Words, usages, and phrases that annoy the shit out of you...

"aspirational"

I like how it could also mean "makes you feel like vomiting"

Not quite - aspiration of vomit is when you inadvertently breathe it in (sorry for the tmi)

i aspire to vomit

better things aren't possible

We are saddened to learn that Legendary Wrestling Ring Announcer, Howard Finkel has passed away at the age of 69.

^^^this comma

that is not a good usage of commas
when in doubt, leave it out!

As someone who has never really been taught the fundamentals of grammar (it seemed less than an afterthought in 80s Britain) commas make me want to cry - I simultaneously over and underuse them. When students ask me, I manufacture an excuse and look the other way.

Originally a comma was merely a clue to one who was reading aloud that the author recommended a pause to be inserted at that point. More rigorous 'rules' for their use are not rules of grammar per se, but only strictures placed on upon usage, which may be safely ignored in any writing not governed by a manual of style, as imposed by an editor.

yeah if you read any 18th/19th century lit, it's commas all over the damn place... we live in an age of comma minimalism

Sometimes commas call attention to themselves; sometimes they fade into the background and you hardly notice them.

They have come and gone in English usage. They're kinda like... a comma chameleon.

why do people adopt awful new slang so eagerly?

CRINGE
SHOWING THEIR WHOLE ASS
SAYING THE QUIET PART OUT LOUD

Why are you saying these things in these ways? No one did a few months ago. Why are you now?

"Social distancing" would absolutely apply if it weren't incredibly important at the moment

remember what Laurie Anderson said: LANGUAGE IS A VIRUS!

fwiw people have said those things for years now

also they're all good

"showing their ass" appears in fuckin Reservoir Dogs

"Cringe" is slang? I've using that for decades (I cringe a lot). But your basic point is the fundamental question of this thread: what motivates people to start using some dumb phrase everybody else is suddenly using? It should work in exactly the opposite way.

"been using"

they mean cringe in this formulation: "this entire thread is cringe"

If it's being used as a noun now, then yes, that is annoying.

this thread is now basically "new school slang u don't like"

i hate it, i've said this many times in this thread

it's meant to be annoying, it's a mocking criticism

saying the quiet part loud is over two decades old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMHt481HsFU

If it's being used as a noun now, then yes, that is annoying.

This has been around since 1950:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_cringe

language isn't enough of a virus imo

(xpost) Honestly didn't know that--I've never heard it used that way ever. Is that more of a British thing?

yes if by british you mean australian

They have more to cringe about. Probably not. I first heard the phrase used in connection with Scotland of course!

This thread is cringe

they mean cringe in this formulation: "this entire thread is cringe"

― mark s, Saturday, 18 April 2020 22:19 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

language isn't enough of a virus imo

― mark s, Sunday, 19 April 2020 11:52 (fifty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Wait, to my ear, in the phrase "this thread is cringe," cringe is an adjective. Not a noun.

Like "this thread is long" or "this thread is stupid."

Am I missing something?

yeah its totes cringe man this is a thing that happens nouns now

"this thread is garbage"

garbage is a noun

what kind of swashbuckling planeswalker of the English language retains a stoic yet fluid command devoid of annoying things

yes if by british you mean australian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X1LThFfA8U

every time I post in this thread I set off a grenade

fwiw people have said those things for years now

― mookieproof

"Cringe" as a noun is brand new. "That's cringe" = NEW! "here's some cringe" = NEW! "That's cringey!", "that made me cringe," "ugh...*cringe*".... = NOT NEW!

also they're all good

― mark s

No

It isn't brand new. Do I have to post the link about the Cultural Cringe again?

"that's cringe" get me the etymology on this

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cringe

'That's cringe' is cringe as an adjective not a noun?

we already did this tom

cringe has been a noun since like 1600

probably earlier since turning verbs into nouns is like eng lang trick one

we have NOT done this, mark!

"that's cringe" could be both adjective and noun or either/or. but lately, more and more, it is used as a noun

one cannot deny the increase in the use of the word "cringe" in all ways recently

every time I post in this thread I set off a grenade

yes, you have the best ratings, just tremendous

like you FB i tend to think it's noun not adj in the formula under discussion hence said so upthread = "we've done this tom" to tom, plz pay attention in the very bad thread

mark otm!

xp more and more, people are saying this!

I don't post often. But when I do? Get the sawdust out