What expressions (or words) drive you nuts??

True, Dee. I always joke about those words too. I purposely use the opposite.

My grandfather used to say, 'It's never late till midnight, then it's early.'

This message was edited Jul 11, 2009 11:56 AM

LOL, Victor, so do I! Use those words on purpose, that is. I'm glad to hear someone else does. Sigh, it's tough being a grammar/word geek in a world that just doesn't seem to understand the fascination. I'm happy that at least one other person gets it!

Victor, was your grandfather Yogi Berra, lol?

UPC code and 2 twins...see #1
What had happend was... Nothing good can ever follow that one;)

Yes, I am a fellow word/grammar geek, Dee.

My grandfather had so many funny sayings. When we had to get up early, he would say, 'You're gonna have to get up before breakfast.'

He also said, 'You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.' I have no idea about that one!

Good one, tgg!

How about "drive you nuts"? Whatsup with that? And what exactly does that mean?

Actually, we can worry about such things because we are freedom, have enough to eat, have clothes and shelter. Once a person has the basics in life, they try to order everything and everyone else.

We accept things that seem "normal". Yesterday, I asked my husband why the word "cheerleading" is used and not "footballing". Or, why do we say; " I going to play...football, baseball, racketball, volleyball" but we don't say; "I going to play...tennisball or golfball."

Language changes and evolves as life changes. I "drove myself nuts" in my teens saying everything was "so sad". Even good things became "so sad".

What really bothers me is the lack of respect in language now. Even "nice" people use nasty words...words that caused my mouth to be washed out with Ivory. Then, sometimes the speaker will say; "Excuse my French". I usually say back, "That wasn't French".

OM (g)...I didn't put that one together correctly because I don't want to put it down, it is so bad. Just remove the (). People receive a brand new house from the Extreme show and all the family (from the oldest down to the ones that can barely talk) can say are those 3 words? What? Has our language regressed so much that we can't think of words to say? These three letters and/or words are probably the most used words in our society right now. Why? Shoot; we need God more than ever, why use His title in vain?

Yep, I'm blessed so I try to control as well. I am neither the world's school teacher nor their momma. LOL

whether or not to correct is a whole other topic so I won't elaborate. However, you all have reminded me of the time a relative was talking about the famous painter Degas and he said "deegas". I promptly corrected the relative, and the look I got could have killed me. The relative keeps on saying "deegas" and I keep cringing, sigh.

I have a dear friend that says "broasted chicken" instead of roasted (or is it roast?). Who am I to corrrect?

somebody mentioned re-la-tor, vs. REALTOR. nu-ke-lar vs. NUCLEAR. Drives me insane.

My dear Mom says Comp-use-ah intead of COMP U S A, the computer store.

But they're not alone. We have a supermarket chain in TX that is commonly known by the letters H - E - B. I just can't say it. I refer to is as "heeb".

I hate it when you say thank you to someone and they reply 'no problem'. Whatever happened to 'you're welcome'? Especially when it's your server in a restaurant.

Aunt A, we practically cross-posted. I promise I didn't mean to irritate you with "drives me nuts". But I can tell you how it feels in my head: like nuts are rattling around my head like maracas and causing a slight headache.

Good points, all!

Yes - nuclear, pronounced as if it's 'nucular', drives me crazy.

vic, do you also feel nuts rattling in your head?????

No, that one goes way back before him.

The British pronunciation of aluminum always cracks me up.

This message was edited Jul 12, 2009 1:02 AM

Victor, that is how I was taught in School, also garage was pronounced differently as are names of different parts of a car.
Can't stand when some one is saying Ant instead of Aunt

Yes, the English say al-u-min-i-um, and they also say spec-i-al-i-ty, instead of specialty, which is a pet peeve of mine.

Speaking of Brits, has anyone noticed that an awful lot of commercials use narrators with English acents? I barely watch tv, but I've noticed so many English accents on the commercials. I wonder if it's done on purpose. When I was just out of college, our cirlce of friends met an English woman, and so many people thought she was so classy just because of her accent. They also attributed other characteristics to her (intelligence, sophistication, a flair for fashion) based solely on her accent.

It "drove me nuts", lol!

Aunt A, I too am appalled at the obscenity that has crept into everyday conversation. People use it all the time, and I don't even think they realize it. It's one thing to talk like that with friends in private, but when you are in the supermarket or a restaurant and people next to you are dropping the F-bomb left and right, in a normal, un-angry, typical conversation, it's awful.

My kids play hockey and one morning I dropped my daughter off at the rink at 4:30 AM for practice. I decided to go to the diner for breakfast. The only other people in there were two contractors of some kind. Their conversation made me lose my appetite. "What are f-ing getting?" "Oh, sh**, I don't know what the f- to get. What are you f-ing getting?" My goodness! I actually wondered if they were doing this on purpose because I had never heard anyone swear so incredibly much during a short normal conversation. What a lovely way to start a morning!

treading lightly here - some of what has been offered is regional. We have some phrases out this way that hurt the ears.
I have issues with mis-use of the language, but also understand that people have been subjected to varying levels of education, specifically, quality & exposure.
I was taught to spell many words "British" style (ahhhh! quotes!): grey vs gray, flavour vs flavor, etc. I catch flack for this, but I won't change as they are acceptable.
The English language is not static - it is malleable to a degree. But mispronunciation/misuse is what irks me. I'll add another: foliage vs foilage. All I can picture is giant sheets of Reynolds wrap surrounding a plant.
Language can be very colorful and crafted to communicate one's ideas well. It is bewildering why so many don't make use of the richness of our language - as if it takes too much effort to speak plainly.

Did they have British accents, Dee?

Kate - you wrote 'colorful', not 'colourful'!

LOL, Victor, most decidedly not!

Katye, speaking of mispronunciations in the gardening world, another one is mulsh instead of mulch. My MIL says this often. Of course, she is quite the Queen of Mispronunciations. My favorite of hers refers to the singer Edith Piaf. My MIL always calls her Edith Pilaf, lol. We always ask her (MIL, not Edith) if she'd like some rice with that!

Funny how some mispronunciations and/or regional differences are quaint and charming, and others are annoying. To use my own example, I find the British pronunciation of aluminum enjoyable, but cringe at speciality. In general, I love regional differences and expressions. THAT is where I think the richness of our language really shines.

Maria, I can't stand it when people say Aunt, instead of "Ant", hee hee.

Diggerdee, the british accent is definitely a marketing strategy, but tell me, would you be more willing to buy something if it were recomended to you by a "forrest gump" sounding guy??? lol I wouldn't look at that item twice.

I agree on the local color (colour?), Dee.

My friend, a FL native, says, 'brandy new'. I had never heard that and now I use it!

'Matriculating' sounds kinky to me.

you are so funny

That doesn't surprise me Victor!

LOL, vossner, I have to concede that point to you!

It's just that I dislike when a certain characteristic is attributed to someone just because of their ethnicity. The funny thing is, when it's applied to a group in general it doesn't usually bother me so much. For instance, to say the French have a flair for fashion or the Italians have great food doesn't bother me, but for some reason the use of the English accents in advertising does - I can't figure out why this particular thing irks me.

It's usually on the individual basis that the attributing of characteristics bothers me. For example, while the French culture in general may have a flair for fashion, not every French person you meet will be a fashion guru. I think it's kind of stereotypical to assume things like that about individuals.

A English TV show about the NE coast of England commented on the ships bringing in aluminum ore for the manufacture of al-u-min-ium. Cracked me up! There's an annoying term?

We were doing work for the Brits and joked that we had to convert our units for them. We used the British system!

I agree as far as over-familiarity goes. When I was a sprout I assumed that upon reaching a certain age, people in doctors' offices and such would begin to use Miss or Mrs. to address me. Alas, the times changed and the homogenization of interpersonal relationships intruded. It's still a pet peeve of mine and I've taken issue with it in a number of situations. People in doctors' offices often defend the practice by pointing out that my last name is a little challenging, but I reply that the staff in lawyer's offices have never had a problem with it. Once a doctor whom I had never met before entered the examining room and addressed me by my first name. I replied, "If I'm 'Jane,' you're 'Robert.'" He looked as astonished as if a dog had opened its mouth and used English! I don't think he ever called me anything after that.

I just feel that we don't need to lose our dignity just because we happen to need certain services.

One of my pet language peeves is "criteria" used as the singular form. I'm always impressed when someone knows that it's actually "criterion."

Also, around here people say "rah-diator" instead of "ray-diator."

I have a good eye for typos and for poor syntax and misspellings, so I am often pressed into service as an editor. I do find that as I get older my eye isn't quite as good. Reading French doesn't help, either, since some words are just similar enough to be confuse you, especially if your spelling depends on visual memory, as mine does.

This thread is cracking me up! ( no, I'm not laying in jagged pieces in my chair).

I think as someone mentioned the language is fluid and it changes and thats a good thing. If not we'd all be speaking Shakespeare's English, whiche is naught a bad thing thou more complex.

I particularly like the way the Bristish say "schedule" as "shed-ule" without the c.

Yes, diagramming sentences is still taught, but on the college level, I took it. Quite difficult. e

I have a sister that always says to me "not for nothing, but..." What does that mean??

Victor - you caught it.

DD - I have been known to utter "mulsh". This occurs after a long day in the garden followed by adult beverages. I am better off at the childrens' table, where everything one says is wonderful....LOL.

Jada - maybe similar to something being for naught?

Do peeves make good pets??

yes. they do not shed. but they are somewhat clingy.

Vossner, are your ants something you you get rid of because they are all over your flowers, your house, all over you after you step into their hill and bite you? Or are they your human Aunts? ha ha ha

Victor, I spell colour but not as much as I used to or realise instead of realize

If sense were really common, wouldn't more people have some?

So what would the voice/accent of choice for your GPS? I'd like a sexy Italian woman's voice. Don't care if I get lost.

It would have to be a Russian accent for me. I am fascinated by Russian accents - although I enjoy French Canadian ones too.

Must be all the hockey I watch. The NHL is full of French Canadians and Russians (and my DH's family is French Canadian with a twist of a Massachusetts accent)