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Pedants' corner

Phrases/sayings that drive me mad!

(275 Posts)
Lynne59 Wed 23-Jan-19 12:37:27

What phrases/sayings/words drive you mad? Mine are:

No problem
At the end of the day
Can't get my head around it
Showcasing (eg. she's showcasing her slim figure/dress/new style)

Ninarosa Mon 21-Oct-19 00:13:13

Best ever. Have your best ever Christmas, bake your best ever cake. No thankyou to either.
I'm mad me, I am. Well thanks so much for warning me.
To be honest. I would hope so.
To be fair. As above.
Never seen the like in a month of Sundays. Said of an event that happened yesterday !

Just trying to pass the time while on Slug Alert. That's me, I've just said that.

notanan2 Sun 20-Oct-19 23:45:14

You can give 150%
100% being the agreed/expected amount, but you can give more than that.

E.g. If you ordered 10 cupcakes and thew threw in another 5 for free.
If the agreed price was £200 but you paid £300.
If you paid for an hour long tutor but they stayed on an extra 30mins each time

That is all giving 150%

100% isnt the maximum % you can have!

Gemini1789 Sun 20-Oct-19 23:16:26

This one gets on my wick ,
“ I swear on my kids’/mother’s life . “ usually heard in tv dramas .
What difference does that make ? What does it even mean ?

Resurgam123 Wed 19-Jun-19 06:57:08

OMG.
I an another one who prefers to say died instead of "passsed." It will not change the situation.

Lilyflower Wed 19-Jun-19 06:02:31

Can I get - instead of may I have
Must of - instead of must have
Pacifically -for specifically
With respect - when a preamble for an insult
Disinterested- instead of uninterested

annep1 Wed 19-Jun-19 02:58:42

Oh yes- Back in the day! Which day?
My most annoying one at the moment is
My bad.
I hate it!!

Opalsusanna1 Wed 19-Jun-19 01:20:47

It is what it is.
He/She/They should of
He/She/They done it
Banter used instead of witless sarcasm.
Hun
Anyone described as 'my rock.'
Hubby, wifey, my other half.

To quote my daughter, 'they make my piss boil.'

newgran2019 Tue 11-Jun-19 18:32:38

The current trend for saying 'Me and someone did something'. I know language use evolves, but this is just so wrong and sounds so clumsy. Surely no one (but a toddler) could think this is correct. Who started it, and why?!

Avor2 Fri 17-May-19 21:05:53

"Hi you guys" please do not call me or my 90 year old mother a guy,
"I'm good" I didn't ask if you had behaved yourself.
"I am with you 150%" you can't be anything over 100%
"I'm sorry for your loss" I haven't lost anything, someone I love has died - Condolences is a bit better. Oh dear you have got me going now. Time for a G & T cheers smile

Oldandverygrey Fri 03-May-19 13:21:51

Bradford - possibly Northern expression, just thought of another one
My partner (I don't have a business, but I do have a husband)
Yummy - why do people use this dreadful word, so childish.

SirChenjin Fri 03-May-19 13:13:55

I'm never going to unsee that now Bradford! shock

BradfordLass72 Thu 02-May-19 06:52:55

Not exactly pedantry but I cannot see 'therapist', without seeing, 'the rapist'.

Maybe I need to see a therapist!

SirChenjin Wed 01-May-19 10:30:21

'Can I get a...' seems to rile a lot of you! It's absolutely normal up here in Scotland so be prepared if you're ever visiting grin

BradfordLass72 Wed 01-May-19 09:10:08

Thanks for reaching out
It's OK, I was falling and someone had to catch me.

Can I get a coffee?
I don't know, do you work in Brazil, or are you asking if you MAY have a coffee?

At the end of the day
Oh, were you on the night shift?

No, I don't say any of these things but I want to!!

SirChenjin Tue 30-Apr-19 22:21:44

Reach out - as in, I’m reaching out to you to...

No, you’re just emailing me.

<grinds teeth>

Lilypops Tue 30-Apr-19 20:35:31

In a cafe,, someone saying " can I get a coffee""instead of can I have a coffee !

Evie64 Tue 30-Apr-19 20:29:39

What about "I know what you mean"? Know what I mean! Or Management Speak "Brainstorming" etc etc

EllanVannin Tue 30-Apr-19 20:03:48

Thinking outside the box.

And yes-------Lessons will be learned !( they never are ) "sigh "

KatyK Tue 30-Apr-19 19:24:44

A character in Coronation Street last night said 'you do the math' . It's MATHS - we're not American!!!!

BradfordLass72 Tue 30-Apr-19 02:12:45

Oldandverygrey I have a sneaking suspicion that"snuck" may have come from the North.

Recently I heard a Yorkshire woman talking on a recording made in the 50's and she said, 'We was tret (treated) to an ice cream.' and it reminded me that the Yorkshire of my childhood had many such words.

BradfordLass72 Tue 30-Apr-19 02:05:57

I haven't trawled through all 11 pages of this thread (I suspect I would be entirely demented by the time I'd finished), so bear with me if I'm repeating what others have said.

I do not like 'Bear with,' instead of the full phrase.

I don't know why because we shorten many other phrases.

Even the the conversational agreement 'Exactly' means 'You are exactly right.' But somehow, 'bear with' just irks me.

I'll get me coat....smile

instagran Mon 29-Apr-19 22:35:13

Chester Draws, innit?
Not cut your cloth but rather Cut your Coa according to your cloth.
New rule of English says words ending with "el" sound shall henceforth be pronounced "oo" as in modoo, metoo, kettoo, battoo, pedoo, etc.
Let's not forget our old friend Laura Norder!

Daisyanswerdo Mon 15-Apr-19 23:29:41

Responding to 'I've got . . . ' with 'Do you?' (We used to say 'Have you?' - which makes sense.)

squabblebottom2 Mon 15-Apr-19 21:11:29

I mourn the demise of the abbreviation of "are" with regard to plurals. For example "there'r trees ". Now it seems to be "there's trees". This infers that abbreviation is for "is" not "are".
Also pronunciation of "arks" for "ask".

"Going forward" . I once heard a manager use it 14 times in a 12 minute presentation

SueH49 Mon 15-Apr-19 07:33:52

Fur baby is one of my pet hates - they are animals. Simples instead of simple another

My bad, instead of my mistake.
Going to go instead of going.
Yeah, no when answering a question.