The Lemon Fool

Oh yeah, and "simplistically", when the speaker means "simply". A couple of years ago, I had to listen to one of my colleagues using the long, wrong word from the platform while we were running a business convention. And I'm still cringing at the memory.

Three little additional syllables - and an accidental insult to the listeners. Why in god's name can't people see the difference between (a) "I'll spare you the complicated details, but this is the gist of it", and (b) "I really doubt that you'll be able to understand this, so I'll give you the Blue Peter version instead"?

The delegates listened politely to my colleague, and no doubt privately deducted 15 points from his IQ.

BJ

The day one of my, previously respected, work colleagues used the phrase "reaching out" non-ironically was when I decided I needed to retire.

Scott.

Another pet one: whilst which is no different from "while" but harder to say.

Arb.

swill453 wrote:The day one of my, previously respected, work colleagues used the phrase "reaching out" non-ironically was when I decided I needed to retire.

Scott.

You've missed out the biggest cringe

Blue sky thinking

The unnecessary insertion of the word 'absolutely' into a sentence (normally used by politicians or civil servants when they've f-up and are trying to explain things away) always grates, but these are just small annoyances compared with these fake speech affectations (not regional accents) that are creeping into our lives.

Tedx wrote:The unnecessary insertion of the word 'absolutely' into a sentence (normally used by politicians or civil servants when they've f-up and are trying to explain things away) always grates, but these are just small annoyances compared with these fake speech affectations (not regional accents) that are creeping into our lives.

Right ok.
Now.
Moving forward,...

servodude wrote:Right ok.
Now.
Moving forward,...

Whatever.....

At this moment in time I have had enough of this thread.

TJH

pje16 wrote:

servodude wrote:Right ok.
Now.
Moving forward,...

Whatever.....

As an older dude, I do love a real bored sounding 'what-evva'. Especially when its thrown back at a young person.

.....Because, as a grown up, their issues really do not mean a jot to you. Whereas when they use it, theyre actually a bit concerned about the consequences to their indifference of 'what-evva' the problem is.

pje16 wrote:

Watis wrote:Yes - their really annoying!

Watis

Surely you meant there

that two

A fun aspect of this is how so-called misused words can become common and so ultimately be "correct".

Thanks to a couple of US presidents I now often hear "decider" and "bigly" used.

"The use of "I could care less" in place of "I could not care less" is another.

Use the "wrong" word enough and it becomes "right".

Lootman wrote:Use the “wrong” word enough and it becomes “right”.

I keep hearing “myself” and “yourself” instead of "me" and "you"
from dunces and those who should know better
that will never be correct

Lootman wrote:A fun aspect of this is how so-called misused words can become common and so ultimately be "correct".

Thanks to a couple of US presidents I now often hear "decider" and "bigly" used.

"The use of "I could care less" in place of "I could not care less" is another.

Use the "wrong" word enough and it becomes "right".

Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

swill453 wrote:Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

You can't think of anything?
really

swill453 wrote:Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

A timely example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-64481317

Emergency services had "literally found the needle in the haystack", they said.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

I don't think you are likely to ever use the past tense of "he literally killed me"

--kiloran

kiloran wrote:

swill453 wrote:Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

I don't think you are likely to ever use the past tense of "he literally killed me"

Well I wouldn't, but my point is that some people would.

Scott.

swill453 wrote:

Lootman wrote:A fun aspect of this is how so-called misused words can become common and so ultimately be "correct".

Thanks to a couple of US presidents I now often hear "decider" and "bigly" used.

"Decider" was routinely used in my childhood, half a century ago.

Then you get to the situation where something like "literally" loses its meaning ("he literally killed me"), but what word can you use when you do mean literally?

Have you ever considered how "literally" took on its meaning? I'd imagine it arises from the authority of the written word, in an era when literacy carried authority.

UncleEbenezer wrote:"Decider" was routinely used in my childhood, half a century ago.

The only time I use it is when 2 team/players are level in, say, a best of five
it is the 5th game

pje16 wrote:

UncleEbenezer wrote:"Decider" was routinely used in my childhood, half a century ago.

The only time I use it is when 2 team/players are level in, say, a best of five
it is the 5th game

Is there any other meaning?

Scott.