalie, and she's replied "which Natalie, our Natalie?". So prefixing names with "our" saves the explanation. It's just with southerners it still sounds weird!
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
The pedant in me cries out when hearing the present historic on TV or radio:
"It's 1272 and Edward I has just ascended to the throne"
No, it's not 1272, if it was I wouldn't be looking at a TV.
"It's 1272 and Edward I has just ascended to the throne"
No, it's not 1272, if it was I wouldn't be looking at a TV.
matticus
Guru
MS Outlook just scolded me for starting a sentence with "So ..."
🙄
🙄
PhotoNic69
Senior Member
Not really a phrase but more ignorant miss-spelling of words, especially on things like Farcebook, and even more so in FB Scamplace or is it Marketplace? I forget.
"Chester draws" and "discusting" particularly grind my gears. WTAF? Shirley they have Spellchecker or Auto Correct on their iPhones?
"Chester draws" and "discusting" particularly grind my gears. WTAF? Shirley they have Spellchecker or Auto Correct on their iPhones?
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
Eggcorns is where it's at.
I hope you don't find this list a damp squid.
https://eggcorns.lascribe.net/browse-eggcorns/
Yellow Fang
Legendary Member
- Location
- Reading
Excellent, I love a bit of Latin.
Yellow Fang
Legendary Member
- Location
- Reading
I hate the term 'decolonising'. For example, some bunch of annoying student activists want to decolonise the English degree syllabus, by replacing the works of dead, white men by people 'who look like us'. It seems more like colonising the curriculum rather than decolonising it, if you ask me.
briantrumpet
Legendary Member
- Location
- Devon & Die
Like David Crystal, I really like the fact that languages evolve and new coinages spring up out of humans' natural tendency to play with language and express themselves in ways to suit their own times.
At the same time, I can both mourn when there are stupid words ('uncreate', anyone? - it's in the OED!) or faulty usages usurp correct ones (e.g alternate > alternative in the US), but there's only so long you can push back against the tide. It's probably worth it for a while, if faulty usage leads to confusion, and there's a remote chance that if enough people say "Nooooo!!!" the faulty usage can be stemmed, but most of the time, once you notice it, it's too late.
The only times I'm properly pedantic is when academic institutions I'm involved with make mistakes in their vocabulary, spelling or grammar in their communications, then I don't hesitate to point out the errors of their ways, as academic institutions should be setting a good example!!
At the same time, I can both mourn when there are stupid words ('uncreate', anyone? - it's in the OED!) or faulty usages usurp correct ones (e.g alternate > alternative in the US), but there's only so long you can push back against the tide. It's probably worth it for a while, if faulty usage leads to confusion, and there's a remote chance that if enough people say "Nooooo!!!" the faulty usage can be stemmed, but most of the time, once you notice it, it's too late.
The only times I'm properly pedantic is when academic institutions I'm involved with make mistakes in their vocabulary, spelling or grammar in their communications, then I don't hesitate to point out the errors of their ways, as academic institutions should be setting a good example!!
Gwylan
Guru
- Location
- All at sea⛵
It's just southern snobbery
Nah, just beat the sh* t out of the twerp. You'll feel better and he's stupid enough not to notice.
PhotoNic69
Senior Member
Haha!! I recall a BBC Breakfast episode where they were talking about a space probe being propelled by an Ion Drive. Naga Munchetty was asking if the drive really contained "iron" and if so how exactly did that work. She asked about 5 times and really didn't grasp the concept. I don't like her.
She'd really struggle with golf where they differentiate between irons & drivers. 😂
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
well - it is very similar
they use the iron to drive the space ship
Oh my coat - how kind!
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
I think they should get rid of the apostrophes too, while they're at it.
