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Pedants’ corner
#76

Pedants’ corner
People who say "chomping at the bit" instead of "champing". (Thanks 1930s America) Champing at the bit refers to
the tendency of some horses to chew on the bit when impatient or eager. Chomping has to do with eating—as in biting,
chewing, or swallowing noisily.

Or "titbit" instead of "tidbit", which is similar in some ways to "on tenderhooks" instead of "tenter" hooks. The original
colloquialism "tid" [tyd] means tender. And a "tenter" is a hook used for stretching fabrics on a frame.

And don't get me started on "decimated" which means, in fact, to leave 90% of the entity/body/structure intact.  I think
too many people—including some shameful Aussie journalists—think it means to totally destroy.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#77

Pedants’ corner
(10-21-2019, 07:09 PM)SYZ Wrote: People who say "chomping at the bit" instead of "champing".  (Thanks 1930s America) Champing at the bit refers to
the tendency of some horses to chew on the bit when impatient or eager.  Chomping has to do with eating—as in biting,
chewing, or swallowing noisily.

Or "titbit" instead of "tidbit", which is similar in some ways to "on tenderhooks" instead of "tenter" hooks. The original
colloquialism "tid" [tyd] means tender.  And a "tenter" is a hook used for stretching fabrics on a frame.

And don't get me started on "decimated" which means, in fact, to leave 90% of the entity/body/structure intact.  I think
too many people—including some shameful Aussie journalists—think it means to totally destroy.

Obliterated? Annihilated?
Don't mistake me for those nice folks from Give-A-Shit county.
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#78

Pedants’ corner
(10-21-2019, 01:00 AM)SYZ Wrote:
(10-20-2019, 08:17 PM)Dancefortwo Wrote: ...What about an ATM machine.  An Automatic Teller Machine machine.  Now, lets be honest, we've all said "ATM machine".
Then there's the test that high school seniors take, the "ACT test" so that translates to.... American College Test test.

And so many times I have retail assistants ask me to key in my PIN number... personal identification number number?

Yup.

I avoid ATM's; last  timeI used one, it ate my card, and it was a bank, on a week end.

Fortunately my local supermarket  will give me a cash advance, and I don't  have to buy anything . My debit card has $200 cash advance limit, and a $1500 maximum for any day.  

Haven't used a credit card since they began charging for the privilege of having one . My bank is a cooperative. There is no charge for my debit card  and I have a $40 a month credit for bank charges. I never use it all. I do have to pay for cheque books. (rarely used, but good to have)
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#79

Pedants’ corner
(10-21-2019, 06:45 PM)Old Man Marsh Wrote: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

This is inaccurate. Build a fire, pop some popcorn, and feed it to the horse.

He'll drink.

"You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think", Dorothy Parker.
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#80

Pedants’ corner
(10-21-2019, 09:38 PM)grympy Wrote:
(10-21-2019, 01:00 AM)SYZ Wrote: And so many times I have retail assistants ask me to key in my PIN number... personal identification number number?

Yup.

I avoid ATM's; last  time I used one, it ate my card, and it was a bank, on a week end...

Last time that happened to me was during bank business hours.  Went into the bank and let them know.
They said they wouldn't open the ATM, and even if they could, there's be no point in giving me back the
card as it would've been electronically cancelled.     Thank you ANZ.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#81

Pedants’ corner
Oh... just saw in this morning's paper...

"She says her biggest spend at the moment is her mortgage repayments".

Just fucking NO!          It's her biggest expense!
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#82

Pedants’ corner
(10-21-2019, 10:03 PM)SYZ Wrote: Oh... just saw in this morning's paper...

"She says her biggest spend at the moment is her mortgage repayments".

Just fucking NO!          It's her biggest expense!

TV presenters introducing   "vision" of something when they mean 'film' or clip ' ---
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#83

Pedants’ corner
"The truck lost control and ... "

Aaaaaaaaghhhhhh!  Facepalm
“Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. 
Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte
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#84

Pedants’ corner
(10-22-2019, 04:22 AM)Chas Wrote: "The truck lost control and ... "

Aaaaaaaaghhhhhh!  Facepalm

Oh, come on! You know truck are very poor drivers.
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#85

Pedants’ corner
"Swerve like bull, lost control like tractor."
Mountain-high though the difficulties appear, terrible and gloomy though all things seem, they are but Mâyâ.
Fear not — it is banished. Crush it, and it vanishes. Stamp upon it, and it dies.


Vivekananda
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#86

Pedants’ corner
If'n.
Is this sig thing on?
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#87

Pedants’ corner
(10-22-2019, 04:22 AM)Chas Wrote: "The truck lost control and ... "

Aaaaaaaaghhhhhh! 


I agree.  This cop-out is a regular thing in Oz.

We need to be saying that the driver ignored the "Sharp Bend Ahead" road signage, approached the bend above the posted
advisory speed limit, panicked and applied the brakes mid-curve, causing him to lose control and run his vehicle off the road.

The vehicle "lost control" phrasing implies it wasn't the driver's fault;  that somehow the vehicle itself failed to perform adequately,
and caused the accident which thus absolved the driver of (for? from?) any culpability.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#88

Pedants’ corner
GO AHEAD AND DO IT....
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#89

Pedants’ corner
"Can I be honest with you?"

Why? Have you been lying to me up until now?

There's one guy at work that seems to constantly end his sentences with "...do you know what I'm saying?"

Yes I comprehend the language you're speaking.

And there seems to be a new trend, at least around here, I'm not sure if it's spreading any where else. Where both guys & girls are referring to each other as "bro". It really annoyed me when I hear my son and his girlfriend refer to each other as "bro". Maybe I'm just getting old.

You're all welcome to disagree with me on this because it might just be my personal preference, but there was a local radio personality in this city that really changed the use of phrases like "...there were 3 shootings last night..." by the media into "there were 3 incidents of shots being fired last night". Because "shooting" implies to most people (I think) that someone was hit, whereas "shots fired" seems to better indicate that someone fired a gun but didn't really hit anything more then maybe the side of a house or a car or something.
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"If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are." - Captain Picard

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#90

Pedants’ corner
(10-22-2019, 08:17 PM)Unsapien Wrote: "Can I be honest with you?"

Why? Have you been lying to me up until now?

There's one guy at work that seems to constantly end his sentences with "...do you know what I'm saying?"

Yes I comprehend the language you're speaking.

And there seems to be a new trend, at least around here, I'm not sure if it's spreading any where else. Where both guys & girls are referring to each other as "bro". It really annoyed me when I hear my son and his girlfriend refer to each other as "bro". Maybe I'm just getting old.

You're all welcome to disagree with me on this because it might just be my personal preference, but there was a local radio personality in this city that really changed the use of phrases like "...there were 3 shootings last night..." by the media into "there were 3 incidents of shots being fired last night". Because "shooting" implies to most people (I think) that someone was hit, whereas "shots fired" seems to better indicate that someone fired a gun but didn't really hit anything more then maybe the side of a house or a car or something.

I can concur fully... here in Oz we've taken on board yet another American bastardisation:  Referring to
people as "guys".

We used to loosely refer to people of any gender as "mate".  The males were "blokes" and the females
were "shielas" when I went to school way back when.  Nowadays, for some bizarre reason, we're increasingly
calling women "guys" despite that term referring typically to men.  Or, in Oz, a rope or wire holding up a tent.

Another thing that increasingly makes me grit my teeth is the execrable American term "buddy" which seems
to be displacing the word "mate" amongst the younger generation in Oz.  Although I'm in my 70s, some
young whipper-snapper addressed me as "bud" last week at the shops.  I was so outraged that I almost knocked
over my walking frame!

       Cranky
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#91

Pedants’ corner
(10-22-2019, 09:34 PM)SYZ Wrote:
(10-22-2019, 08:17 PM)Unsapien Wrote: "Can I be honest with you?"

Why? Have you been lying to me up until now?

There's one guy at work that seems to constantly end his sentences with "...do you know what I'm saying?"

Yes I comprehend the language you're speaking.

And there seems to be a new trend, at least around here, I'm not sure if it's spreading any where else. Where both guys & girls are referring to each other as "bro". It really annoyed me when I hear my son and his girlfriend refer to each other as "bro". Maybe I'm just getting old.

You're all welcome to disagree with me on this because it might just be my personal preference, but there was a local radio personality in this city that really changed the use of phrases like "...there were 3 shootings last night..." by the media into "there were 3 incidents of shots being fired last night". Because "shooting" implies to most people (I think) that someone was hit, whereas "shots fired" seems to better indicate that someone fired a gun but didn't really hit anything more then maybe the side of a house or a car or something.

I can concur fully... here in Oz we've taken on board yet another American bastardisation:  Referring to
people as "guys".

We used to loosely refer to people of any gender as "mate".  The males were "blokes" and the females
were "shielas" when I went to school way back when.  Nowadays, for some bizarre reason, we're increasingly
calling women "guys" despite that term referring typically to men.  Or, in Oz, a rope or wire holding up a tent.

Another thing that increasingly makes me grit my teeth is the execrable American term "buddy" which seems
to be displacing the word "mate" amongst the younger generation in Oz.  Although I'm in my 70s, some
young whipper-snapper addressed me as "bud" last week at the shops.  I was so outraged that I almost knocked
over my walking frame!

       Cranky

 I can live with being called  'guy'. I use it here sometimes so as not to confuse the Americans . However,  I draw the line at 'dude'  Angry

Seems to me some contemporary argot is  largely the result of following the herd. I think there is also a component of mental laziness, and more than a smidge  of limited vocab.
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#92

Pedants’ corner
Do we have the ped ants cornered yet?
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#93

Pedants’ corner
(10-19-2019, 09:51 PM)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote: You don't get all spitted when you see something tasty?

Some-thing, not so much.  Some-one, certainly.  Angel
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#94

Pedants’ corner
Here in California, the latest is "Boss" when addressing a customer. I don't get annoyed by it; we used to say all kinds of non-salutary things to people, back in the day.  Nod
If you get to thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
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#95

Pedants’ corner
(10-23-2019, 04:11 AM)Fireball Wrote: Here in California, the latest is "Boss" when addressing a customer. I don't get annoyed by it; we used to say all kinds of non-salutary things to people, back in the day.  Nod

I hear "boss" a lot when I buy something from the Indians at the 7-Eleven here in the Philadelphia area.  But that's the only place I hear it.
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#96

Pedants’ corner
(10-22-2019, 09:42 PM)grympy Wrote: I can live with being called  'guy'. I use it here sometimes so as not to confuse the Americans . However,  I draw the line at 'dude'  Angry

Seems to me some contemporary argot is  largely the result of following the herd. I think there is also a component of mental laziness, and more than a smidge  of limited vocab.

Agreed on both counts.  Any kid that calls me "dude" is likely to get a tongue-lashing from me.  
These cretins even pronounce it the American way as 'dood', rather than the correct English
pronunciation of 'dyood'.  And yes; it shows what a crap job our English teachers are doing (or
not doing) in high schools.

Just this morning I read yet another American language bastardisation:  "Burnett said that would
mean that the temperatures inside of the trailer could have been as low as -13 Fahrenheit".
In this sentence, the preposition "of" is totally unnecessary.
I'm a creationist;   I believe that man created God.
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#97

Pedants’ corner
(10-24-2019, 02:06 AM)SYZ Wrote:
(10-22-2019, 09:42 PM)grympy Wrote: I can live with being called  'guy'. I use it here sometimes so as not to confuse the Americans . However,  I draw the line at 'dude'  Angry

Seems to me some contemporary argot is  largely the result of following the herd. I think there is also a component of mental laziness, and more than a smidge  of limited vocab.

Agreed on both counts.  Any kid that calls me "dude" is likely to get a tongue-lashing from me.  
These cretins even pronounce it the American way as 'dood', rather than the correct English
pronunciation of 'dyood'.  And yes; it shows what a crap job our English teachers are doing (or
not doing) in high schools.

Just this morning I read yet another American language bastardisation:  "Burnett said that would
mean that the temperatures inside of the trailer could have been as low as -13 Fahrenheit".
In this sentence, the preposition "of" is totally unnecessary.
 
This whole area  becomes more of a problem as I age and dislike change ever more.  


I can't argue about 'purity'  of the English language because there has  never been such an animal as far as  I'm aware. That which we call 'English ' is based on a medieval German dialect . To this has ben added Saxon, Latin , French and Norse, with loan words from many other languages. As a living language,  English  changes constantly . The peeves I have about those changes   probably say more about me than the changes and their agents, the young and  Information tech.

Nor does it accomplish anything whingeing about the argot of the youth sub culture.   I was once part of that  subculture . I can remember talking umbrage when older people (say 25 or older)  tried to use OUR form of english. 

Although I'm sure all that may be true , doesn't mean I have to fucking like it!  Angry

Just noticed; Roger Daltry had pimples.


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#98

Pedants’ corner
People who complain about typos, and then don't capitalize the first letter in their comment, and don't use periods at the end of their comment, confuse me.
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” -Carl Sagan.
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#99

Pedants’ corner
(10-23-2019, 04:11 AM)Fireball Wrote: Here in California, the latest is "Boss" when addressing a customer. I don't get annoyed by it; we used to say all kinds of non-salutary things to people, back in the day.  Nod

That must be a guy thing. I only get "ma'am" or "miss". If someone called me "boss" that would make my day!

-Teresa
There is in the universe only one true divide, one real binary, life and death. Either you are living or you are not. Everything else is molten, malleable.

-Susan Faludi, In the Darkroom
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Pedants’ corner
Back in college a professor recommended The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.
It's a slim volume but so useful. A pedant's delight.
I've read it again in the last year.
I use its principles even when writing insurance reports in my job.
My favorite advice from the book is "omit needless words".

-Teresa
There is in the universe only one true divide, one real binary, life and death. Either you are living or you are not. Everything else is molten, malleable.

-Susan Faludi, In the Darkroom
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