The English Language

[Toast 12,927]

When I pay for something I am usually given a piece of paper confirming what I have bought and how much I have paid for it.

It is called a receipt.

All of a sudden, it seems, "receipt" has become a word for proof that somebody has said something.  I'm seeing this all over the place now.

[TQR 8,213]

8 hours ago, Toast said:

When I pay for something I am usually given a piece of paper confirming what I have bought and how much I have paid for it.

It is called a receipt.

All of a sudden, it seems, "receipt" has become a word for proof that somebody has said something.  I'm seeing this all over the place now.

That’s a new one on me. I don’t like it. It’d only make sense if one asked for a transcript.

 

[Toast 12,927]

5 hours ago, TQR said:

That’s a new one on me. I don’t like it. It’d only make sense if one asked for a transcript.

 

 

It's been extensively used about Tom Bower's book "Revenge" in which various unnamed Palace staff spill the beans* about Meghan and Harry's treatment of their staff.

"He has receipts".

I've seen it elsewhere too, but the context is too trivial for me to go looking for it again.

 

* It's "tea" now, apparently - "spill the tea"

[time 6,650]

32 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

It's been extensively used about Tom Bower's book "Revenge" in which various unnamed Palace staff spill the beans* about Meghan and Harry's treatment of their staff.

"He has receipts".

I've seen it elsewhere too, but the context is too trivial for me to go looking for it again.

 

* It's "tea" now, apparently - "spill the tea"

I hadn't heard that before, but strikes me as an updated "spill the beans". There's sources saying it originated in African-American drag culture, and reached mainstream via Ru Paul's Drag Race, where it's not 'tea' but 't', short for truth, and has evolved to, mean gossip. 

 

'Has receipts' I'm OK with as an alternative to 'has evidence' (as in I understand it's meaning but would never seriously use it), for use if something is denied or questioned.

[time 6,650]

People, it's "shoo in/shoo-in", not "shoe in/shoe-in".

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,079]

46 minutes ago, time said:

People, it's "shoo in/shoo-in", not "shoe in/shoe-in".

It doesn't matter ya miserable old git.

[Toast 12,927]

On 14/10/2022 at 14:53, time said:

I hadn't heard that before, but strikes me as an updated "spill the beans". There's sources saying it originated in African-American drag culture, and reached mainstream via Ru Paul's Drag Race, where it's not 'tea' but 't', short for truth, and has evolved to, mean gossip.

 

I don't think "tea" is an improvement at all. 

Spilling the beans suggests the disclosure of multiple items of gossip, each bean a distinct little titbit.

Spilling the tea, well, it's all over in one gush.

[Sir Creep 6,337]

6 hours ago, time said:

People, it's "shoo in/shoo-in", not "shoe in/shoe-in".

Well this may be SirC learning something new every day, if you are correct.  Giving the benefit to you and accepting your post as correct, ‘shoo’ makes little sense to SirC, whereas ‘shoe’ made sense (and why it was presumed true), like shoe-in such as a salesman getting their shoe in the front door.  Once that happens you’ll likely get the sale. IOW ‘it’s a shoe-in’.  
SC is happy to hear an explanation for shoo-in/shoo in.

[An Fear Beag 992]

4 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

Well this may be SirC learning something new every day, if you are correct.  Giving the benefit to you and accepting your post as correct, ‘shoo’ makes little sense to SirC, whereas ‘shoe’ made sense (and why it was presumed true), like shoe-in such as a salesman getting their shoe in the front door.  Once that happens you’ll likely get the sale. IOW ‘it’s a shoe-in’.  
SC is happy to hear an explanation for shoo-in/shoo in.

Time is, of course, correct, as a 5 second glance in a dictionary would tell you.

To "shoo" is American slang for fixing a race so a certain horse will win. Therefore, a "shoo-in" is the horse that wins the fixed race, and from that, any certain winner. 

And thus endeth the lesson. 

You're welcome. 

[Toast 12,927]

OED

shoo, v.

1. transitive

a. To scare or drive away (fowls, etc.) by calling out ‘shoo’ or by means of movement or gestures.

b. To drive or urge (a person, animal, etc.) in a desired direction.

 

2. intransitive To cry out ‘shoo’ in order to frighten or drive away fowls, etc.

3. To hasten away, as after being ‘shooed at’

4. transitive With in, to allow a racehorse to win easily. U.S. slang. Cf. shoo-in n.

 

shoo-in, n.

North American.

 1. In Horse Racing, a predetermined or ‘fixed’ race, or the winner of it. Hence loosely, a horse which is a certain winner.

 2. transferred (esp. Politics). A certain or easy winner; a certainty, a ‘walk-over’.

 

 

[time 6,650]

On 28/05/2022 at 22:10, Toast said:

When did we stop giving gifts in favour of "gifting"?

 

Was in the garden centre today and there was a big sign over some random crap :

GIFTING

Jesus wept.  What was wrong with

GIFTS

 

Similar gripe about supermarket aisles:

SNACKING

 

 

[Sinbabad 280]

I’m not coming from an English speaking country, and I’m not fluent in your langage.

So when I make mistakes, by all means, feel free to correct me !

[TQR 8,213]

1 hour ago, Sinbabad said:

I’m not coming from an English speaking country, and I’m not fluent in your langage.

So when I make mistakes, by all means, feel free to correct me !

You have nothing to worry about, there are lots of people here from non-English speaking countries (Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, USA…) and almost all of them, yourself included, speak English faultlessly 

 

Makes me with my rusty German and barely-scraping-GCSE French feel like a right tit.

[Sir Creep 6,337]

On 20/02/2023 at 05:48, Sinbabad said:

I’m not coming from an English speaking country, and I’m not fluent in your langage.

So when I make mistakes, by all means, feel free to correct me !

Thanks for letting us know.  Good luck learning the inconsistencies known as ‘English’.

[TQR 8,213]

36 minutes ago, Sir Creep said:

Thanks for letting us know.  Good luck learning the inconsistencies known as ‘English’.

English is a language known for its many inconsistencies; the inconsistencies are not known as ‘English’.

[Toast 12,927]

On 15/10/2019 at 14:33, Toast said:

The increasing use of nursery language, even by such institutions as the BBC and the NHS.

In particular - "poo", used both as a noun and a verb.

How much lower can standards fall?  I blame Mumsnet.

 

More nursery language.  I've noticed that nobody says vegetables any more.  They say veggies.

The abbreviation used to be veg, as in meat and two veg.  Veggies meant vegetarians.

Stop the baby talk!  Veg sounds much more grown-up and butch that the feeble veggies.

[TQR 8,213]

Butch vegetables.

[time 6,650]

Re infantilising language, and at the risk of upsetting the canine-loving community (behave!), particularly those that take in rescue dogs (excellent work btw) what's this shit with calling them "doggo", and wtf is a '"forever home" its not forever, its only until they "cross the rainbow bridge" (which is possibly the most vomit-inducing phrase I've ever heard anywhere). Grow up!

[Bibliogryphon 7,315]

29 minutes ago, time said:

Re infantilising language, and at the risk of upsetting the canine-loving community (behave!), particularly those that take in rescue dogs (excellent work btw) what's this shit with calling them "doggo", and wtf is a '"forever home" its not forever, its only until they "cross the rainbow bridge" (which is possibly the most vomit-inducing phrase I've ever heard anywhere). Grow up!

 

It may be doing me a big bamboozle from too many boops to my snoot but I am getting a sense of deja vu from this conversation

[time 6,650]

5 minutes ago, Bibliogryphon said:

 

It may be doing me a big bamboozle from too many boops to my snoot but I am getting a sense of deja vu from this conversation

It's quite possible (i.e very likely) I've mentioned it before (many times).

[Grim Up North 3,401]

1 hour ago, TQR said:

Butch vegetables.

[Toast 12,927]

1 hour ago, time said:

Re infantilising language, and at the risk of upsetting the canine-loving community (behave!), particularly those that take in rescue dogs (excellent work btw) what's this shit with calling them "doggo", and wtf is a '"forever home" its not forever, its only until they "cross the rainbow bridge" (which is possibly the most vomit-inducing phrase I've ever heard anywhere). Grow up!

 

No, you've got that wrong.  They wait at the rainbow bridge until their person dies. Then they are reunited and cross the rainbow bridge together.

[time 6,650]

2 hours ago, Toast said:

 

No, you've got that wrong.  They wait at the rainbow bridge until their person dies. Then they are reunited and cross the rainbow bridge together.

Not on my facebook they don't. Fortunately I seem to have shed most of the people who posted that sort of thing. 

[Toast 12,927]

8 hours ago, time said:

Not on my facebook they don't. Fortunately I seem to have shed most of the people who posted that sort of thing. 

 

Well, they've got it wrong then.

 

Something that does irritate me is people who never refer to their dogs without mentioning that they are from a rescue or shelter.   "My rescue Staffie" etc.  My dog's previous address was the Dogs Trust, but I rarely mention that, he's just my dog now.

[TQR 8,213]

25 minutes ago, Toast said:

Something that does irritate me is people who never refer to their dogs without mentioning that they are from a rescue or shelter.   "My rescue Staffie" etc.  My dog's previous address was the Dogs Trust, but I rarely mention that, he's just my dog now.

This has never sat right with me either. It’d be like adoptive parents only ever saying “my adopted son/daughter”.