Phrases that people often mangle or misuse

[Gillette]

An abbreviated translation of the Latin phrase suum cuique pulchrum est...(to each, his own is beautiful).

Fart jokes are that old?

This is the same girl who's been known to say "Now, that's a horse from a different drugstore." :wink:

If someone said this to me and winked I'd assume they were talking about heroin.

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

misused words & phrases:

penultimate: this word doesn't mean "ultimate" or "last". It means next to last. The penultimate scene of the play doesn't mean the last scene or best scene, it means the next to last scene.

I could care less: This should read: I couldn't care less. There's no reason to misuse it. If you can care less, then you must care at least a little. If you couldn't care less, you absolutely do not care at all.

Thanking you in advance: This sounds as if the writer meant, "It will not be worth my while to write to you again." Simply write, "Thanking you," and if the favor which you have requested is granted, write a letter of acknowledgment.


Scapegoat, Not Escape Goat


Irregardless


anal/annals


fairly unique

 

[earllogjam]

"Whatever..."

It's usually followed by an eye roll to the back of the head and a hair toss. Generally uttered by the likes of Nichole Richie and Paris Hilton. Used by people still stuck in high school - emotionally and mentally immature.


Thanks Hazel and Bbucko for shedding light on those proverbs.


More phrases that irritate me....

"On balance" - basically an empty filler corporate speak phrase.

"Are you tracking?" - meaning are you understanding what I'm talking about. -Again stupid corporate speak.

"I'll touch base with you" - meaning I'll contact you. Baseball players don't even use this one - again stupid corporate speak.

"I'll give you a heads-up" - meaning to be forewarned. Die corporate scum. Ughhhhh!

 

[earllogjam]

fairly unique

Yup. I hear these too...

very unique
too unique
exceptionally unique

"Unique" is an absolute term. There are no qualifiers. Either something is unique or not. There are no degrees of uniqueness.

 

[Drifterwood]

I hear what you say.

Actually, retard, I would prefer if you understood what I had said.

110%

 

[HazelGod]

I Googled "Suum cuique pulchrum est," and although I found many pages that attributed the phrase to Cicero, none of them provided a textual citation to back up the attribution.

The name Cicero in my post up there is a clicky-spot. :wink:

 

[SpeedoMike]

when people write or say: "I would like to...". If they would like to, why not DO IT!

"I am writing this to...". well, it's obvious you're not talking.

 

[Calboner]

A phrase that is utterly misconceived but that we are stuck with is "Thanks, but no thanks"; or for that matter, the habit of writing "No thanks" when what one means is "No, thanks."

If you write "No thanks," without a comma, the "no" is an adjective modifying "thanks"; the phrase means "I give you no thanks" or "I do not thank you." It is not a polite expression of gratitude but an impolite expression of ingratitude. When the word "no" is used to decline an offer, it has to be followed by a comma. "No, thanks" is short for "No, (but) I give you thanks." One can say "No, thanks," "No, but thanks anyway," or "Thank you, no"; but "Thanks, but no thanks" is every bit as self-contradictory as it looks.

 

[B_Nick8]

My brother reminded me of another Karen-ism. She described a waiter to us once as being "As queer as the Ape of Spain." We had to explain that that was wrong on so many levels.

 

[b.c.]

My brother reminded me of another Karen-ism. She described a waiter to us once as being "As queer as the Ape of Spain." We had to explain that that was wrong on so many levels.

Is Karen your sister? Luv hers better than the originals. Perhaps she should put them in a book. She's missing a "silver opportunity" here.

 

[MarkLondon]

"I hear what you say" is a subtle (or not so subtle) way of saying I hear your words, but I give them very little weight. I've heard it used by judges in response to legal argument they don't agree with.

"Whatever" is a strange one. Although it sounds sullen, dismissive and resentful, it actually signifies compliance or agreement, if somewhat reluctantly.

 

[Meniscus]

"I'll touch base with you" - meaning I'll contact you. Baseball players don't even use this one - again stupid corporate speak.

"I'll give you a heads-up" - meaning to be forewarned. Die corporate scum. Ughhhhh!

In my professional life, I use these all the time. :sorry: I also thank people in advance.

 

[Meniscus]

"Unique" is an absolute term. There are no qualifiers. Either something is unique or not. There are no degrees of uniqueness.

I'm reminded of a T-shirt which reads:

I'm unique. Just like everybody else.
​

 

[hoolibubba]

It annoys me when people say pacific instead of specific.

Also when they say somethink instead of something

 

[B_625girth]

let me axe you a question?

 

[hoolibubba]

Axe lol

Peoples lack of understanding for the difference between these words makes me laugh,Being,Been and Bean,Where, Were, Wear,Also Know, Now and No.

A friend puts an R int carn't,,even after he reads the correct spelling in a text message reply.

 

[midlifebear]

And from whence springeth "Between a rock and a hard place."? (notice the excessive punctuation)

When I worked in the software industry it seemed that MBA's had developed their own "Book of acceptable clichés." I'd wince when hearing one say "I'll get him/her on the horn and ask (about something)."

"We either fish or cut bait." was especially annoying.

I hired a tech writer, a wonderful woman, who "had the patience of Job" but she had her limits. She had created a large sign that hung above her door which was the original Greek for (paraphrasing here) "Unable to see the handwriting on the wall." She eventually moved onward and upward to greater things, but not before gathering her project manager and coworkers together, taking a photo of all of them standing under the sign, and presenting each with their own framed copy. I'm certain not one of them still has a clue what she was doing. I miss that woman.

 

[BiItalianBro]

Great thread!! I can spend all morning listing bullshit "Corporatespeak" but 'going forward' I am going to 'push back' on that 'metric'.

 

[Calboner]

It annoys me when people say pacific instead of specific.

Also when they say somethink instead of something

Are you sure they're not saying "somefink"?

A friend puts an R int carn't,,even after he reads the correct spelling in a text message reply.

I meant to arks you about that, but I couldn't be arsed.

I hired a tech writer, a wonderful woman, who "had the patience of Job" but she had her limits. She had created a large sign that hung above her door which was the original Greek for (paraphrasing here) "Unable to see the handwriting on the wall."

Are you sure that it was Greek? Or, if you are, are you sure that that is what it meant? The phrase "handwriting on the wall" refers to the story of Belshazzar in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 5). Belshazzar, King of Babylon, is holding a great feast when a hand appears and writes on the wall the Aramaic words "Mene, mene, tekel, parsin." The king calls in the prophet Daniel to interpret them. Daniel tells him that the words mean that God has weighed him and found him wanting and has numbered the days of his kingdom and will divide it among the Persians and the Medes.

 

[D_Kissimmee Coldsore]

I meant to arks you about that, but I couldn't be arsed.

That has got me thinking, at what point did Americans begin to use 'ass' to mean rear-end? These changes between American English and real English are interesting wink An ass is a mammal of the equine variety; 'arse' is yer arse, innit.