Annoying spelling, galling grammar, irksome words, frustrating phrases

[reebee]

"Verse" instead of "versus"--e.g. "I was watching UConn verse Purdue last night." My best guess is that folks assume "versus" is a verb rather than a preposition. I verse, you verse, he/she/it verses? Drives me batty.

 

[tinkerdan]

"Irregardless". No such word.

this came out of the mouth of a prominent US newsman on TV--So I assume it must now be one of those newly adopted words. Or maybe just newspeak.
Irregardless-its alright is all right and it's al....right.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

On the subject of 'versus', over here in Britain one hardly ever hears anyone saying the word - it's always just V: "Man City v Arsenal, England v Germany" I'm convinced some people think that's the actual word.

And on the subject of football, pundits and commentators don't seem to know about adjectives: "Now we've got a game." "He's a player." "He's got a left foot."

And of course there's always the classic "Arsenal's 100% record." 100% what? Losing, drawing. Yes I know it usually means winning, unless it refers to unbeaten.

Grrr!

 

[Astro Pen]

"Save up to 10% or more."
(Absolutely meaningless)

 

[Alex The G and T]

"I seen a duck on the pond, yesterday." Really, you're too #$%^&* lazy to parse "saw?" Drives me nuts.

Oddly, I don't hate other quirky regional idioms. I wish for a licit plural for "you group." I like "Y'all" and "Youse."

Go figure.

 

[ablackenedrose]

"Verse" instead of "versus"--e.g. "I was watching UConn verse Purdue last night." My best guess is that folks assume "versus" is a verb rather than a preposition. I verse, you verse, he/she/it verses? Drives me batty.

I mean, clearly Uconn was having poetry showdown with Purdue!

 

[Ursa major]

Ticking bomb is enough. Or time bomb

"Ticking bomb" is fine as a replacement for "ticking time bomb", but" time bomb" isn't, as it may or may not be ticking, or capable of ticking, or activated.

"Enormity". The word you probably want is "enormous".

That meaning of enormity (while egregious) is only one of four (or more) meanings of the word, two of the others being fine and one now obsolete.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Ticking bomb" is fine as a replacement for "ticking time bomb", but" time bomb" isn't, as it may or may not be ticking, or capable of ticking, or activated

Errrr! Excuse me young man I’m troubled by your expertise in bombery

 

[Ursa major]

I was rather hoping no one would clock that.

 

[Rufus Coppertop]

'Hack' instead of 'tip'.

WTF?

 

[Rufus Coppertop]

"I seen a duck on the pond, yesterday." Really, you're too #$%^&* lazy to parse "saw?" Drives me nuts.

Oddly, I don't hate other quirky regional idioms. I wish for a licit plural for "you group." I like "Y'all" and "Youse."

Go figure.

Or 'youse kunz' in some parts of Australia.

 

[Swank]

Somewhat recently I started noticing retailers or restaurateurs saying "Welcome in". What was so terrible about "Welcome"?

 

[Rufus Coppertop]

Somewhat recently I started noticing retailers or restaurateurs saying "Welcome in". What was so terrible about "Welcome"

Restauranteurs who want to be all "hip" and "with it" by using stupid language like that should be compelled by law to proffer a big, wet fish whilst uttering their simpering inanity so that the person whose consciousness they've just linguistically abused can take that fish by the tail and slap the restauranteur's face with it.

 

[KiraAnn]

"Ticking bomb" is fine as a replacement for "ticking time bomb", but" time bomb" isn't, as it may or may not be ticking, or capable of ticking, or activated.


That meaning of enormity (while egregious) is only one of four (or more) meanings of the word, two of the others being fine and one now obsolete.

"Ticking time bomb", or just "ticking bomb", is so outdated. Who uses mechanical clocks anymore?

 

[Swank]

"Ticking time bomb", or just "ticking bomb", is so outdated. Who uses mechanical clocks anymore?

Bomb makers?

 

[Ursa major]

"Ticking time bomb", or just "ticking bomb", is so outdated. Who uses mechanical clocks anymore?

Steampunk villains, of course. And if they're really evil, they may use a pendulum clock.

 

[Pyan]

One I saw yesterday: "coronated" for "crowned", when describing a ceremony which involved a new monarch.

Coronated is a technical word when describing an animal or plant: it means "having a crown-like structure as part of its appearance". Unless David Icke has been correct all this time, it's unlikely that the Royal Family are really coronated...

 

[JunkMonkey]

"Irregardless". No such word.

There is now.

 

[Dave]

Online and TV Breaking News headlines don't appear to get edited as they might in print, so that those that appear overnight can be odd. This morning (they've changed it now) the BBC was running with:

Singapore Airlines apologies for traumatic experience after death.

While I would have expected the most traumatic experience came before death.

 

[Steve Harrison]

It's Olympic year, so in a few months I will be annoyed by 'medal' being used as a verb, which is legitimate, apparently, but damaging to my ears.

Annoying Person: Joe Bloggs medalled in the 100m freestyle last night.
Me: Do you mean he cheated?
Annoying (now Annoyed) Person: No, he won a medal!
Me: Thank you.