# Misused words that get on your nerves **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2002, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459 "2002-05-23T10:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/21 "2002-05-23T14:28:52Z")
Which is it: “in regard to” or “in regards to” ``` OR ``` “with regard to” or “with regards to” (this thread will make me mental!) ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/22 "2002-05-23T14:31:21Z")
Hi, Auntie Em and Co, just want to point out that orientate is a regional thing. Where I live, I’d never _ever_ heard anyone use orient in place of orientate until I started watching more American TV shows. Over here, I’d peg orient as the incorrect version of orientate, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/23 "2002-05-23T14:32:40Z")
The multi-posts will also make me mental! Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/24 "2002-05-23T14:33:42Z")
“doable”. There is already a perfectly good word in existence, namely ‘feasible’. Know it. Live it. Use it. It’s entirely feasible, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Jorel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jorel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/25 "2002-05-23T14:43:14Z")
I hate it when people say “alls I know…” or “for all intensive purposes” I think “toward” and “towards” are both correct, “towards” sounds more British to me… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/26 "2002-05-23T15:02:58Z")
**mrs jjimm** used to work with a guy who used buzzwords all the time. Especially the phrase “tink thank”. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/27 "2002-05-23T15:03:18Z")
Damn, I came in here to post “ **‘schizo’ drives me schizo!** ”. Guess you’ve saved me the effort, **flodnak**! Myself, I’m never sure of “orientated” versus “oriented” (I avoid using either). “Comprised of” and “comprises” I keep forgetting, too. So there’s something I’ve learned today. **Olentzero** : I thought “doable” is a valid slang term. (I’m always flattered to be described as “doable”, myself. :)) Allow me to add the misuse of “i.e.”. It means “that is” (id est). It should NEVER be used as a substitute for “e.g.” An illustration (or, if you prefer “e.g.” ;)): for the past five years, all my exam papers at uni have had a standard cover sheet for candidates to fill out. There’s a line for “Course”. Underneath the line it reads “ **I.e.** , Bachelor of Arts”. WTF? EVERY single student at uni uses this form. Only a small portion of us are Arts Undergraduates. Certainly I’m not. My uni, of course, means “ **E.g.** , Bachelor of Arts”. This mistake is especially irritating since it’s made by a supposed institution of higher learning and it occurs year after year! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/28 "2002-05-23T15:25:57Z")
**Narrad** : I concur. People are (or are not, it’s a subjective thing) doable. 😃 Actions are feasible. ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/29 "2002-05-23T15:28:00Z")
I don’t know if this is a southern thing or if I just started noticing it after I moved to GA and started practcing law- I’d be interested to know if anyone else has heard this. I hear defendants, prosecutors, other lawyers and judges use the word “license” as a plural. As in, “The Clerk has your license in the file, she’ll give them back to you”. No one can explain this to me. I heard from one cop that the police refer to “license” as plural to trick their unsuspecting arrestees into giving up multiple / fake licenses if they exist, but that sounds a little too “choking doberman” for me to buy. Anyway, it drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/30 "2002-05-23T15:33:55Z")
Just dug through that repository of English lexical knowledge, the Oxford English Dictionary online (gotta love public library cards!) and, after careful examination, I believe I am ready to pronounce the “official” difference between these two words… none at all. The definitions in both entries are more or less exactly the same, even down to the obsolete and obscure ones. They can be freely substituted for each other with no fear of erroneous usage whatsoever. Go forth, then, ye Teeming Millions! Rest easy in the knowledge that the OED has firmly established the principle of Speaker’s Choice in the matter, and if anyone gives you any guff about it, point them towards London and boot them in the behind. ---
**Author:** ![Jorel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jorel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jorel)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/31 "2002-05-23T15:42:56Z")
When I was studying for my license to drive (California) the handbook kept referring to the “driver license” as opposed to a “driver’s license” I thought that sounded wrong, but I’m not sure… ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/32 "2002-05-23T16:16:10Z")
I always say “ascared” instead of “afraid”, just to drive my husband nuts. He gives me a glare like he could shake me! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/33 "2002-05-23T16:20:45Z")
How can taking something as a given for the purpose of argument make an ass out of you and me? Need I say more? (oh, and people who can’t distinguish between infer and imply – Bastards! Every last one of 'em.) ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/34 "2002-05-23T16:34:19Z")
“Why don’t you take me more serious?” _SERIOUSLY_ Adjectives and adverbs people. Learn the difference! I can’t stand it when people ALWAYS say ‘I’ because they don’t know the rule and don’t want to say ‘me’ - for example, my co-worker said, “She gave a gift to my mother and I.” Nooooooooooo!! She’s so afraid of using ‘me’ when it should be ‘I’ that she always says ‘I’! Both of the above are similar to using ‘good’ and ‘well’ without distinguishing between adjectives and adverbs. (Some people always say ‘well’ because they were corrected once when asked how they were doing and they responded with “good.” Now, if asked how things are, they will say “well” when they mean GOOD! AUGHH!!!) **Supposably** No, folks. It is SUPPOSEDLY. **Alls I have to do is…** Why not “All I have to do…” How the fuck is that plural? And this is an odd one. I know a few people who will say, “My car needs washed.” I say, “My car needs to be washed.” I don’t know why this bugs me but it does. Now please feel free to correct all my grammar mistakes because this rant was typed in under 1 minute flat - this topic gets me going! 😃 Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/35 "2002-05-23T16:36:58Z")
How about “supposably” instead of “supposedly”. Grrrrrrrrr… ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/36 "2002-05-23T16:42:12Z")
Cool…simulpost… ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/37 "2002-05-23T17:00:28Z")
“Very unique” Unique means one of a kind. Something is unique, or not. There are no degrees ---
**Author:** ![Tiburon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tiburon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tiburon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/38 "2002-05-23T17:17:04Z")
Wow, my first simulpost. Is this when we sleep together now? 😃 Tibs. ---
**Author:** ![Rib\_Eye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/39 "2002-05-23T17:19:42Z")
Tib - My wife and I have long standing and good natured argument about this. Where I grew up (Western Maryland, pronounced west-urn mer-lin) we all said “the car needs washed”, “the grass needs mowed”, etc. Mrs. says that’s wrong! “To be” must be there, or alternately it must be phrased as “the car needs washing.” I’m not sure this is right either. Whatever. I’ll keep right on saying “the grass needs mowed” with the “to be” understood. Heck with my logic the most famous line in Shakespeare could be altered to “Or not.” ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/40 "2002-05-23T17:24:24Z")
But Tibs, I’m supposably married!😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459.md?page=3)