What are your pet peeves re English usage?

"to grow the business" - that seems to have become a favourite expression in north-american business news. i just can't get used to it ... yet. ... another expression that is now used frequently in north-america (particularly by politicians who have noying of importance to say) is "in terms of ... ". why it's being used, i truly cannot understand. hbg

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In terms of, hamburger, you bring me to giggles. That is soooo 1971. It was a start for every other sentence in San Diego and Los Angeles that year..

(smiling, osso)

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in terms of using up-to-date lingo people living in eastern north america are a little behind the inhabitants of the pacific coastal region, but we are much better in growing our business. hbg

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ehBeth wrote:

They've been having Summer Olympics since 1896. Nothing new/unusual/transatlantic 'bout that.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114337.html

I'm not convinced. I think this usage is perhaps commoner in N America because Canada is frozen half the year, and Canadian kids learn to skate before they can walk; so they think winter is a normal sporting opportunity. To the rest of us, it is not. :wink:

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What's my peeve of today? I can't remember now, but I thought of it when I was coming home in the car.

OK here's one: the Brits write "cheque" for a money transfer slip and "check" for most other meanings of this word.
We speak of "Chinese Chequers" and almost never "Checkers". I think this is sensible and useful. But the Americans write "check" for everything and I think this is a shame.

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Check it out, McTag. I find no fault with exchequer, but The Ballad of Reading Gael? My biggest pet peeve with Brits stuff is that I always forget how to spell it. Razz

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McTag wrote:

ehBeth wrote:
They've been having Summer Olympics since 1896. Nothing new/unusual/transatlantic 'bout that.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114337.html

I'm not convinced. I think this usage is perhaps commoner in N America because Canada is frozen half the year, and Canadian kids learn to skate before they can walk; so they think winter is a normal sporting opportunity. To the rest of us, it is not. :wink:

Good try, McT. Turns out there is no such thing as The Olympics. You've got a choice of the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics, and the Olympic Movement.

I was surprised to discover that. I thought they'd been split out into summer/winter more recently than 1896 myself.

You are right about skating. I think hamburger had me on skates before I could walk properly.

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ehBeth wrote:

Good try, McT. Turns out there is no such thing as The Olympics. You've got a choice of the Summer Olympics, the Winter Olympics, and the Olympic Movement.

I dunno. Check out the website of the current 2004 Athens, uh ... Olympics. LINK. Its headlined, simply,

"The official website of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games - Games of the XXVIII Olympiad"

Not the Summer Olympic Games - just, the Olympic Games. And today's headline on the site is:

"18 August - Day five of the Olympic Games!"

Again, none of that Summer stuff. The Olympic Games are the Olympic Games, period. And to my cultural sensitivities - thats how it should be! Razz

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That is the Athens site - not the official Olympic organization website.

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I've been catching up on my this thread.

McTag, you actually wrote a letter about the "snow blizzard" mistake?

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i'm reading for the second time THE MEMOIRS OF LORD GLADWYN (i bought the book in the 70's , read it and it's been at the back of the shelf ever since). gladwyn was a member of the british foreign service from 1920 to 1965; he had a fascinating career, serving in teheran in the early 20's and becoming britain's representative to the united nations after the war. in writting about the british position towards italy and germany in the mid 30's he writes "...i tended, on balance, to favour the policy of 'tipping the wink' ". i can't find a proper explanantion of that phrase; i assume it means "giving a strong hint" - is that a correct interpretation ? hbg

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SCoates wrote:

I've been catching up on my this thread.

McTag, you actually wrote a letter about the "snow blizzard" mistake?

I certainly did, to BBC Manchester a good number of years ago now, and I got a (guarded) apology.

One expects high standards from one's broadcasting corporation, after all, what? Smile

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hamburger wrote:

i'm reading for the second time THE MEMOIRS OF LORD GLADWYN (i bought the book in the 70's , read it and it's been at the back of the shelf ever since). gladwyn was a member of the british foreign service from 1920 to 1965; he had a fascinating career, serving in teheran in the early 20's and becoming britain's representative to the united nations after the war. in writting about the british position towards italy and germany in the mid 30's he writes "...i tended, on balance, to favour the policy of 'tipping the wink' ". i can't find a proper explanantion of that phrase; i assume it means "giving a strong hint" - is that a correct interpretation ? hbg

I think that is correct, hbg, perhaps even without the "strong".

I would say it means "to let something become known without saying it outright; to drop a hint"; or, "to let someone know something by roundabout means".
Which sounds the same as "giving a strong hint", yes.

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"tipping the wink"

does that not mean letting it be known that something will be 'condoned', tacitly (winked at); in order to allow a motion to be 'entertained' without fear that it may be opposed. ?

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it can be stretched to that but I think McTag's explanation is more accurate

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thanks, everyone ! quizzed a retired english professor while we were both standing naked under the shower this morning -, entirely innocent !!! (we were both taking a shower before entering the swimming pool). even though he is british born and went to cambridge (?), he was somewhat baffled by the expression; but he thought mctag's interpretion was probably right. i was pretty sure able2know members would come to the rescue; i'll read and sleep better now. hbg

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SCoates wrote:

People pronouncing Missouri as Mizuruh. I work at a call center, and everyone from that state calls it that. In fact, every call I have ever recieved from Missouri, except one, which I just took, and that inspired me to point it out. I congratulated her.

Ever think that maybe people who live there are simply Mizurahble?

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I've heard that too. Why DO they call it Missourah?

Some historical reason?

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Hey, all. Pronunciations vary from state to state here. Generally, many can be called colloquialisms. Having been in radio and TV, one learns to pronounce things the way that midwesterners do, because they seem to have a more euphonious appeal, and less of a discernible accent.

My Mom always dropped her "r's" and I was a rather big gal before I realized that "wardrobe" wasn't pronounced "wadrobe"...<smile>

As for Missouri, I have never heard anyone pronounce it other than the way it should be pronounced.

If any of you ever listen to country music, you'll often hear the accent on the wrong syllable; DEtroit city comes to mind.

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What are your pet peeves re English usage?

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