# Phrases/terms that aggravate the hell out of you **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 26, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894 "2020-10-26T02:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 71
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1408 "2022-12-03T20:04:41Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > When I say the word _I’m_ it comes out “Ahm”, like everyone else in my family This reminded me. I used to watch a show about a guy doing garden makeovers for people. His name was Ahmed. Once, he was in the South, and he was talking to a guy he was trying to recruit for the show. The guy said his name, and Ahmed answered with “Ahmed.” The other guy said “Hi, Ed!” Cracked me up. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1409 "2022-12-03T23:32:05Z")
> [@jerseymule](#): > > @Acsenray, I agree with you that people don’t all have to agree on a single pronunciation. I guess that Qatar will probably end up like Moscow, where some say “cow” like the bovine and others rhyme the last syllable with “doe.” 😌 Very likely to be true. (I think part of the source of confusion over Qater may be our tendency to want to see a U in there after that Q. After all, it’s not as though western English speakers have particular difficulties with middle-Eastern or African words; lots of the geographical names of the area receive what seem to be ‘standard’ pronunciations. An exception might be Niger, which gets pronounced several ways–but there are other issues with that one. (Such as French!)) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1410 "2022-12-04T02:16:45Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > This reminded me. I used to watch a show about a guy doing garden makeovers for people. His name was Ahmed. Once, he was in the South, and he was talking to a guy he was trying to recruit for the show. The guy said his name, and Ahmed answered with “Ahmed.” The other guy said “Hi, Ed!” Cracked me up. Having grown up in Dixie, I can readily see that happening! You wouldn’t happen to know what show it was, would you? I’d love to get a youtube clip of that interaction. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2022, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1411 "2022-12-04T18:25:17Z")
It was called _Yard Crashers._ He did a few seasons but left when the HGTV (or DIY?) insisted on a set format for each show – something that aggravates me, too. He was the best host, and I missed him in later seasons and stopped watching, but I appreciate his sticking to his principles. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1412 "2022-12-07T21:44:00Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > “I’mma…” and “X be like…” I see these being thrown all around the internet I hear you, but to me these expressions are just Internet banter, or perhaps we should simply call them memes by this point. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1413 "2022-12-07T22:14:12Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I think this phrase is indeed an insult. > > Remove the ‘not’, which leaves “I miss you being here.” In other words, “I wish you were here.” > > Put the ‘not’ back in. In other words, “I wish you were not here.” > > What am I missing? I’ve had it said to me and I’ve heard it said to others, and it was absolutely clear that it meant “I miss you” or “I’m lonely with you not being around”. Besides, if you’re telling someone to stay the fuck away, why would you come up with such a backward somersault turn of phrase to say it? I think with expressions like _miss…not_ and _prevent X from not_ the underlying concept to the person talking is that “miss” and “prevent” are perceived as quasi-negatory words, so that an actual negation is, somehow, also needed. I haven’t looked into it very far yet, but I believe this phenomenon may be related to how we use words like _any_, which are typically used only in questions and phrases of uncertainty or negation. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2022, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1414 "2022-12-07T22:19:30Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > > [@Railer13](#): > > > > I think this phrase is indeed an insult. > > > > Remove the ‘not’, which leaves “I miss you being here.” In other words, “I wish you were here.” > > > > Put the ‘not’ back in. In other words, “I wish you were not here.” > > > > What am I missing? > > I’ve had it said to me and I’ve heard it said to others, and it was absolutely clear that it meant “I miss you” or “I’m lonely with you not being around”. It seems like another instance of the phenomenon of “I could care less” being used to mean “I could not care less.” Maybe at some point people can’t keep track of words in a negative sentence and what would seem to be sentences with opposite meanings get jumbled up. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1415 "2022-12-08T01:37:03Z")
I have friends that live in Moscow, I should ask them about the pronunciation. BTW, that dreadful news about the students in Moscow, I saw a tv report from the local station up ther. It’s station KREM. Kind of amusing. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1416 "2022-12-08T03:29:40Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I have friends that live in Moscow, I should ask them about the pronunciation. Idaho? Been there. It is like a nursery business: MOSS Co. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1417 "2022-12-12T05:05:57Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Which makes sense to me, as “_y’all_” is a perfectly cromulent contraction of “you all” and completely in accord with the rules of English grammar. As I’ve ranted about repeatedly. Additionally, y’all has the advantage of being absolutely gender neutral. I know, one could easily make the case that “you guys” is, in many contexts, likewise gender neutral, but I don’t think it’s possible for it ever to become completely so. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2022, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1418 "2022-12-12T07:15:41Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1419 "2022-12-12T19:01:49Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I know, one could easily make the case that “you guys” is, in many contexts, likewise gender neutral, but I don’t think it’s possible for it ever to become completely so. I’ve used as a gender neutral term all my life. I don’t think it’s an issue. Y’all is too region specific for me. I don’t think I’d ever use it. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1420 "2022-12-12T19:47:21Z")
One rather old one has started to annoy me. I think it was in an ad where they were trying to sell some kind of container, which was good for storing “veggies”. That is baby talk that does not really belong in normal speech. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1421 "2022-12-12T20:58:19Z")
I beg to differ! I use it all the time, and I am not THAT childish. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1422 "2022-12-12T21:15:40Z")
That reminds me of another thing. I hate when you hear grown adults using baby talk to another adult. I had a friend in college who would use the term, “pee-pee whacking” as in, “Yeah, he screwed up bad. His boss gave him a real pee-pee whacking over it.” There’s so much wrong with using that term. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1423 "2022-12-12T21:23:54Z")
The difference that used to exist between backslash and forward slash no longer exists. Browsers are intelligent enough now to distinguish and correct the wrong ones. So even though I understand the derivation and distinction, I only use “slash” since anything else would be needlessly pedantic and confusing to the average person. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1424 "2022-12-12T22:56:50Z")
Semantically, there really is a big difference, though. Browsers might make a correction, but compilers generally do not. If you are writing a program, you really do need to make sure you use the right one. But, IME, “slash” is exactly the same as “forward slash”, and “backslash” is the specific term for the other one (which is sometimes also called the “escape” character, but never say that to a non-programmer, and in urls, escape is “%”). Also, I have to be careful interpreting British, because when they say “stroke” my reflex is to think slash when what they actually mean is hyphen. ---
**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:** [December 12, 2022, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1425 "2022-12-12T23:19:51Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > veggies”. That is baby talk that does not really belong in normal speech. Totally agree. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1426 "2022-12-12T23:24:02Z")
It’s better than veegees, which has appeared on this very board. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/1427 "2022-12-12T23:27:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > The difference that used to exist between backslash and forward slash no longer exists. Browsers are intelligent enough now to distinguish and correct the wrong ones. So even though I understand the derivation and distinction, I only use “slash” since anything else would be needlessly pedantic and confusing to the average person. Granted that most browsers will make the correction. And for a lot of younger amatuer users, browsers are the only place they encounter any form of slash. Ultimately, for techies you want to be precise though you may not need to be, for programs other than browsers and for programming / scripting you need to be precise, for clueless people you want to be simple, and it’s the “I have some clue” folks in the middle who are all the trouble doing the right or wrong thing for the wrong or right reason and mistakenly believing they understand something they don’t. Those people are the tough problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894.md?page=72)