Jump to content
Larry Pestilence III

The English Language

Recommended Posts

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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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?

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.:D

  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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’.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

image.png.9a17009ad9b83e6efa9dc951fda974

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've just seen this on the BBC website.  :facepalm:

 

image.png.88e890f979c83d008e2e25456c88aec6.png

  • Like 1
  • Angry 1
  • Shocked 2
  • Facepalm 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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".

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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!"

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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).

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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"?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

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

 

Yet another trite cliché.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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. 


 

Canal Screenshot 2021-10-14 110506.png

 

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

tribute Screenshot 2021-10-14 111645.png

  • Like 3
  • Angry 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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 :facepalm:

 

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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
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 :facepalm:

 

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. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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

 

  • Haha 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×

Important Information

Your use of this forum is subject to our Terms of Use