WORDS THAT BUG ME

[oldsalt1]

I can't explain why but I cringe every time I hear the word WHILST. To me it belongs as part of the dialog of an old English play not in a modern day conversation.

I see the political thread has been locked. I stopped reading it after about the first day so you can't blame this one on ME

[crfriend]

I can't explain why but I cringe every time I hear the word WHILST. To me it belongs as part of the dialog of an old English play not in a modern day conversation.

I'll endeavour to recall that whilst using it in a conversation tomorrow at work.

It might be up there alongside "thee" and "thou", it still has its place in the lexicon.

[Sinned]

The word "whilst" is part of my vocabulary and I use it often. It's not really archaic and just another word really. It's amazing how we perceive words. There are others - afeared, betimes, betwixt are three that come to mind.

[r.m.anderson]

The word "whilst" is part of my vocabulary and I use it often. It's not really archaic and just another word really. It's amazing how we perceive words. There are others - afeared, betimes, betwixt are three that come to mind.

OK

Albeit be that as it may - - -
Betwixted bothered and bewildered whilst on the way to wearing my unbifurcated skimpy skirted wear !

[Big and Bashful]

I can't explain why but I cringe every time I hear the word WHILST. To me it belongs as part of the dialog of an old English play not in a modern day conversation.

I'll endeavour to recall that whilst using it in a conversation tomorrow at work.

It might be up there alongside "thee" and "thou", it still has its place in the lexicon.

If you ever visit Sheffield (in the "United" Kingdom) you will be in for some culture shock, phrases such as "Nah then thee" (now then you) or "Sithee" (see you) are just typical Sheffield speech, known as "tyke" to the locals. I always loved the Sheffield language, phrases such as "Tintintin" (It isn't in the tin) just seem right when you are there. There is a great little book on Tyke, well there was back in the Eighties when I was there.

[Sinned]

Dan, try this one if you are able to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpvkrQVNB38. If it's any consolation I can only pick out the odd word. Irish/UK dialects can be very, very variable and utterly and completely different. Brum, Tyke, Geordie, Irish, some more intelligible than others.

[moonshadow]

I get bugged by things like gas stations that are named things like "RITE QUIK"

A "rite" is a religious ceremony, I'm not sure what that has to do with pumping gas of buying overpriced out of date snacks.

Then there are the businesses that use a "K" when a "C" is called for, like "KATHY'S KUSTOM KREATIONS"

Way to go Kathy... you're business abbreviation is the same as a white supremacy group....

[Kilted Musician]

OK

Albeit be that as it may - - -
Betwixted bothered and bewildered whilst on the way to wearing my unbifurcated skimpy skirted wear !

Sounds good to me!

[Ray]

Blimey. Where do I start? Actually, it is phrases that bug me rather than words, but here are a few.

- Starting a sentence with "So"

- A possessive apostrophe where the word is plural (for example, kilt's)

- "Like" thrown into the middle of a sentence ("he was, like, really tall")

- Instead of saying "I agree", saying "100%"

[beachlion]

Being Dutch makes me no party in this. I had to learn a difficult language and that gives me no reason be bugged by words in another language. They only thing that bugs me is the difference between British and American English. The Americans kept the original inches, yards and miles so why not stick to the original British English. Well, at least the Americans invented their own gallon. Now the Americans can say they get more gallons of gas in their tank than the British can put petrol in.

[moonshadow]

Now the Americans can say they get more gallons of gas in their tank than the British can put petrol in.

And why do we call it a gas anyway when it's a liquid? Though I suppose when it's metered in an engine it's mostly a vapor. But at any rate it would make more sense to just call it "fuel".

- Starting a sentence with "So"

That annoys me too. Millenials that work in places like call centers are bad for this.

- Instead of saying "I agree", saying "100%"

... so that's what that means... I actually didn't know this.

[dillon]

My pet peeve is when a government official or politician uses the word "preconditions." There may be such a word in the English language, but rest assured, it does not have the meaning that a politician or his lackey tries to apply. The Clinton and GW Bush years were the worst for the abuse of this word, as I recall. The general use was to state, for example "The Summit between the US and (whoever) will take place without preconditions." ~SCREAMING PRIMALLY AND PULLING OUT WHAT LITTLE HAIR I HAVE REMAINING~ The correct English statement would be "The Summit will take place without conditions." Or even "unconditionally." IDIOT SPOKESPEOPLE!! The word is "conditions!" The concept is "conditions!" To say "preconditions" is stupidly redundant. It's like saying "deja vu all over again," or "the Department of Redundancy Department," or "Take the elevator up one floor to the next floor up." CONDITIONS is self-explanatory! You don't need to add "pre-" as a prefix!

The only correct use of "precondition" that I can conceive would be a situation where the "condition" part of the term was an adjective, not a noun, as in "preconditioned," such as might be applied when some one buys a pair of ragged, torn, faded, and doubtless overpriced jeans, as seem to be popular with certain youth. One could call those jeans "preconditioned," which might imply that the purchaser did not need to "condition" her own jeans, perhaps by wearing them during the repeated exertions involved in physical WORK. So, otherwise, when you might think want to use that term, JUST DON'T DO IT!!!!

[Uncle Al]

Now the Americans can say they get more gallons of gas
in their tank than the British can put petrol in.

And why do we call it a gas anyway when it's a liquid?
Though I suppose when it's metered in an engine it's mostly a vapor.
But at any rate it would make more sense to just call it "fuel".

OK, "youngster", the word 'Gas' is used as the shortened form of 'Gasoline'.
I'm sure you know this, so, here's to a bit of leg pulling


Uncle Al

[crfriend]

My pet peeve is when a government official or politician uses the word "preconditions."

This is usually applied when one makes it quite certain that no pre-dictated outcomes are stipulated when entering into a negotiation. E.g. "A precondition of the divorce shall be the husband forfeiting his wealth and all future earnings."

On the topic of fashion (and style and sensibility):

The only correct use of "precondition" that I can conceive would be a situation where the "condition" part of the term was an adjective, not a noun, as in "preconditioned," such as might be applied when some one buys a pair of ragged, torn, faded, and doubtless overpriced jeans, as seem to be popular with certain youth. One could call those jeans "preconditioned," which might imply that the purchaser did not need to "condition" her own jeans, perhaps by wearing them during the repeated exertions involved in physical WORK. So, otherwise, when you might think want to use that term, JUST DON'T DO IT!!!!

This rings all too true.

[crfriend]

- Starting a sentence with "So"

A co-worker of mine does that habitually whenever he begins a conversation. I think it's the sound of his brain being put in gear.

- A possessive apostrophe where the word is plural (for example, kilt's)

That drives me wild, and frequently I'll take a poke at the perpetrator. Unless, that is, I'm too fatigued to have fun with the situation. I especially find it vexing in public spaces on signs.

- "Like" thrown into the middle of a sentence ("he was, like, really tall")

That, like an up-pitch finishing a sentence, is a feature of the variant of English in the USA called "Valspeak".

On my personal list of things I detest are the use of inappropriate words even if they pass the spell-checker, e.g. "lose/loose", "there/their/they're", &c; use of non-words, e.g. "irregardless"; rampant misuse of the "bullet list"; and failure to use proper punctuation and even basic sentence grammar in formal communication.