Words that make people sound stupid

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

Ya' ever notice certain words make people sound kinda dumb? I have. Words like "dang" or "holy moly." They just don't suggest a powerful intellect, ya' know?

Got any others you'd like to add to the list?

[qnr]

1. I have this sudden urge to say both of them now, thanks :) n/t

[Flying Dream Blues]

2. Newk-ular? Just for starters. :)

[Wetzelbill]

180. hey I say that!

I can't help it. Most Montanans do and that's where I am originally from.

I trained myself not to say it, but I slip up pretty often. :)

[Flying Dream Blues]

214. Present company excepted, Bill! You never sound stupid. Sorry!

[XNASA]

3. 'literally'

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Do you never like the word, or only when used in place of "virtually"?

No, man, I didn't say I *did* shit my pants, I said I *literally* shit my pants!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

146. David Cross reference?

[SteppingRazor]

23. I HATE when that's misused...

Like if someone says "He literally went through hell."

Oh, really? You mean he actually journeyed to the area of the afterlife reserved for the evil and wicked? :eyes:

[Left Is Write]

33. I agree.

Abuse of "literally" should be illegal.

[Deep13]

88. bingo!

My feet are literally killing me. They have gangrene.

[anarch]

56. this thread is literally cracking me up

ouch! Aaaaaggh, somebody call the paramedics!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

82. OMFG! Are you okay???

:rofl::rofl:

[Richardo]

96. Janeane Garofalo played a great annoying character who said 'literally'...

...literally all the time.

"King of Queens" as I recall. She was, as usual, very funny.

[momophile]

127. newscasters misuse it all the time

weatherman - "it is literally raining cats and dogs out there"

REALLY?! Cats and dogs?!

[question everything]

204. A nice example of" literally" properly used

Honesty pays - literally - for SoCal cabbie

LOS ANGELES A taxi driver's simple act of honesty has turned to gold.
Two weeks ago, Haider Sediqi found a bag of diamonds in his cab after dropping off a passenger at Los Angeles International Airport. He tracked down the owner through a cell phone bill he found inside the bag, and returned the jewels worth 350-thousand dollars.

New York jeweler Eric Austein promised to reward Sediqi, but the cabbie didn't think much about it until it arrived a few days ago.

The package contained a ten-thousand dollar check, a diamond bracelet and a thank-you note.

Sediqi said he considered using the money to pay off credit card debt, but decided to put it in a bank account to help pay for his three children's schooling.

He gave the bracelet to his wife.

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4182108&nav=9qrx

[KFC]

4. "Nuff Said"

Nuff said

[skygazer]

5. "Axed"

As in, "I axed him a question and holy moly, he didn't say a dang thing!"

[ghostsofgiants]

166. Haha, reminds me of Chris Rock...

"Oh you got your masters, you my master now? Lemme axe ya dis, lemme axe ya dis...can ya kick MY ass?!"

[Rabrrrrrr]

167. LOL! I was gonna post that when I first read that post this afternoon

But decided against it.

[Nevernose]

189. FYI, that's how the word was pronounced in Middle English (n/t)

[skygazer]

229. Yes, well, I'm sure those using it are merely speaking Middle English

So many do, after all. :eyes:

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. "Bling", "Let's Roll!", "EYE-Talian" (for Italian), "Binky" (for pacifier)

And all those *#@$&% slang words, like "pop a cap in his ass" and "homies" and "posse" and "yo" and "phat";

the use of "like" or "uh" or "you know" or "just" or "stuff" inappropriately.

And the use of "you" when a person means "one", (i.e., "She's a singer that just makes you, you know, think all happy thoughts. She makes you joyful and stuff, you know.")

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. We were more sophisticated. My son's pacifier was Mr. Bink.

:hi:

[WeRQ4U]

109. Ours is Binker

Or "Binkeroo" when we're feeling playful.

[Arkansas Granny]

117. Must be very unsophisticated as we referred to it as "the plug".

[Rabrrrrrr]

13. And let's not forget saying "coke" when one means "soda"

[SteppingRazor]

19. That doesn't bother me. I get irked when people use "pop," though...

and I have no idea why. :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. It is kind of an ignorant way to say it

But most of the midwest says "pop", so it's not really an uneducated thing, just a silly regional thing that really sticks out when used.

And when I hear "Soda pop", I think, "What is this? The 1920s?"

[ScreamingMeemie]

67. Awwww, MrG says "soda pop" and I think it's adorable.

:P

[Wetzelbill]

184. I say Pop, nearly everybody I know does

back home in Montana. If you said something else it would be consider kind of odd. Lots of people say "Coke" too.

[IA_Seth]

68. Pop

That's just the way it is here in Iowa. I don't think anyone actually says Soda or Soda-Pop...but Pop is pretty common.

[question everything]

125. Geographic distinction. Half the country says pop

the other soda.

[I Have A Dream]

172. I agree, and I live in the Pittsburgh area where EVERYONE says it! n/t

[Shell Beau]

20. I am guilty of that one!! It's a southern thing!

:o

[lizziegrace]

26. Me too!

Wanna Coke? What'll you have? Dr. Pepper...

[Shell Beau]

30. Exactly!!

:) I like my cokes to be Pepsi :crazy: :)

[lizziegrace]

38. Pepsi's my favorite too!

:shrug: They'll never understand. It's a southern thang.

[Shell Beau]

LOL! Yep! Southern things can sometimes be hard to grasp!

:P

[lakemonster11]

99. It's not that weird,

it's just like saying "kleenex" instead of "tissue" (or "ipod" instead of "mp3-player" or "band-aid" instead of "adhesive bandage").

My parents are from the south (and I was born there) so we all use "coke" as a generic term.

I got sick of people giving me a hard time about it, though, so I tend to avoid it by referring to a specific type, like "Sprite" or "Diet Pepsi" or, if I'm referring to a variety, I use "soft drinks" instead. I don't usually have to refer to cokes, though, since I don't really like them. I drink maybe one a year, and I don't even like them as mixers.

[Oeditpus Rex]

156. Dr. Pepper's about as Suthuhn as you can get

...said the born-and-bred Kollyforniyan who's never without it. :beer:

[IA_Seth]

66. LOL

My momma is from Arkansas (moved to Iowa when she was 11) and I was always confused as a kid when a southernor asked what type of POP (yes, I am one of THOSE people) I wanted.

They would start offering strawberry, rootbeer, etc. and I didn't know WHAT the heck they were talking about.

[RubyDuby in GA]

102. Whatever.......

On behalf of my southern brothers and sisters, I challenge you to a duel.

:P

[momophile]

135. I used 'Coke' as a kid...

but that was a WI thing, I think.

[woo me with science]

178. Here's a map (courtesy of previous DU thread)

[Kali]

192. Excellent

bit of a map freak here

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. Using "now" in ref. to present time, as in "for 12 years now, I've . .."

or "She's been babysitting for 3 hours now".

you don't need the "now" people!!

[Left Is Write]

57. "At this point in time."

Arrrrrggh!

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

75. My ex-girlfriend used to say

"time schedule." Aren't all schedules based on time?

[Left Is Write]

45. How about EYE-rack?

[Rabrrrrrr]

50. That one, too! And "AAAAAAA-rab".

Dumbasses.

[question everything]

123. Eye-raq instead of EEraq

Iraq and Iran should be pronouced like Italy and Israel, not like Ireland or Iceland

[Guy Fawkes]

170. Isn't it a gutteral sound...?

eerach with a hard gutteral consonent, found in Hebrew and Arabic...

[momophile]

133. I use "binky" and I'm not stupid

I don't even know where the term came from, I just used it naturally when it came up in conversation.

[purr]

139. I call it a binky!!! lol

Call it a doo-doo too.

[redwitch]

175. we always called it a "boof" Because my son called it that

literally all the dang time. Holy moly, I hadn't thought about that in like, a few years at the very least. Gosh. Darn. ( Damn you Donald Rumsfeld!).

[Patiod]

217. EYE-talian and EYE-racki/EYE-ran are irritating

but Rabrrr -- be honest -- doesn't "one" sound a tad, well, pretentious? (at least here in America - Brits seem to use it a lot more often then we do)

[anarch]

7. huh...I say "holy moly" pretty frequently

maybe I should switch to something else. Like "gadzooks!" or something.

[Shell Beau]

43. Or gee whiz, or jeepers, or sheesh, etc.

I say some of that stupid stuff! I am guilty! :blush:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

69. Gadzooks...

Gees, I cracked up when I read that one. Maybe stick with holy moly for now.

[unsavedtrash]

9. gosh darn it all

[Eagle_Eye]

10. GOL-LEE

<>

[Lochloosa]

11. "Get 'er Dun"

you have to live in the south...

[Left Is Write]

35. Exactly what I was going to say.

It was the unfortunate phrase printed on the backs of my daughter's lacrosse team jerseys last year.

[Lochloosa]

39. Now that is funny....lacrosse...I thought it was just a southern phrase

:rofl: I assume you're not in the south....Lacrosse?

[Left Is Write]

41. No, I'm not in the south.

That phrase is nationally known, thanks to Blue Collar Comedy.

(Something wrong with playing lacrosse?)

[Lochloosa]

49. Not at all. I wish it had been played here. I'm sure I would have found

it fun.

And it looks like it would hurt sometimes.

[Left Is Write]

54. Men's lacrosse is definitely rougher than women's.

My daughter and her boyfriend were both lacrosse players, so I saw nearly as many of the boys' games as I did the girls'. Men's rules allow checking, and they have to wear much more protective gear.

It's fun to watch - a very fast-paced game.

[Patiod]

218. I used to do some damage playing women's lacrosse

I got a little...uh,...too competitive, and whacked a few people too hard (I was a lot bigger than most of the other girls)

They finally put me in the goal, where I wasn't likely to give someone a concussion.

I never understood why the girls weren't required to wear helmets - I got knocked out once!

[Arkana]

64. I thought it was "Git 'er done!"

[Left Is Write]

79. Tomato, tomahto.

;)

[Nevernose]

193. I never heard that one, and grew up in the South

I always assumed it was a "Larry the Cable Guy" marketing ploy. The last time I was back home, this summer, there were people selling confederate battle flags emblazoned w/ the words "git er done."

At first I assumed it was some kind of bizarre Gaelic/Confederacy crossover thing, but then I realized: Larry the Cable Guy has been getting a heck of an advertising push the last few years.

[Lochloosa]

14. Opine....* used at least 5 times in his last news conference

He must have been his word of the day...

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. Are you serious? He used that word?

That's an obscure word. Even Fuckstick's writers should be smart enough to know that's a word you only use once, or else people will totally concentrate on it because it's unusual.

I wish I could say unbelievable, but it isn't.

[Lochloosa]

28. He did...."people will opine about iraq.."...in that text.

like I said...sounded like he just learned the word.

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. What a fuckin' dumbass.

That should be enough to get him impeached right there.

[SteppingRazor]

16. "irregardless" and "utilize"

"Irregardless" isn't a word. The word is "regardless."

"Utilize" is a word that people "utilize" in a vain attempt to sound intelligent. The word is "use."

[anarch]

24. I suspect people will continue to utilize these words, irregardless

of what you say.

[SteppingRazor]

29. Yes. And those people should be put up against a wall.

:evilgrin:

[Rabrrrrrr]

34. And be impacted by bricks! Virtually!

[Left Is Write]

36. Thank you.

Why use a word like utilize when use works beautifully.

My newest word peeve: "gift" as a verb. What was wrong with "give"?

[meow2u3]

111. I hate "re-gift"

You're just palming off a gift you received to someone else. AFAIC, it's fraud.

[IA_Seth]

72. You crack me up...

If I hear "utilize" utilized one more time here at work I will blow up.

Definitely a word of office culture.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

80. Oh fuck, yes!

"Irregardless," especially, drives me nutty.

[Patiod]

219. I've been campaigning against utilize since the mid 1980's

I used to edit my colleague's reports before they went out, and I would ALWAYS switch utilize to use.

[Shell Beau]

17. Sometimes I say "holy moly" and "dang".

It stops me from saying something dirty around certain people. I know this guy who says "by George" after every other word! It gets really old.

[skygazer]

22. Unthaw

That one kills me - I always have to bite my tongue to avoid saying, "You mean freeze?"

"incidences" - I've heard that one more than once.

[Rabrrrrrr]

25. And "hot water heater" - no, it's a "water heater". Or a cold water heater

You don't need to heat water that is already hot.

It's a "water heater", dumbasses.

[Left Is Write]

37. If you weren't a man around my own age...

I'd swear you were my mother.

Except, she doesn't say "dumbasses." :hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

40. Well, maybe I should talk to your mother

And teach her some new words.

:-)

[Left Is Write]

44. I taught her one many years ago, that time I slipped and fell

on my hind end on the ice right in front of her window.

She may have learned a whole string of words that day. ;)

(She's really not the innocent I make her out to be.)

[SteppingRazor]

27. When people misuse "ironic" or "ironically"...

That really gets me. "Ironic" and "coincidental" are not the same thing. Not even if its "ironic" and "strangely coincidental."

If you can't grasp or don't know the meaning of irony, don't use the freakin' word.

[lizziegrace]

31. My personal favorite

is a phrase actually. When did it become proper english for someone to "go missing"? Missing is a condition or state of being. You're gone. You are missing. You don't "go missing".

Now nearly ever talking head is using that phrase.

:shrug:

[Hugin]

42. "kinda"

Dumbest, most spineless word I know of.

:P

[Left Is Write]

46. Even more so than sorta?

:hi:

[Hugin]

59. Darn tootn'!

Dang it! :hi:

[Shell Beau]

47. I am guilty of that one too!

:blush:

I am guilty of a good bit of the phrases on here! :yoiks:


not the really dumbs one though! :P

[Rabrrrrrr]

48. I kinda, you know, like, like that one. Kinda. Not really, just kinda,

like, you know.

[lizziegrace]

51. ya know, like

makes my skin crawl. And every teenage girl seems to use that phrase. Ack!

[Hugin]

61. No doubt!

I kinda like sorta use it all the time.

:hi:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

71. Heeeeeyyyyyy...

I used "kinda" in my post! :grr:

[question everything]

128. I use this one... in an informal way

cuts things short instead of: I am not sure, or do not remember, but I think that this was... "kinda" gets the same message. I think.

[RevCheesehead]

52. "Impacted" or "impacting."

it's a friggin' adjective, NOT A VERB. :grr:

[RevCheesehead]

53. another: "TROOPS"

to refer to individual soldiers. "Three US Troops were killed today..." is too damned close to the Brazillian joke.

[Rabrrrrrr]

63. It's a nice way to take the humanity out, so people don't feel bad

Imagine if they spoke the truth and said "Three teenage boys (or girls) soldiers were killed today" or "Three young fathers (or mothers/wives/husbands), serving as soldiers, were killed today" or "Three college students", etc.

[Wapsie B]

86. Impacted is a real pet peeve of mine.

I've heard it used properly as a medical term.

[question everything]

131. People use it when they are not sure about affect and effect (nt)

[Oeditpus Rex]

159. I knew there was a reason I like you

:thumbsup:

[terrya]

55. "Ain't"

Flame away, because I know that it's in general usage now, but I still think people sound ignorant when they say that word. I refuse to use it.

[koneko]

190. No flaming here. That's at the top of my list, too n/t

[RandomKoolzip]

58. "Fuckwaffles."

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

74. Your time draws nigh, ass elbows. -n/t

[Jessica]

60. Supposably.

x(

[koneko]

191. That's # 2 on my list

right after "ain't"

And coming in at #3 is "anyways" (instead of "anyway")

Arghhhh!

[sundog]

62. i was like DAYUM

[Rabrrrrrr]

65. "Can you borrow me a dollar?"

Fuck you, no, I can't. I only lend to people smart enough to be able to pay me back.

[Shell Beau]

70. Do people actually say that?

That has to be the dumbest one on here!!

I am guilty of using a lot of the phrases on here, but none that are sooo stupid such as irregardless, get r done, etc. I do say gosh darn, kinda, coke, I know, like, etc. :blush:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

73. Okay, if not a dollar,

you think you can spare me a solid quarter? I'll write you an IOU with this ink pen.

[Left Is Write]

76. Oh, I am terribly sorry, but...

it's the blood pen or nothing.

[Hugin]

77. *snick*

Here... You can borrow my pen knife.

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

94. ...

:rofl:

[Kali]

147. I have heard borrow used as lend from a well educated person

but then German was her native language - must translate as the same though.


"He borrowed me his car for a few days."

[RayOfHope]

78. Seen. As in "I seen it/him/her/etc". n/t

[Left Is Write]

81. Yes.

I share your disdain.

[Shell Beau]

87. That really makes someone sound stupid!

Or when people say "He come from the store". Like they don't know how to use the past tense!! :puke:

[Kathryn STone]

162. you are racist-too harsh that's ebonics nm

[Kathryn STone]

173. re:

I believe your reply is too harsh--we are all (supposedly) aware that ebonics plays a major communnicatoral role in vocabulary, and if it happens to be so "inarticulate" for a wordsmith such as yourself to understand, or cope with on an English-speaking level, as the rest of us that post on this site seem to be capable of, then perhaps you should consider learning another language which does not include slang, or anything but the most proper English--and certainly stop insulting folks less "educated" than you--give your inert racism a rest.

[Rabrrrrrr]

174. Wow, you're really committed to your bullshit stance!

I'll give you credit for your commitment - tenacious, stay the course, dogged and relentless and all that - but you are so fucking wrong it's embarassing.

Ebonics speakers are the only morons who stay stupid shit?

Have you even read this thread?

Do you even have a clue?

Many of us on this thread are sick of people fucking up and abusing the English language; and some of us are irked by regional colloquialisms.

But to say that only Ebonics speakers say "I seen" is PURE FUCKING IGNORANT BULLSHIT.

I grew up in pasty fucking white Wisconsin, and pretty much all my uneducated family constantly misuse the English language, including saying "I SEEN".

We need a "fuck off" smiley.

Racism my fucking ass.

Get off your ignorant high horse and your one-trick "issue pony" and face reality.

Christ.

[Kathryn STone]

187. re:"We need a "fuck off" smiley" ? We need a "fuck off" smiley.

that's why Republicans are kicking our ass. We're so divided on "small details" while they're about to get Roe v. Wade overturned because they're so united. United in ignorance, but united.

[Rabrrrrrr]

202. No, you are very wrong.

We're losing to the republicans because people see us as a bunch of silly knee-jerk idiots who love to cry "racism" and "sexism" when it clearly isn't there, and we are perceived as the thought police and the Politically Correct Bozo Crowd.

Telling someone they are a racist because they don't like the construction "I seen" is part of that silliness and stupidity that turns people off from the liberals.

[VaYallaDawg]

83. Mah fella' murkins .....

[WritingIsMyReligion]

85. ROFL!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

84. Using "their" when talking about ONE person whose gender is unknown...

"If you see this person, tell them I've got their car."

IT SHOULD BE: "If you see this person, tell him/her I've got his/her car."

If you don't known the gender, put "his/her," not "their"!!

:rant:

[Deep13]

89. Right. How can someONE be plural?

Some people do that even when gender is known. Our meeting of woman leaders went well, except that someone left their eyeglasses at the hotel.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

91. Yes, I hate that.

"Someone" is a singular pronoun, as are "everyone" and "anyone" and "no one."

Grr....

:grr::grr:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

95. I'm totally guilty of that.

I hate saying "his or her." Oh well.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

97. Yes, many people are.

Oh well. I suppose there are more egregious errors to make.

:D

[Deep13]

100. Grammar can be relaxed in conversation.

In print or in prepared speeches or in formalized settings like a television interview it is another matter.

[lakemonster11]

105. I actually think the opposite.

And I'm a stickler for grammar.

It may not be "correct" to say "their," but it's commonly understood and at least it's not awkward. All of the he/she him/her his/her stuff is confusing and not really necessary except in formal circumstances.

I feel the same way about the use of "one" vs. "you." If one is writing a formal paper, he or she should say "one" when referring to a hypothetical person. In everyday conversation, "you" is a lot less hifalutin, even if it's not technically correct grammar.

By the way, someone on DU yesterday was saying that singular "their" was correct usage in the past (in Shakespeare's day), before it became "he" and then, with the rise of women's rights, "he or she." :shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

116. When the gender is unknown, it makes sense

And alleviates all the awful and awkward his/hers she/he him/her constructions.

It might not make LOGICAL sense, no - but it looks better, it reads better, and it speaks better.

It avoids such awful constructions as you have in your examples: If you see this person, tell him/her I've got his/her car, that I put his/her spare house keys in his/her top desk drawer, so she can let her/himself in, along with his/her book that he/she wanted.

It's just easier - and, I say, NOT grammatically incorrect - to use "their".

Now that we have shied (properly, I believe) from using "him" (or "man") generically, I'd rather see "their" than "his/her" scattered all over the (#*&($#&% place.

[Left Is Write]

182. I don't like "his/her" either.

I'd prefer to use just a generic "his", but that does not seem to be well accepted.

[Oeditpus Rex]

158. This one's changing

And it's one of the few "evolutions" of language I support.

Certainly, when gender is known, we should say "Tell him (or her) I've got his (or her) car." But when it isn't, it's awkward to say "his or her." "Their" is becoming accepted usage in this case. I'd still avoid it in formal case, though.

[Left Is Write]

181. Tell that to the framers of the APA writing style.

I hate when the subject is singular and the pronoun is plural, but in APA there isn't much choice. You're not allowed to use either a generic "his" or "her" or "his/her".

[HughBeaumont]

90. "Idiosyncratic" and any of it's variations.

Hate pretentious, insufferable know-it-alls. :mad:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

93. Well, excuse me!

Haha :D :D :P :P

[HughBeaumont]

98. I'M HAVING A HUGH-MUNGUSLY LOUSY DAY!

SERIES!!!1!1!!
:argh:

[LynneSin]

92. "I voted for George W. Bush"

Pretty much sums it up that the person saying it is a dumbass!

[Deep13]

101. What makes it sound stupid ...

... that the speaker voted for Dubya or that he or she still freely admits it?
:evilgrin:

[Rob H.]

103. I say "dang" sometimes

Usually I'm censoring myself around my much younger cousins--I just imagine the nightmare of my cousin's six-year-old daughter asking her, "Mommy, Cousin Robert just called someone a 'fuckwit.' What does that mean?"

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

104. You substitute "dang" for "fuckwit."

I gotta hear that.

[Rob H.]

107. Ha! Not "dang" in that case

"Dang" for "damn," "crap" for "shit," like that. Although I don't use the word "crap," in front of my six-year-old cousin, either. Luckily for me, I'm one of her favorite people and that makes me feel too good to pseudo-swear when she's around.

Oops, went 'n got all mushy. Dang. ;) :P

[lakemonster11]

106. Guesstimate

I hate that word with a passion!

Either guess or estimate, or, hell, make an educated guess, but don't "guesstimate"!

[Patiod]

220. I use that on a daily basis!

I interview doctors for a living, and we need a rough estimation. They are often very precise people, and hate to make an estimate that might be wrong. "Guesstimate" does a nice job communicating to them that a we're not looking for an exact number.

I guess I should use "educated guess". Hope you're not a doctor that I have to interview, lakemonster11 !!

[kwassa]

108. Turst

Dubya uses it all the time. Turst.

I'm not sure if he is talking about terrorists, or tourists. If it is the latter, those pesky tourists cause lots of problems.

[Flying Dream Blues]

110. After the third litter of puppies, Verline had her dog "spaded." aaaghhh!

[Kali]

148. or drownded

aagghhh

[Flying Dream Blues]

177. bwahahahaha!

[WeRQ4U]

112. When people say "I Seen that........" etc.

What is so hard to understand about the different tenses of "I Saw"? It's absolutely grating.

Also, "What in Tarnation" , "I Reckon" or "I'm Fixin' to........"

These aren't stupid so much as Beverly Hillbilly-esq.

[trackfan]

113. Drank as the past participle of drink; it should be drunk

I drink beer. I drank beer. After I had drunk the beer....

[swimboy]

114. To say the least

tacked on at the end of a sentence for nebulous emphasis. It serves no other end than to undercut my impression of the speaker.

[Rob H.]

115. When I was working for a semiconductor manufacturer

...a lot of people there were in the habit of using needlessly complex language in an attempt to make themselves sound more intelligent. They'd use "offline" for "later," "bandwidth" instead of "time," and "moving forward" instead of "in the future."

"...so that's what we're going to be doing, moving forward. Now, if anyone has any questions about what we've discussed here today, talk to me about it offline but be sure to come see me before lunch. I won't have the bandwidth this afternoon."

Dumb, dumb, DUMB! :grr:

[grace0418]

118. supposebly, expresso, gyros pronounced like the first syllable of gyrate.

There is no "b" in supposedly. There is no "x" in espresso. And gyros is pronounced "yee-rrros."

Thank you.

[tjdee]

124. With all of these, people learned from their dumb parents, LOL.

My mother never learned that a gyro was a yeero. In the neigborhood she grew up in, there weren't any Greeks (um, but how did she learn of gyros at all.... I think from Spirogyro?? :silly: )

I didn't say it right until I was in the middle of college.

[grace0418]

119. Using the word "Oriental" to refer to a person.

Oriental is a kind of rug.

[tjdee]

121. A Filipino roommate taught me that.

:thumbsup:

Now when I hear it, it sounds insulting.

I also hate "mixed" for biracial people.

[grace0418]

129. I'm married to a Filipino so I learned that a long time ago.

You're right, now it sounds so ridiculous when I hear someone say it. Like calling people "colored."

"Mixed" doesn't bother me as much because my kids are going to be more than biracial. I guess multiracial would be the word but it's so long.

[tjdee]

132. My kid is bi-racial...

And I should have said multicultural but I was too lazy to type it before!!

I don't know....mixed sounds too close to "mixed up" which is a huge stereotype of multicultural (I spelled it again!) people.

[grace0418]

137. Yeah, I see your point.

I think that bi-and multi-racial kids are so gorgeous that I forget sometimes that the world is a bigotted place that would label them "mixed up." In my family alone there are quite a few different races going on and I think it's so cool. My husband's cousin (who is Filipino) is married to an Ethopian woman and their children are soooooo incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately their mom is a total fundie so it's hard to be around her for very long.

[question everything]

138. The Orient was used as a geographic location

when the sun never set on the British Empire.

Thus, people who were from that part of the world - today we would call it Asia Pacific - were called Orientals.

Today it is offensive but I am not sure exactly why. Perhaps a hint of colonialism, of "they all look the same."

Would be interesting to look at this closer. Wikepedia?

[grace0418]

145. I think it's both.

It's a reminder that someone came to their home and claimed it, renaming so many ancient and varied cultures under the same ignorant label. With the added implication that they all "look the same" anyway, so no problem. It's demeaning.

It would be interesting to explore this further. Maybe after the holidays. ;)

[tjdee]

120. Elvis Costello? Is that Elvis Costello?

:cry:

Sorry, Elvis makes me cry.

To answer your question directly and give myself a purpose in this thread, I'd have to say the phrase "passive agressive". Because the people I've heard use it have no idea WTF it means, and when they use it they're usually talking about another person and being condescending.

Also, "Fuckin' A." I hate that, oh my stars. "Fuckin' A" usually means the speaker is a "Fuckin' Clown."

Um, unless a DUer says it. In which case, it's okay.

[question everything]

122. Irregardless!

Basic math - two negatives a positive make

should be regardless but, I am afraid, it is now part of our "heritage."

I still cringe, the way I do when I hear Bush says Nuceelar (or when I hear him say anything)

[momophile]

126. "I was all..." and "duhduhduh"

were these just California things in the 80s and 90s?

"duhduhduh" = talking on and on

[AllegroRondo]

130. like, like, like

My god, how many times can some people say "like" in one sentance?

[XemaSab]

134. Here, here!

Too many people take it for granite.

[GirlinContempt]

136. I use too many stupid words

I can't pass judgment
The stupider and more ridiculous the word, the more likely I am to use it

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

140. What about "Shit Ton"

bet you wouldn't use that one. I hear it all the time down in here in Nashville.

"Man, I drunk a shit ton of beer at the Hank Jr. concert!"

[GirlinContempt]

141. No, no I would NEVER say 'shit ton', but

I would say, holy crap i just gav'r on a fuckweight of brew

[Telly Savalas]

161. One of the biggest challenges I've had in adapting to life in Canada

is learning to make the imperial shit ton to metric fuckweight conversion.

[unpossibles]

142. I know that one

it's slightly more than a metric assload, but not quite a plethora

[GirlinContempt]

155. Then again, thats a whole sentence

so I guess I'm exempt :P

[malta blue]

143. "yous guys"

verbatim, from management. :wtf:

[Nevernose]

196. Neverending search for the perfect plural you. "Y'all" is far superior

It's the neverending search for the perfect plural you, and every language has one, except English. We are reduced to letting individual dialects battle it out.

"Y'all" is far superior to "youse guys." And in a hundred years, when all North American English speakers say "y'all," my point will have been validated.

[Deep13]

208. I find that irritating.

My wife is not a guy.

[Patiod]

221. I say that all the time

In Philadelphia, it's either "you guys" or "youse", and I wouldn't be caught dead saying "youse".

[gardenista]

144. I say "dang" all the time

and I'm fecking brilliant!

[trof]

149. like-went

Like she went "Where are you going", so I went like "To the mall...duh".

[hfojvt]

150. dang, the only word that jumps out at me

is ni%%er. Any time I hear that word I can literally see the hand of God come down and stamp the word fumbduck on that person's forehead.

[Kali]

151. I'm all

as in "I'm all, like, ya know, SOOO embarassed about the lame words I utilize"

Or in place of "said": I'm all "You're such a jerk" Ya know?

[begin_within]

152. Nuke-you-ler

[Sugar Smack]

153. "BASICALLY".

And the people who say it use it as a crutch, and the word grips them, and they can't stop saying it. Quit trying to "break it down" for us, eh? Less is more.

:mad:

[Onlooker]

154. Jiminy Cricket

I had a religious colleague, quite liberal, brilliant, and ascetic, who in anger would shout, 'Jiminy Cricket.' Didn't do much for his image.

[malachibk]

157. "AAIIIGHT" (trans: alright)

n/t

[Oeditpus Rex]

160. Maybe because I'm a copy editor

I'm far more concerned with the written word than the spoken, and it's pretty apparent that the mechanics of writing are simply not being taught anymore in U.S. schools. Virtually :7 every day, I see hideous mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation, and almost as frequently I see people who shrug these off as of little importance. And I'm talking about "educated" people, not just the unwashed masses. :eyes:

Frequently, I see or hear, "Oh, it's just the internet," as if that's an excuse. On the contrary, we use electronic communication so much now that it's more important, I believe, that we communicate well.

:rant:

[ok_cpu]

163. This might be unique to OH / WV

but "you'ns" or however it's spelled.

[Patiod]

222. and Pittsburgh

That's also a Pittsburghism - I had to listen to it in my years at Penn State.

One thing I picked up from them that my S.O. says makes ME sound dumb is dropping the infinitive, as in "the bed needs made" "that shirt needs ironed"

[ok_cpu]

227. Now that you mention it

Everyone drops the infinitive around here. Including me. I'd never really noticed before.

[ghostsofgiants]

164. "Ye" as the plural of "you"

Really common here.

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

211. What about you'uns

They use that east of here. Scary Deliverance talk.

[6th Borough]

165. Paradigm. Podcasts (sorry...). Any militarybusiness terminology...

originating in one; migrating to the other (and often combined in the process).

[Oeditpus Rex]

169. I don't mean to single out any poster

So I beg 6th Borough's pardon, but one of my major peeves is combining words into improper forms. This includes the ubiquitous "email," but I've grown tired of fighting that one.

A space bar is a wonderful thing. So's a hyphen.

[6th Borough]

179. Only combined the words due to size restrictions imposed on subject titles

EOM

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

168. You just don't get it do you?

You make me sick!

[I Have A Dream]

171. I abhor the phrase "no biggie". When I hear it, it always makes me...

question the person's intelligence for some reason.

I also hate "have to go potty" to mean having to go to the bathroom.

[woo me with science]

176. the "tenants" of Islam, "eminent" threat nt

[Wetzelbill]

183. "Fer, " instead of "For", "Warsh" and/or "Warshington" instead of "Wash"

[the_spectator]

188. Which reminds me of another one, "foe-ward" for "forward."

A particular failing of the Jersey-Long Island-greater NYC dialect. I remember getting a recorded message on my answering machine recently asking me to vote for Bloomberg because only he can keep moving the city "foe-ward." Blechh! That didn't help Mayor Mike with THIS voter!

[Wetzelbill]

195. that's a good one

I never thought of that before. Lots of people must say that.

[Shell Beau]

224. Or Chicargo (for Chicago) or Illinoise (for Illinois)

But being southern myself, I say fer instead of "for" at times! :blush:

[Wetzelbill]

185. "Predominant" when they meant "Prominent" and the worst is "Eye-Rack"

when Iraq is actually pronounced "Ee-rock." But, only nerds like me know shit like that, I don't know why it jerks my chain so much. I think it's having some jerk trying to argue with me about the merits of going to war with a country they don't even know how to pronounced properly.

[the_spectator]

186. Im a little dubious of your "ee" in Iraq,

I perfer a short-i sound. The "ee" makes the opposite error of going beyond prounouncing a word correctly to trying to replicate the supposed accent of the natives. You don't say "Nee-ha-whha-wa" do you? (For Nicaragua.)

That kind of false-accentism always gets my goat. It would be a silly as if the British announcers on the BBC tried to drop their British when talking about the U.S.A. and called it the 'Nod States uh Merka.

[Wetzelbill]

194. yeah

the short-i sound doesn't apply to Iraq. It is an "ee" sound, but a pretty short one. It isn't exaggerated, not like "eeeeeeeeeeee-rock." In fact, it's said so short and fast that it could be mistaken for a short-i though. Nicholas Krystof of the NY Times once explained the pronounciation, quite a bit better than I just did, but yeah, it is definitely an "ee" sound.

[LVdem]

197. "ya' know"

[yurbud]

198. bozo and honky--both more embarrassing to insulter than insulted

[NMMNG]

199. Can I AX you a question?

:dunce:

[Deep13]

209. Only if I can chainsaw the answer.

x(

[Hardrada]

200. Jaayzuz!!

As in Praise Jaayzuz!!

[Hardrada]

201. Beat the game.

I used to hear this and it looks sort of stupid since people used it instead of saying "won the game."

[DanCa]

203. bull dinky. But no one better dis the word swell.

Clark Kent said swell in super man one and none better step on supermans cape, or spit in the wind.

[redqueen]

205. Yeah: irregardless, nucular, etc.

I say dang sometimes, and y'all. Colloquialisms (?) don't get to me as much as words that are said wrong.

[Arugula Latte]

206. "Blessed" -- "Have a blessed day."

Yeah, screw you ... Usually it's some fundy saying it incessantly.

[AirmensMom]

207. Doable.

It even looks stupid. Why won't "possible" do? :shrug:

[Deep13]

210. Using nouns or adj. as verbs.

Partner is not a verb. We're partnering with the City Council. WRONGO. We're cooperating with the City Council.

Down-sizing should be shrinking or reducing size.

Party is not a verb. Socialize, celebrate, have fun are better choices.


Also using apropos as an abbreviation of appropriate is so wrong. Apropos is an adverb and means concerning, pertaining or relevent to something. Apropos of our talk on road directions, here is a map to your destination.


Every time you split an infinitive, God kills a kitten. "To go" is one word.
wrong- to boldly go where no man has gone before
right to go boldly where no... OR boldly to go where...

[Rabrrrrrr]

216. Infinitive splitting is something up with which I will not put!

How about instead of "we are partnering with the city council" I were to say "We are partnerIZing with the city council"? I think that word is okay. Or "partnericating" or "parnerifying".

:evilgrin:

[LaraMN]

212. Alls.

or "gots." Or, "alls I gots.":spank:

[AtomicKitten]

213. Irregardless, point in fact.

make my ears bleed.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

215. "Flip-flop" is an irritating, childish addition to the political lexicon.

[Moosepoop]

223. "Resiliency".

Scott McClellan just used it in today's press briefing, while talking about the economy.

[Beware the Beast Man]

225. "yay" as a unit of measurement.

As in "yay high" or "yay big"

[Lilith Velkor]

226. "hubby"

Makes me think the guy married a twelve-year-old. Eccch...

[stlsaxman]

228. Irregardless.

so they're not not regarding? or does it mean regarding?

[stlsaxman]

230. Missour-ah.... Hey- it's spelled Missour-I...

Sometimes I'll ask 'em - "so you're from Missour-ah? Can I interest you in a plate of spaghett-ah?"