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

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Evidently.

steer karma (gyac), Thursday, 30 January 2020 18:51 (four years ago) link

"Moral bankruptcy".

... that's Traore! (Neanderthal), Friday, 31 January 2020 17:00 (four years ago) link

Cursed, now.

Alba, Friday, 31 January 2020 19:02 (four years ago) link

ok, kind of specific, but when someone guesses the countdown conundrum and the presenter says "let's see if that's right". if it wasn't correct he wouldn't be revealing it, the other person / side would get the rest of the time to work it out.

koogs, Friday, 31 January 2020 19:14 (four years ago) link

If there’s one perfectly normal word that I can say truly makes me mad to hear it’s “boring”, I’d like everyone to stop calling things boring. Please. Come up with something else to say.

Swilling Ambergris, Esq. (silby), Saturday, 1 February 2020 04:17 (four years ago) link

Interest deficient

... that's Traore! (Neanderthal), Saturday, 1 February 2020 04:30 (four years ago) link

"let's see if that's right"

haha you are not alone on this!

kinder, Saturday, 1 February 2020 13:53 (four years ago) link

"I hope he gets the help he needs"

Montegays and Capulez (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 1 February 2020 14:17 (four years ago) link

"A major terrorist incident". I never hear about any minor ones tbh.

(includes digression on farting) (Tom D.), Sunday, 2 February 2020 20:05 (four years ago) link

Various UK railway station/train announcements:

"The next station stop will be..."
"This train will be non-stopping at the next station"
"This train is formed of eight carriages" - I'm not sure if this grammatically correct or not, or what would be better; it just sounds wrong.

fetter, Sunday, 2 February 2020 20:32 (four years ago) link

i very much hate the the construction "not that good (or other adjective) of a (thing)", is that considered grammatically ok in america or something?

doo rag, Sunday, 2 February 2020 21:51 (four years ago) link

it's not that elegant of a construction

don't care didn't ask still clappin (sic), Sunday, 2 February 2020 21:54 (four years ago) link

its not that big of a deal

BSC Joan Baez (darraghmac), Sunday, 2 February 2020 21:56 (four years ago) link

Gooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal

GK Chessington's World of Adventure (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 February 2020 22:10 (four years ago) link

"young people"

dogs, Tuesday, 4 February 2020 12:29 (four years ago) link

Various UK railway station/train announcements:

"The next station stop will be..."
"This train will be non-stopping at the next station"
"This train is formed of eight carriages" - I'm not sure if this grammatically correct or not, or what would be better; it just sounds wrong.


When it calls me a customer rather than a passenger.

hyds (gyac), Tuesday, 4 February 2020 12:32 (four years ago) link

seeing "simp" used a lot as basically synonym for beta, cuck, thirsty. which is particularly boring because it's being treated as if it were a "new" word or new usage

otm into winter (rip van wanko), Thursday, 6 February 2020 03:33 (four years ago) link

When it calls me a customer rather than a passenger.

while in line at a pharmacy i was recently summoned with 'next guest, please'

foh

mookieproof, Thursday, 6 February 2020 03:39 (four years ago) link

I've also heard, "Following guest!" at a store, can't remember where or when.

I used to work retail with a woman who would say, "I can help whomever's next!" and I had to put in a lot of time and research convincing her it was "whoever." It ended up being a whole store-wide argument w/ customers weighing in.

Lily Dale, Thursday, 6 February 2020 04:09 (four years ago) link

"it's a bop"

ill fuckin put a paste on those (Neanderthal), Thursday, 6 February 2020 04:10 (four years ago) link

Wait, strictly speaking isn't "whomever" right in this context?

I don't get the "following customer, please" thing in the States. What's wrong with "next customer, please"? Do they think next is too abrupt a word or something?

Alba, Thursday, 6 February 2020 08:09 (four years ago) link

service culture in the states is cringe

BSC Joan Baez (darraghmac), Thursday, 6 February 2020 09:06 (four years ago) link

gimme a sulky teen barely bothering to avoid you with the splash any day

BSC Joan Baez (darraghmac), Thursday, 6 February 2020 09:07 (four years ago) link

uh in a catering context youse guttersnipes

BSC Joan Baez (darraghmac), Thursday, 6 February 2020 09:07 (four years ago) link

I'm terrible at explaining grammar because I never learned all the proper terms, but here goes: "Whoever" is correct because while "I" is the subject of the sentence (I can help), "Whoever" is the subject of the clause "whoever is next" and the clause doesn't change. (It's possible I've used the word "clause" wrong here, but you get the idea.)

Lily Dale, Thursday, 6 February 2020 16:15 (four years ago) link

Ah, that makes sense - thanks.

Alba, Thursday, 6 February 2020 17:09 (four years ago) link

Linguist answer: just use "who" all the time, for many people "whom" is now analyzed as simply the formal/marked archaic version of "who" and the case distinction it used to mark (nominative vs objective) is handled unambiguously with word order. Which is probably why you're still hearing customer service people use it, since formal = polite.

That said, credit to the who-words for hanging on to the most distinctive forms of any pronoun for the longest time (pour one out for "whosever")

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 6 February 2020 17:17 (four years ago) link

I think I am as at least as likely to say whomsoever as whomever!

Alba, Thursday, 6 February 2020 17:20 (four years ago) link

I'm a populist, I say "who-all's"

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 6 February 2020 17:21 (four years ago) link

'm terrible at explaining grammar because I never learned all the proper terms, but here goes: "Whoever" is correct because while "I" is the subject of the sentence (I can help), "Whoever" is the subject of the clause "whoever is next" and the clause doesn't change. (It's possible I've used the word "clause" wrong here, but you get the idea.)

― Lily Dale, Thursday, February 6, 2020 4:15 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

I don't think that's correct. 'Whoever' is the object that the subject is helping, regardless of the clause. We say 'I can help her/him' not she/he. Technically whomever is correct, but no one says it because it sounds stupidly pedantic, like this post.

Another example is "there's loads of ..."

lefal junglist platton (wtev), Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:30 (four years ago) link

I use a website for work which allows one to select 'more search options' or 'less search options' and the latter drives me fuuuuuuuucken crazy.</pedant>

Sammo Hazuki's Tago Mago Cantina (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:36 (four years ago) link

we could've cured cancer by now if we didn't get distracted by pointless grammar issues

A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:40 (four years ago) link

or should that be "hadn't"??

A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:41 (four years ago) link

Correcting grammar is just another of the million ways we pretend that patting sand onto our orderly castle is going to keep the tides of chaos from wiping that fucker out.

Sammo Hazuki's Tago Mago Cantina (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:43 (four years ago) link

I don't think that's correct. 'Whoever' is the object that the subject is helping, regardless of the clause. We say 'I can help her/him' not she/he.

Not quite. The entire clause is the object. "I can help whomever" is fine, I think, though you probably still shouldn't say it because it sounds weird. But once you make it "Whoever is next," it has to stay that way.

Think about another example: "I am going to punch whomever ate my sandwich." "Whomever ate my sandwich" is clearly wrong, and any sentence that requires you to say it is wrong.

Anyway, I wasn't trying to get this thread embroiled in a long grammar discussion, just pointing out that how frustrating it can be when retail-speak combines with hypercorrection.

Lily Dale, Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:49 (four years ago) link

"pointing out how frustrating it can be" is of course what I meant to type.

Lily Dale, Thursday, 6 February 2020 19:51 (four years ago) link

had to create 'work goals' for myself

decided fuck it and used the word 'onboarding'

mookieproof, Thursday, 6 February 2020 21:56 (four years ago) link

i got sighted on that onboarding, mookieproof, and decided to give it a deep dive

lefal junglist platton (wtev), Friday, 7 February 2020 20:57 (four years ago) link

Let me know once you’ve bottomed that out

Li'l Brexit (Tracer Hand), Friday, 7 February 2020 21:16 (four years ago) link

is it me or our nine out of people pronouncing the word pundits "pundiNts"?

Suggest Banshee (Hadrian VIII), Friday, 7 February 2020 21:36 (four years ago) link

haven't noticed that yet, but have noticed people pronouncing tenets "tenants."

Lily Dale, Friday, 7 February 2020 21:55 (four years ago) link

don’t be pedatic

wee jim o’conor (wins), Friday, 7 February 2020 22:25 (four years ago) link

. be pedan✓

BSC Joan Baez (darraghmac), Friday, 7 February 2020 23:28 (four years ago) link

Restauranteurs

beelzebubbly (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 7 February 2020 23:44 (four years ago) link

Criteria instead of criterion

lefal junglist platton (wtev), Saturday, 8 February 2020 08:58 (four years ago) link

oh FUCK yes

an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Saturday, 8 February 2020 09:26 (four years ago) link

Always enjoy pulling out my Criteria Collection Videodrome

ill fuckin put a paste on those (Neanderthal), Saturday, 8 February 2020 11:32 (four years ago) link

Videodome, I think you'll find

an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Saturday, 8 February 2020 13:28 (four years ago) link

All That Jizz

otm into winter (rip van wanko), Saturday, 8 February 2020 13:33 (four years ago) link

Levelling up

lefal junglist platton (wtev), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 04:28 (four years ago) link


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