# Cliche cutesy-isms that set your teeth on edge **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 25, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162 "2004-02-25T19:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/61 "2004-02-26T09:00:04Z")
I just wanted to chime in here (if that’s allowed, I haven’t perused\* all the rules). I wasn’t aware that whilst was a Britishism. Well, maybe in Shakespeare’s day, but I wasn’t aware that it was one currently. I just thought it sounded old-fashioned. It sometimes slips out when I’m in a peculiar mood. If we did away with all the little oddities then all the posts would look pretty much the same…boring. However if this is a vote on words to oust from the board I’d be very happy to never have to see “carbs” again. \*So sue me. ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/62 "2004-02-26T09:15:01Z")
> [@racinchikki](#): > > Spelling “grey” like that is an affectation? I was taught that “grey” and “gray” were equally valid, not that one was American and the other English, and I’ve always felt that the former looked nicer. AP style says one should use “gray” when referring to the color. Since it’s a hassle to have one mental dictionary for when I’m on the clock and another for when I’m not, I default to the “a” spelling. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/63 "2004-02-26T09:20:01Z")
What? We American chaps can’t use Britishisms? Just because we happen to be on this side of the pond? What kind of shite is that! Wonder how much the performance of the SDMB would improve if we got rid of “things other people post that piss me off” threads. 😉 And why is it that people make phonetic typos (e.g. sack instead of sake, or thing instead of think)? Typos like teh (which I admit bugs me) or kinf are understandable, given the structure of the QWERTY keyboard, but the G and K are way too far apart whereas the C and E aren’t even on the same row! Anyhoo, it just goes back to please all and you will please none. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Horrifying\_Howler\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horrifying_Howler_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/64 "2004-02-26T13:05:54Z")
I don’t know if this thing counts as a cliche -\> :rolleyes: but I hate that guy. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so overused, but there are threads were it appears in almost every post, sometimes more than once. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/65 "2004-02-26T13:35:25Z")
> [@gum](#): > > Yeah: ‘Godwin’s law’ is a very tired clichè. Lets get rid of it. > > Like we oughta get rid of “rules” who are thought of by some nobody. Thanks. Yeah, definetly deep six Godwin’s Law. I mean, if you let a thread run long enough, the odds of ANYTHING coming up approach one. ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/66 "2004-02-26T13:41:57Z")
> [@cityboy916](#): > > Typos like teh (which I admit bugs me) or kinf are understandable, given the structure of the QWERTY keyboard, but the G and K are way too far apart whereas the C and E aren’t even on the same row Switch to Dvorak then. The home row consists of the 10 most common letters in the English language, which makes it easier to use. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/67 "2004-02-26T17:20:08Z")
> [@Ferrous](#): > > I am aware that one was generally used by Americans and one by British, but I always forget which is which. gr **a** y = **A** merican gr **e** y = **E** nglish I’m American, but I prefer the British spelling of certain things, e.g., judgment. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/68 "2004-02-26T17:52:18Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > gr **a** y = **A** merican > gr **e** y = **E** nglish > > I’m American, but I prefer the British spelling of certain things, e.g., judgment. _Judgment_ is the correct spelling; American or British doesn’t come into it. Also, I hate it when people use the wrong word because it sounds fancier than the right word: utilize/use apropos/appropriate comprise/compose These words are not interchangeable. There are six different words in that list, with six different meanings. (In other words, I do not think “apropos” means what you think it means.) ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/69 "2004-02-26T18:22:25Z")
Re: Britishisms in the hands of Americans… Would you guys _please_ stop signing-off from your posts with ‘_Cheers!_’…? What are you? Some kind of alcoholic that thinks we can all see you raising your martini glass to us as you hit ‘Submit Reply’? It’s annoying enough when my (British) boss says it instead of ‘goodbye’ on the phone. Ta! PS: What’s so wrong with setting your teeth on edge? Parents pay billions to orthodontists every year to set their kids’ teeth on edge. We should be happy to have our teeth set on edge so cheaply, for free, even, right here on the SDMB. Oh, yeah, and… Inconceivable! ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/70 "2004-02-26T18:28:06Z")
> [@1920s Style Death Ray](#): > > Oz? In what context and why is that annoying? Sorry, I don’t visit too often. I know it’s a nickname/euphimism for Australia. And I have nothing against Aussies, it reminds me of the _Wizard of Oz_ and I hated that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/71 "2004-02-26T20:51:01Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > gr **a** y = **A** merican > gr **e** y = **E** nglish Hey, cool. That’s a handy trick for remembering it. Which I shall now proceed to ignore, because as I said, I prefer “grey”. Thanks anyway, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Denis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5e9695/32.png) [@Denis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Denis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/72 "2004-02-27T01:02:30Z")
I’m another that was taught gr **a** y and gr **e** y are equally valid spellings. I prefer grey. I was also raised by Canadian parents. English spoken up in the Great White North can be salted with some Britishisms. So occaisionaly, the word “bloody” shows up in my speech as an expletive. I’ve got to aggree with the abuse of Godwin’s Law. That is one tiresome way to miss a point someone’s trying to make. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/73 "2004-02-27T01:17:37Z")
I am another American who’s guilty of slipping in the occasional Britishism. I attribute it to all the British novels and TV shows that I read/watch so much. My specialization in British art also forces me to deal with a lot of Britishisms, and sometimes they make their way into my writing (and sometimes into my speech). I can see that, coming from an American, it can seem pretentious. But there are certain British spellings that I’ve come to prefer. “Grey” is a good example. I tend to think of “Gray” as a proper name, and “grey” as the color (hah, I didn’t spell it “colour”–I’m not _that_ pretentious). I also tend to throw in extra consonants that are acceptable in British English but not in American English (such as “travelling” or “cancelling”). Those words just look better to my eye than they do with a single “l.” As for other cliches, I too find movie and TV quotations to be overused. _The Princess Bride_ doesn’t bug me too much, but I’m really sick of “Won’t somebody _please_ think of the children,” “How YOU doin’?” and “Mmmmkay?” I like the Simpsons (and to a lesser extent, Friends and South Park), but these phrases have become tiresome. I also get annoyed when a poster responds to somebody with “Um.” As in, “Um, that’s wrong.” I particularly see this in Great Debates–sometimes the original post is stupid and deserves mocking, but other times the “Um” strikes me as condescending and rather similar to :rolleyes: (which I’ve also grown to despise). ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/74 "2004-02-27T01:28:46Z")
The words, “In my former life” makes me make the same face as when my dog farts. As in, “I was a tester in my former life”. Unless you were a different species in a former life, cut it out. Really. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/75 "2004-02-27T01:39:24Z")
“enthused” “lensing” a movie, instead of “filming” or “shooting” ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/76 "2004-02-27T02:32:35Z")
Y’all are a bunch of language National Socialists. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/77 "2004-02-27T04:46:30Z")
Britishisms don’t bug me. It does irk me when Americans insert **“u”** into words like **“color”**. But I’m easily irkable. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/78 "2004-02-27T04:50:13Z")
“My bad” Arrrrggh! It just looks and sounds so awful. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/79 "2004-02-27T05:00:01Z")
I posted before reading all the posts on Britishisms. I’m Canadian, and I always use the British spelling of words (of course, this is how we’re taught here in Canada). So indeed, grEy is the coloUr! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162/80 "2004-02-27T05:15:33Z")
> [@](#): > > **Skopo** : I also tend to throw in extra consonants that are acceptable in British English but not in American English (such as “travelling” or “cancelling”). Doubling the final consonant is perfectly acceptable in American usage also. I started to write _on this side of the pond_ but decided to add it to my list of cliches instead. Another good British usage: _Beastly!_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cliche-cutesy-isms-that-set-your-teeth-on-edge/231162.md?page=5)