The English Language

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,226]

6 hours ago, Toast said:

"Keeping well" is an old-fashioned phrase that I haven't come across in years. Has it come back into fashion?  It was something that old people said when I was young.  I remember one fellow of my own age used to say it to my mother, and she used to laugh at him because it sounded really odd coming from a young person. 

Used by Nigerian scammers who need you to shift $2.7 USD out of their country and they will give you a big cut of it.

[TQR 14,457]

6 hours ago, Lord Fellatio Nelson said:

Used by Nigerian scammers who need you to shift $2.7 USD out of their country and they will give you a big cut of it.

Pandemic’s really hit their finances, hasn’t it?

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,226]

19 hours ago, The Quim Reaper said:

Pandemic’s really hit their finances, hasn’t it?

It has.

TBF, you can live in a mansion, drive a Rolls and pay for the best whores in Lagos for $2.7 USD.

I think I'm going to move there.

[Charlotte's Controller 195]

On 27/05/2021 at 20:59, Charlotte's Controller said:

Mrs Controller made me watch a bit of the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

Two comments

 

Amanda Holden is an embarrassment.

Post Brexit can we stop other countries from singing in English, or at least charge them a substantial fee.

 

On a second matter I hate emails that begin, "I hope you are keeping well" " I am not, but don't wish to impose my situation onto other people.

 

My email protocol is to scare as many people off as possible by being abrupt. It is more efficient long term as it cuts down on idle conversations and people who do not need to "share/offload tasks". 

 

 

Reported in the Independent today, French set to replace English as the EU's working language. 

[En Passant 3,755]

Always a fan of Pass Notes in the Guardian.

 

One that was probly pacifically designed to push the nucular button of   @Toast @time @The Quim Reaper (and indeed myself) today.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/23/annoying-mispronunciations-do-they-make-you-go-nucular-probly

[TQR 14,457]

8 minutes ago, En Passant said:

Always a fan of Pass Notes in the Guardian.

 

One that was probly pacifically designed to push the nucular button of   @Toast @time @The Quim Reaper (and indeed myself) today.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/23/annoying-mispronunciations-do-they-make-you-go-nucular-probly

I’m almost disappointed they didn’t use one of my favourites, ‘mispronounciation’.

[time 8,677]

2 hours ago, En Passant said:

Always a fan of Pass Notes in the Guardian.

 

One that was probly pacifically designed to push the nucular button of   @Toast @time @The Quim Reaper (and indeed myself) today.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/23/annoying-mispronunciations-do-they-make-you-go-nucular-probly

Surprised not to see cerstificate  on that list.

[Toast 16,232]

[Toast 16,232]

I've just seen this on the BBC website. 

 

[time 8,677]

According to a study by Dr. Robbie Love of Aston University, Fuck is now the most popular swear word in the UK' the traditional Bloody has been relegated to third, behind Shit.

 

We've also seen a reduction of 27% in swearing over the past 20 years (allegedly).

[TQR 14,457]

12 minutes ago, time said:

We've also seen a reduction of 27% in swearing over the past 20 years (allegedly).

Okay, I’ll do it; what a fucking load of bollocks.

[Toast 16,232]

I've been wondering if there should be a section for "Fancy phrases that are increasingly used in place of simple ones".

 

Few people seem to die these days.  Instead of "died"  it's always "sadlypassedaway".  

 

And when was the last time you saw it reported that a rampage killer shot himself, or even committed suicide?  No!  It's always "turned the gun on himself".

[msc 18,536]

4 minutes ago, Toast said:

I've been wondering if there should be a section for "Fancy phrases that are increasingly used in place of simple ones".

 

Few people seem to die these days.  Instead of "died"  it's always "sadlypassedaway".  

 

And when was the last time you saw it reported that a rampage killer shot himself, or even committed suicide?  No!  It's always "turned the gun on himself".

 

Reminds me of one of my favourite one liners by Jerry Lawler: "On commentary, never use a big word when a diminutive one will do!"

[time 8,677]

16 minutes ago, The Quim Reaper said:

Okay, I’ll do it; what a fucking load of bollocks.

Pretty much my thoughts, almost word for word.

[time 8,677]

23 minutes ago, Toast said:

I've been wondering if there should be a section for "Fancy phrases that are increasingly used in place of simple ones".

 

Few people seem to die these days.  Instead of "died"  it's always "sadlypassedaway".  

 

And when was the last time you saw it reported that a rampage killer shot himself, or even committed suicide?  No!  It's always "turned the gun on himself".

Similarly, our local newspaper seemingly refers to  all price increases as 'hikes', which are to be 'faced' as in "drivers face petrol price hikes", "residents face council tax hikes", drinkers face hikes in the price of their pints (April this year), and most recently rail fares are set to be hiked (though mercifully commuters are not having to face them).

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,319]

20 hours ago, Toast said:

 

And when was the last time you saw it reported that a rampage killer shot himself, or even committed suicide?  No!  It's always "turned the gun on himself".

They nearly always do this.

Allegedly.

I suspect the police shoot them in the majority of cases.

[Toast 16,232]

4 hours ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

They nearly always do this.

Allegedly.

I suspect the police shoot them in the majority of cases.

 

Well, possibly, but why the long-winded way of saying "killed himself"?

[Great Uncle Bulgaria 1,319]

18 minutes ago, Toast said:

Well, possibly, but why the long-winded way of saying "killed himself"?

Gives it more of a literary flourish perhaps, as opposed to the rather bald 'he killed himself'

Maybe the first person who wrote that thought that the instrument that ended the story of carnage being the same one that started it gave it a pleasing resolution, or completeness. He that killed with the sword, died by the sword, as it were.

And everyone else liked it so much it became an unspoken tradition.

[Toast 16,232]

21 minutes ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:

Gives it more of a literary flourish perhaps, as opposed to the rather bald 'he killed himself'

Maybe the first person who wrote that thought that the instrument that ended the story of carnage being the same one that started it gave it a pleasing resolution, or completeness. He that killed with the sword, died by the sword, as it were.

And everyone else liked it so much it became an unspoken tradition.

 

i think it's the lack of imagination typically displayed by the soundbite generation of hacks.  These phrases roll off the keyboard without thought.  Like "thoughtsandprayers" and the aforementioned "sadlypassedaway".

 

Interesting to compare the way they bend over backwards to find multiple ways of describing a celebrity in an article.

"The [insert trash TV programme] star"

"The [insert name of song] hitmaker"

etc.

[Sir Creep 7,071]

On 20/08/2021 at 13:58, Toast said:

I've been wondering if there should be a section for "Fancy phrases that are increasingly used in place of simple ones".

 

Few people seem to die these days.  Instead of "died"  it's always "sadlypassedaway".  

 

And when was the last time you saw it reported that a rampage killer shot himself, or even committed suicide?  No!  It's always "turned the gun on himself".

It’s reinforcing the fact that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  

[Toast 16,232]

6 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

It’s reinforcing the fact that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  

 

Yet another trite cliché.

[time 8,677]

Things like these really annoy me:

Exhibit 1: from the headline, its apparent that the police were called regarding a body in the water, then a man died falling in the canal. Reading the report, its obvious that this isn't what happened at all, and is as one would suspect, i.e. the presence of a dead body in the water was what prompted the call to the police. 

 

 

Exhibit 2: the conjunction 'as' implies that the two events were simultaneous, while clearly event one happened first triggering event 2.

[Toast 16,232]

Yes, it sounds as though police were called to investigate a body in the water, and then some curious onlooker leaned over too far and fell in

 

Meanwhile, another candidate for my list of words losing their true meaning through being used wrongly:  misogyny.

 

Misogyny means dislike or hatred of women in general, or prejudice against women.  It's increasingly being used to mean violence against women, and/or sexual harassment, neither of which are the same thing at all.

 

I realise that "language evolves", but the problem with this kind of thing is that it leaves us without a word to express the original meaning. 

It impoverishes the language, rather than enriching it.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,705]

4 hours ago, Toast said:

Yes, it sounds as though police were called to investigate a body in the water, and then some curious onlooker leaned over too far and fell in

 

Meanwhile, another candidate for my list of words losing their true meaning through being used wrongly:  misogyny.

 

Misogyny means dislike or hatred of women in general, or prejudice against women.  It's increasingly being used to mean violence against women, and/or sexual harassment, neither of which are the same thing at all.

 

I realise that "language evolves", but the problem with this kind of thing is that it leaves us without a word to express the original meaning. 

It impoverishes the language, rather than enriching it.

Dominic Raab didn’t even get that close. 

[time 8,677]

Skimming through Twitter, I briefly thought that Trent Alexander Arnold had died.