# Annoying use of words in American **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449 "2008-08-27T18:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/1 "2008-08-27T18:33:37Z")
You probably spend too much time with another language if you, as a non native speaker, are getting annoyed with words and phrases native speakers use. So I want you dopers to 1) agree with me and tell me that I am right to be annoyed with these things, and 2) explain why these expressions are used by dumb folks, and 3) don’t - which must be tempting - point out spelling or grammatical errors in this post. \*\*First: Already. \*\*Like: “Stop whining _already_!” You can’t use “already” in a sentence like that, or as in: “Just go shopping already.” It sounds ridiculous, and it means nothing; as a matter of fact, is sounds slightly retarded. Stop it. **Second: Point in time** , as in “at this point _in time_”. What else would the point be in? At this point in room? Of course it’s point in time, you don’t have to add words to your sentences just to make them longer. Skip them if they’re unnecessary, especially if they are annoying to! Am I right? Am I right? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/2 "2008-08-27T18:43:33Z")
Sorry, at this point in time I can’t just follow your instructions already! Those uses of “already” are fine. It’s an expression, man! Yes, point in time is redundant but it does have a slightly different meaning from “at this point” which could refer to how far we’ve gotten in something. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/3 "2008-08-27T18:45:16Z")
I had a couple of French speaking Canadian friends in college who have made me very, very aware of how often we Americans say “all set”. Really. Pay attention sometime, and it’ll amaze you. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/4 "2008-08-27T18:45:17Z")
> [@Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary](#): > > Main Entry:already > Function:adverb > Etymology:Middle English al redy, from al redy, adjective, wholly ready, from al all + redy ready > Date:14th century > > 1 : prior to a specified or implied past, present, or future time : by this time : PREVIOUSLY _he had already left when I called_ > **2 — used as an intensive _all right already__enough already_** (unnecessary garbage deleted, bold added) It’s a perfectly legitimate usage. I’m with you on “at this point in time” – it’s verbal bloat. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/5 "2008-08-27T18:51:49Z")
I really can not stand “from the get go.” It sounds like something a 5 year old would use in the school yard. Oh, and while we’re at it, how about “sooner, **rather than later**?” Well, no shit Einstein. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/6 "2008-08-27T18:59:30Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] I really can not stand “from the get go.” It sounds like something a 5 year old would use in the school yard. Oh, and while we’re at it, how about “sooner, **rather than later**?” Well, no shit Einstein. [/QUOTE] Well, since “sooner or later” is another way of saying “eventually”, “sooner, rather than later” implies that something will happen eventually, but time is an issue so one should try to speed up the process. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/7 "2008-08-27T19:06:24Z")
Yes, it’s your right to be annoyed. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with your peeves. I personally think “how come” sounds stupid. Why not just say “why?” But that’s just me. (Technically, “that’s just I.”) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/8 "2008-08-27T19:09:13Z")
To the OP, can you clarify your situation? Are you American but now living elsewhere and using a different language, or a different variant of English? If so, it would be interesting to know which it is, since different second-language environments might produce different impressions. Every language does tend to have intensifiers and other expressions that are difficult to translate. _Doch_ in German, although a cognate of “though”, is an example. In some contexts it is almost like this usage of “already!”, although it can also be a contradictory yes. Another thing I noticed between English and German is that for some single English words there might be many German ones. For instance, because of its case grammer, German has five different ways of saying “the” distributed over sixteen possible combinations of gender and case. (I’m ignoring grammatical number, because in German the genders have merged in the plural, which now is, grammatically, a fourth gender). On the other hand, in some situations we have two or more English words, and German has only one. For example, like most European languages, German has the same word for “to wear” and “to carry”. I suppose the context is always sufficient to clarify matters, but they are such different things, how could there not be a different word for each? ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/9 "2008-08-27T19:11:25Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] … there’s nothing inherently wrong with your peeves. [/QUOTE] Damn! ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/10 "2008-08-27T19:14:06Z")
Neither of those bugs me. Probably because I sometimes use “already” – it doesn’t “mean nothing” – it’s a perfectly good way to express mild annoyance at the (slow) rate at which something is proceeding. “Let’s go” is less descriptive than “Let’s go, already!” “Point in time” – I don’t use it, but it doesn’t bother me like some things. I understand why it bugs you, though, if that helps… ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/11 "2008-08-27T19:18:30Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] … But that’s just me. (Technically, “that’s just I.”) [/QUOTE] No, technically, “That (subject) is just me (object)” ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/12 "2008-08-27T19:19:34Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] Yes, it’s your right to be annoyed. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with your peeves. I personally think “how come” sounds stupid. Why not just say “why?” But that’s just me. (Technically, “that’s just I.”) [/QUOTE] Is “how come” specifically American? I don’t think there’s anything terrible about it. It’s not difficult to imagine how it sprang into existence, but might have made more sense to speakers of Old or Middle English, when the past participle of “to come” was different from the present tense. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/13 "2008-08-27T19:39:13Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] might have made more sense to speakers of Old or Middle English, when the past participle of “to come” was different from the present tense. [/QUOTE] Or maybe it’s just a shortening of ‘how does it come that…’? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/14 "2008-08-27T19:45:22Z")
[QUOTE=Wakinyan] **Second: Point in time** , as in “at this point _in time_”. What else would the point be in? At this point in room? Of course it’s point in time, you don’t have to add words to your sentences just to make them longer. Skip them if they’re unnecessary, especially if they are annoying to! [/QUOTE] At this point in the process, at this point in my story, at this point in our conversation… At this point in time and at this point in the process are very different things. As a project manager/process analyst, trust me that there is a reason to be clear (or perhaps I speak to idiots - always a possibility). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/15 "2008-08-27T20:05:34Z")
[QUOTE=Ichini Sanshigo] No, technically, “That (subject) is just me (object)” [/QUOTE] Then they’ve changed the rules. When I was a kid, linking/copular verbs required pronoun complements to be in the nominative case. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/16 "2008-08-27T20:13:59Z")
[QUOTE=Ichini Sanshigo] No, technically, “That (subject) is just me (object)” [/QUOTE] _Is_ doesn’t take an object. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/17 "2008-08-27T20:18:12Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] Yes, it’s your right to be annoyed. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with your peeves. I personally think “how come” sounds stupid. Why not just say “why?” But that’s just me. (Technically, “that’s just I.”) [/QUOTE] If _Idiocracy_ is to be believed, in the future, “ **Why come** you don’t have a tattoo” will be grammatical. **Rasa** , what do you mean? “All set” as in, “are you ready”? ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/18 "2008-08-27T20:36:33Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] **Rasa** , what do you mean? “All set” as in, “are you ready”? [/QUOTE] Everything from “are you ready?” to “are you done with that?” to “can I help you further?” Maybe it’s just regional, and maybe it’s just because they mentioned it but I noticed it said a zillion times a day now! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/19 "2008-08-27T20:39:18Z")
“Already” in this context is an indicator of (sometimes mock) impatience. There is a difference between “stop whining” and “stop whining, already,” with the latter suggesting it’s noticeably past time to stop. “At this point in time” implies a precision not necessarily conveyed by “at this time.” The latter can be a little fuzzy, perhaps meaning “today” or even “this week.” The former suggests “at this very moment.” So while you may find these phrases annoying, they aren’t inherently meaningless or redundant. Dumb folks use them (sometimes when they probably shouldn’t) because they’re imitating the smart folks who use them appropriately. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449/20 "2008-08-27T20:40:17Z")
**Litoris** walks past her _hose pipe_, into her _living room_ and picks up an _ink pen_ to write down all these superfluous words, _for future reference._ On second thought, nah, I live in the South. If we didn’t differentiate between an ink pen and a stick pin, you’d never know what we’re talking about. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-use-of-words-in-american/461449.md?page=2)