# Annoying pretentious words, sayings, or pronunciations people use to sound smarter **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456 "2001-01-04T20:43:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inanna)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/1 "2001-01-04T20:43:39Z")
It really irks me when people use “if you will” after EVERYTHING they say. Same with “at this juncture”. Blahhh! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/2 "2001-01-04T20:53:08Z")
I have one: **irks**. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/3 "2001-01-04T20:55:09Z")
That’s my social studies teacher! His two favourite phrases are ‘suspend your disbelief’ and ‘if you will’. As is obvious, the class laughs pretty hard everytime he combines the two. ---
**Author:** ![Nen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Nen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nen)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/4 "2001-01-04T20:56:28Z")
At this juncture, I have no “irks,” if you will. ::ducking and running:: ---
**Author:** ![scottws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@scottws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scottws)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/5 "2001-01-04T21:00:02Z")
People who insist upon using periods instead of dashes (or parentheses) in phone numbers - as in 525.521.1212. Supposed to look european or some damn thing, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![socpro69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@socpro69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/socpro69)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/6 "2001-01-04T21:06:06Z")
I ascertain that… Any Kids In The Hall Fans here? No? Okay, I’ll leave quietly. ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/7 "2001-01-04T21:07:43Z")
If you will, people who use “wherefore” to mean “where” really irk me, at this juncture. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/8 "2001-01-04T21:14:03Z")
“If memory serves” and “Do you hear what I’m sayin’?” the latter being pretentious for the terminally stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Inanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inanna)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/9 "2001-01-04T21:17:22Z")
People who speak about themselves in the third person. “Inanna wants another drink” People who say ad-VER-tis-ment. Not sure of the spelling, but phoenetically it sounds like: APPROPO. (to mean appropriate) ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/10 "2001-01-04T21:17:30Z")
Aack! **scottws** I do exactly that in my phone #'s, but just because I like the way it looks, not because I’m trying to be pretentious. I also used to say the word “plethora” a lot, because I liked the way it feels when you say it, but then people told me I sounded snotty so I quit using it. I’m sure if you ask Mr. Sunshine he would say that I’m pretentious as hell…but I just like to use my vocabulary…not to impress people but because I think other words are overused and why not use something different if can? ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/11 "2001-01-04T21:23:52Z")
car-RIB-ee-un HAIR-us (for harrass) YOOR-unus (Uranus) And lately the Hyper-Spanish pronunciations of Hispanic surnames by TV news people. Drives me nuts. GRRRRRRRRRRR:mad: ---
**Author:** ![socpro69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@socpro69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/socpro69)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/12 "2001-01-04T21:34:19Z")
It bothers me when people say schedule as sh-edule. I guess any alternate pronunciations kind of make me cringe. More so if I hear them from people I know grew up using the same dialect I did. > [@](#): > > \*\* > People who say ad-VER-tis-ment. > \*\* Aaarrrrrgggggggghhhhhh > [@](#): > > \*\* > HAIR-us > \*\* Double aaarrrrrgggggggghhhhhh ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/13 "2001-01-04T21:41:00Z")
I don’t put periods in my phone numbers, but I do cross my numeral sevens. It makes me feel so DELICIOUSLY Continental. (ducks and runs) ---
**Author:** ![McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/14 "2001-01-04T21:47:33Z")
People who slip in little snippets of French or Latin into a post to make them sound a little, I dunno, _plus intelligents_ annoy me. Ah well, C’est la vie. ---
**Author:** ![scottws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@scottws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scottws)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/15 "2001-01-04T21:51:14Z")
\<\\> Sorry! However, I don’t think being pretentious is the result of trying to be pretentious. Someone who says “be that as it may” or says “SHED-ule” just likes the way they sound. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/16 "2001-01-04T21:53:14Z")
Deconstruct Paradigm Hegemony post-Lacanic Okay, I guess these words are appropriate occasionally, but as a grad student, I encounter them waaaay too often. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/17 "2001-01-04T21:58:19Z")
“Basically” Basically, I had an econ teacher in college who would, basically, pre and post fix each sentence with the word “basically”. I got bored during class and, basically, counted the number of times he said it. I, basically, got 52…in an hour. Basically. To me it sounds terribly unedu-ma-cated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/18 "2001-01-04T22:11:33Z")
How about movie fans and reviewers who refer to “Hollywood” as if it was a single person, as in “It’s obvious why Hollywood liked the script.” It always reminds me of a 12 year old trying to sound sophisticated. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/19 "2001-01-04T22:48:20Z")
Abbreviations or acronyms: FYI, ASAP, SOP, that sort of thing. “Le-zhure” for “leisure”. “Shed-ule” for “schedule”. I guess any British pronounciation or spelling when the person in question is quite American smacks of pretentiousness to me. I feel for you **Sunshine**. I’ve been accused of pedantry myself. I don’t think it’s pedantic to use two-bit words when the word means exactly what you’re trying to say. That’s what they’re for, yeah? ---
**Author:** ![choosybeggar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@choosybeggar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choosybeggar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2001, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456/20 "2001-01-04T22:54:39Z")
Something M.D.'s use to sound smart: instead of centimeters they measure in saantimeters (rhymes with Immanuel Kantimeters). Makes me loco!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-pretentious-words-sayings-or-pronunciations-people-use-to-sound-smarter/48456.md?page=2)