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16 May 2010
I have decided that I hate the expression "partner in crime." Not sure why, but it seriously grates. What are some expressions that bug you guys?
OK this is something I have been hearing more and more and I really hate it, perhaps because my sister-in-law uses it a lot and she really grates on me: "Go with." As in, "if you're going to the store, I might go with."
I mean, what??? It's too hard to say, "go with YOU" or "go too"? It just sounds lazy and uneducated and stupid.
My SIL also loves the work "crik" as in, "I'm going down to the crik to catch some tadpoles, want to go with?" You wouldn't think that there were many opportunities to use the word "creek" (CRIK) but she manages to use it often enough to really annoy me.
I am also very annoyed by the term "hack" as in, "Give me your best garage-cleaning hacks".
Kangaroo, "go with" versus "go with you" caused a three-month long argument among all my friends in high school. I think we finally got it down to a regional thing, with the U.S. Midwesterners using it and everyone else (which was mostly U.S. Southerners and Englishpeople) finding it weird; it seems to correspond to Germanic verb constructions (the Midwest being settled by a lot of Germans), where verbs like "mitkommen" ("to with-come", kinda) are common and where you'd say things like "Kommst du mit?" ("Are you coming with?").
Don't know if that helps you, but it seemed to help the non-Germanics in our group feel like there was a reason for the madness. :-)
Right, I have many that irritate but the one that gets me really going is, "the exception that proves the rule."
So, because X did not happen it proves X ALWAYS happens? Um, this is thinking on a par with wet Cheetos, it makes absolutely no sense AND you have just shown me that you don't think through what you believe.
Specklet, my co-worker says "It's all good" approximately seventy-four times a day, and while I didn't mind it at first, after two years of it I'm about ready to commit violence, or at least grab her by the lapels and yell "NO! YOU KNOW WHAT? IT IS NOT ALL GOOD!"
When someone starts off with "frankly" or "no offense, but..." I brace myself, because lots of people seem to think those phrases give them blanket permission to be viciously rude and offensive without expectation of recrimination. Those people are wrong: there are no magic words that give you immunity from the offense you've created.
Monkeybutter, I've always wondered if it originated as "proofs the rule," as in proofing yeast, i.e., "tests the rule." If that's right, then the meaning "The [edge case/possible exception] tests the rule" makes a lot more sense.
Elsa -- you're pretty close; the old meaning of "prove" is indeed "test." (The usage survives in the phrase "proving ground," which the military in particular loves.) So, yes, "the exception proves the rule" orginates from the older meaning. It makes little sense any more, but it used to.
I seem to really dislike it when people say "I, for one, blah blah blah"
I think I know it's a little impatient of me, but dammit, how many people are these people ACCUSTOMED to speak for?
I dislike it when people use "put in your mouth" (and variants) for as an euphemism for "eat". I hear this a lot on food related radio programs on NPR where clearly they try to mix it up a bit, that is not just say "eat" a dozen times in a five minute bit. I get the that English is somewhat lacking in synonyms for that word, but beyond a school assignment it seems rather poor writing practice to try to constantly use synonyms for word and I for one can't stand that little phrase
kodama reminds me that I hate hate hate when waiters ask me how something "is tasting." It puts the emphasis on the physical act of eating in a way that really grosses me out.
Thanks for the info, JanetLand! I figured it was something along those lines. Monkeybutter, you be as annoyed by it as you want --- I sincerely doubt that most people are giving it enough thought to realize the (now somewhat obscured) original meaning.
when waiters ask me how something "is tasting." It puts the emphasis on the physical act of eating in a way that really grosses me out.
And assumes that the taste is the only important aspect of dining out. Of course, in most cases, the server isn't responsible for "how everything tastes," the chef is. If you responded that in fact you didn't like how everything tastes, the server can't really do much about that --- but a server can get you a clean fork or an extra napkin or another bottle of wine, and I'd much rather be asked if I need anything or some other, more general question about how everything is. And when I waited tables, that was more or less how I phrased it myself: how is everything? May I bring you anything?
when waiters ask me how something "is tasting." It puts the emphasis on the physical act of eating in a way that really grosses me out.
Oh man I'm right with you on that, that is I think almost exactly what I dislike about the 'put in your mouth' phrase as well. I don't think I've ever heard a waiter say that, but I think it will almost assuredly grate when I do.
Elsa, waiters can talk about food all the time though? They can relay with the kitchen on your behalf.
To be perfectly honest though I don't even like being asked the question, I'm like eating, reading, listening to my ipod whatever and they walk up all like 'so, how's the food?'. But I understand why it's standard practice, better that than to have the customer sitting there silently bothered about something.
True, Firas, and I'd be unpleasantly surprised by a server who didn't seem to care how the food was --- but my point is that the food is only part of the larger experience of dining out. Since the server is solely responsible for many of those other aspects, I certainly hope s/he doesn't focus only on "how everything tastes."
I'm just backing up occhiblu's visceral distaste with some reasoning. I don't actually swan about in restaurants telling servers how to ask me questions (and I suspect occhiblu doesn't either). I just find it irritating, quietly and privately until right now, when I'm in a thread where someone brings it up.
And I'll cheerfully admit that I'm especially cranky today (though not with any of you, or with servers, or with any person). I will complain about almost anything today. GRAR GRAR GRAR. Yeesh, I gave someone an earful about the narrative flaws of "Lost" yesterday, complete with wild gestures of irritation. I am ever so CROSS.
The phrase "come to a head," as in "it all came to a head at that last meeting." Ew, can we not talk about pus and pustules and erupting abscesses in polite conversation? Thanks.
Also, "frankly." God. Saying that doesn't give you permission to be rude and insulting.
I say "come with" (as in, "I'm going to get some food; you wanna come with?") all the time, but only around my friends.
Absolutely, Elsa, yeah I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that I was just riffing. Heck even if it was something edgier than what you'd said I'd be happy to read cantankerousness from you :)
I don't like "all set." At least in the northeast US, it's ubiquitous in restaurant situations.
"Are you folks all set?"
"I think we're all set. Just the check please."
"Ok here's the check. You're all set."
"Here's my credit card. We're all set."
"Okay, here's your card back. All set!"
"Yes, all set."
"I have a quick question" is mine too. Because it happens every single frigging time that not only is the question not all that quick (like, what constitutes quick anyway....15 words instead of 18?) but the answer is never ever EVER easy and quick. And the answer they get always leads to another question, and another. So just ask the goddamn question already, without telling me how quick it's going to be.
Almost as annoying is "Can I ask you a question?" Like we now have to ask persmission to ask questions. Ugh.
Once in a blue moon I answer the phone at work, and when the first thing the person on the line says is "I just have a quick question" I have to fight the urge to slam down the phone.
So yeah. Anything to do with questioning apparently really irks me.
"Butthurt." This word fills me with such rage, probably because I know it comes from some message board like 4chan, and so I associate it with the dregs of humanity. That's one of those things that says to me, "let's never be friends," like ladies who used to come into my store with velour tracksuits and venti Starbucks lattes. Bonus points for UGGs with the tracksuits. I knew if I saw these people we couldn't get along.
"Where you at?" is another one. I hate Boost Mobile forever for foisting that upon us.
A friend of mine in college used to say "miles per an hour," and it always drove me nuts. There's no good reason for it, it bothering me, but my god.
"Go with." As in, "if you're going to the store, I might go with."
Yeah, this.
Also, "Can I ask you a question?" When people ask me that at work, I respond with "you just did" and then ignore them. Not for long, though, then I ask if they'd like another. I mean, I might be a smartarse, but I'm not rude.
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