The English Language

[TQR 14,388]

Another one people never seem to get right.

 

Dick is throwing a party tonight.

 

So there is a party tonight “chez Dick”.

 

There is not a party tonight “at chez Dick”.

[time 8,599]

35 minutes ago, TQR said:

Another one people never seem to get right.

 

Dick is throwing a party tonight.

 

So there is a party tonight “chez Dick”.

 

There is not a party tonight “at chez Dick”.

You want "The French Language" thread.

[TQR 14,388]

3 minutes ago, time said:

You want "The French Language" thread.

Yeah, but nobody bastardises foreign languages quite like the English.

[Toast 16,137]

1 hour ago, TQR said:

Another one people never seem to get right.

Dick is throwing a party tonight.

So there is a party tonight “chez Dick”.

There is not a party tonight “at chez Dick”.

 

Although if there was a venue called Chez Dick, it would be OK to say "at Chez Dick".

It wouldn't surprise me if there was a club of that name somewhere  

[time 8,599]

I've posted previously my opinion on the nonsensical phrase 'pre-order(ed)'; recently the even more nonsensical phrase "available to pre-order" has become popular. 

 

These people need to look up the definition of 'available'.

[Toast 16,137]

"Mental health"

That must be a good thing, yes?

But the phrase is increasingly used to mean the exact opposite.  I've just read "Mental health affects both sides of his family" and I've also seen "suffering from mental health".

Is this just thoughtlessness, laziness, or are people frightened to use any phrase that describes mental health problems in case it offends someone?  Wouldn't surprise me.

It's like "special needs".  Let's make it sound like a good thing.

[time 8,599]

Amazon Music. 

 

They updated the app not so long ago, removing the capability to listen to a whole album as originally released and therefore presumably how the artist intended. Instead it now "shuffled the album you selected with similar songs" which means not only do you not listen to the album you want to listen to, you also listen to a lot of crap you have no interest in.

 

Anything by a solo female singer (or a 60s playlist) virtually guarantees the inclusion of Cilla Black, and anything newer virtually guarantees the inclusion of U2. I've found myself listening to German Schlager and US kids TV songs.

[time 8,599]

58 minutes ago, time said:

Amazon Music. 

 

They updated the app not so long ago, removing the capability to listen to a whole album as originally released and therefore presumably how the artist intended. Instead it now "shuffled the album you selected with similar songs" which means not only do you not listen to the album you want to listen to, you also listen to a lot of crap you have no interest in.

 

Anything by a solo female singer (or a 60s playlist) virtually guarantees the inclusion of Cilla Black, and anything newer virtually guarantees the inclusion of U2. I've found myself listening to German Schlager and US kids TV songs.

Why the fuck have I posted this in the wrong thread? Obviously belongs in Room 101.

[En Passant 3,741]

4 hours ago, time said:

removing the capability to listen to a whole album as originally released

 

It has? Mine still does so ok.

You must be using it on something other than a pc at a guess.

[time 8,599]

17 hours ago, En Passant said:

 

It has? Mine still does so ok.

You must be using it on something other than a pc at a guess.

Mobile phone.

[time 8,599]

Who can tell me, from the headline below, how many people have died at Glastonbury? It's either 3 or 4, right?

 

 

Source.

[harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy 1,689]

I’m not enamoured by the ubiquity of ‘super’ as an adverb, especially beloved of continental European sportspeople.

 

Stop it. It’s super annoying.

[Sinbabad 1,116]

1 hour ago, harrymcnallysblueandwhitearmy said:

I’m not enamoured by the ubiquity of ‘super’ as an adverb, especially beloved of continental European sportspeople.

 

Stop it. It’s super annoying.

I agree. It’s the same thing in French, ‘super’ is often used as an adverb too, et c’est super pénible !

[time 8,599]

Is naming individual Sundays common practice in Scotland, or just peculiar to the Highland Wildlife Park?

 

[Toast 16,137]

This is very interesting and well worth a listen.

Apparently words that have been so widely misused that they have literally lost their meanings have been "skunked".

 

 

[TQR 14,388]

While this thread is at the top of the list, I'd just like to express my extreme, burning dislike of Harry from The Traitors (which I've just caught up on). I'm sure he's a lovely guy and he's demonstrably not an unintelligent man, but he seriously needs to pack it the fuck in with the excessive "myself/yourself" usage when "me/you" is what he means.

[Toast 16,137]

20 minutes ago, TQR said:

While this thread is at the top of the list, I'd just like to express my extreme, burning dislike of Harry from The Traitors (which I've just caught up on). I'm sure he's a lovely guy and he's demonstrably not an unintelligent man, but he seriously needs to pack it the fuck in with the excessive "myself/yourself" usage when "me/you" is what he means.

 

Yeah, I think we've discussed elsewhere the apparent fear of using "me".

 

On similar lines.  Someone of my acquaintance, an intelligent, well-educated and well-known artist, habitually writes things like "Peter and I's exhibition" which should of course be "Peter's and my exhibition".  It grinds my gears whenever I see this but I wouldn't want to correct them cold, and doubt if a suitable opportunity would arise to do so tactfully.

[Toast 16,137]

Something else I've noticed is the very recent resurgence  of "D'you know what" to call attention to the following statement.

"D'you know what, I'm going to get rid of it and buy a new one."

"You know what, I think she might be pregnant,"

etc

 

This phrase used to be rife when I was a kid and we would be told not to say it. Suddenly it seems to be everywhere.

[TQR 14,388]

Just now, Toast said:

Something else I've noticed is the very recent resurgence  of "D'you know what" to call attention to the following statement.

"D'you know what, I'm going to get rid of it and buy a new one."

"You know what, I think she might be pregnant,"

etc

 

This phrase used to be rife when I was a kid and we would be told not to say it. Suddenly it seems to be everywhere.

 

Is it recent? I've always said/heard it. That or "I tell you what".

[Toast 16,137]

18 minutes ago, TQR said:

Is it recent? I've always said/heard it. That or "I tell you what".

 

I think so. While it may never have gone away entirely, I'm now hearing it all the time.

For example, I've noticed it with people I've regularly listened to on Youtube, who I never heard saying it before.

[Clorox Bleachman 2,410]

4 hours ago, Toast said:

I think so. While it may never have gone away entirely, I'm now hearing it all the time.

For example, I've noticed it with people I've regularly listened to on Youtube, who I never heard saying it before.

I've been annoyed by people on YouTube saying "the thing is is that ___". I have no problem with "the thing is", despite it being filler. I use it too. I'm not sure why it's mutated to have an extra "is".

[Sod's Law 445]

'Oh my days'. It's like an extremely antiquated Victorian minced oath that's been resurrected for the modern age for some weird reason. Manages to make 'gosh' or 'gee' sound hip and modern, yet you hear teens and twenty somethings say it 'ironically' all the time (I only turned thirty a couple of months ago in case anyone thinks this is a fist-shaking boomer thing). 

 

I'd also like to put 'bestie' in here. I don't know why. It just rubs me the wrong way, especially when the person saying it is middle-aged. It doesn't belong in the mouth of anyone over twenty and even then, the grounds are shaky.  

[time 8,599]

Regarding recent discussions on what (or who) exactly is a 'nonce', according to someone on Xwitter it stands for "Not on normal courtyard exercise". Which is as convoluted (and inaccurate) a backronym as "chav" standing for "council house and violent/ce"

[En Passant 3,741]

44 minutes ago, time said:

Regarding recent discussions on what (or who) exactly is a 'nonce', according to someone on Xwitter it stands for "Not on normal courtyard exercise". Which is as convoluted (and inaccurate) a backronym as "chav" standing for "council house and violent/ce"

 

Completely agree. Far too 'composed' not to be a backronym imho.

[time 8,599]

I've noticed increasing usage of the terminology "bottle shop" to describe an establishment where one might purchase alcoholic beverages to consume at home (or in the park, on the beach etc). What's wrong with good old-fashioned British terminology like off-licence, offie, outdoor etc.?