# Things that annoy you (Language Pet Peeves, get 'em while there hot!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2000, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265 "2000-10-09T15:06:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/101 "2000-10-11T17:58:21Z")
I’m a little surprised I’m the first to bring this up. When you form the past tense of the infinitive **to lead** it changes spelling and pronunciation to **led**. More and more lately, I see people taking their cue from **to read** and changing only the pronunciation. I hate that! I know **led** looks wrong. But it’s right. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/102 "2000-10-11T18:13:56Z")
**stuyguy** : > [@](#): > > **Five:** Well said! May I buy you a drink, sir? Of course! I’ll take any microbrewed stout. But please don’t call me “sir.” I work for a living. ---
**Author:** ![Niggle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Niggle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niggle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/103 "2000-10-11T19:01:33Z")
This particular word was mentioned already… but how it’s pronounced is a different matter… This is the only word that I will turn around and correct a total stranger if I hear them say it wrong… Neanderthal… you don’t pronounce the ‘th’ as in ‘the’… it’s pronounced **neander-tal**. Hello! They even changed the english spelling to “neandertal” to stop people from saying the ‘th’! Get a grip! rant done. -nigel ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/104 "2000-10-12T02:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DRY \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Medea’s Child \* > > \*\*My pet peeve, not that I am entitled to any, is a\_lot. It’s two words. It should remain two words. They are even _little_ words, people. Nothing difficult. \*\* > > “Alot” doesn’t annoy me–as a matter of fact, some of my friends here still do that. \*\* Oops, dear friends, I see you have been talking about me behind my back. Or in front of my face, I guess. I stand corrected, and will try to modify my spelling of alot…ahem… **a lot!** :o ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/105 "2000-10-12T03:33:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scupper \* > \*\ ***“For all intensive purposes.”** --\> **“For all intents and purposes.”** (What, exactly, is an “intensive purpose?”) > > Overused cliches and cute acronyms, particularly in business: “ **FYI:** We need to get **all our ducks in a row** so we’ll all be **on the same page** , because they’ll **eat you alive** if you don’t **CYA**. **Don’t sweat the small stuff** , just **think outside the box** and look at **the big picture**. We’re **playing hardball** here, so **take no prisoners**. There’s **blood in the water** already and we’ve got to **circle the wagons**. Make sure we’re **apples to apples** so we don’t get caught like a **deer in the headlights** , or we’ll end up **DOA**.” > > People who begin talking to you with, **"Okay, listen …"** I, for one, beleive very strongly in something I call, \*\*Better Living Through Cliches \*\* It it my firm beleif that one well done cliche will get you out of just about any jam. There is a cliche for every possible situation in life. I’m am not sure if there is a God, but of this, I am very certain. I’ve shared my philosophy with a few close friends ( and now all of you here.) and those that have come into the fold are in the light now and as happy as a lark for listening to such sage advice. I have always wanted to write the definitive book on cliches and how to use them to get out of ever possible situation from work, to arguments to long winded blowhards that just suck the life out of you. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/106 "2000-10-12T03:36:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dire Wolf \* > \*\*OK, how about this word: coupon > > Is it pronounced **coopon** or **kyoopon**??? > > I say “coopon” simply because… > > We eat **soup**. Soop, not syoop > > **Coupe** , a 2 door car. Coop, not kyoop > > Toupee, Grey Poupon, etc., and other words of French origin. > > So all words with “OU” as their second and third letters are pronounced “oo” and not “yoo”. So what’s up with kyoopon? \*\* Damn good question! My friends overseas all pronounce it Kyoopon. Everyone I know here in Michigan says “coo -pon” It’s a conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/107 "2000-10-12T03:45:20Z")
It is Kmart or Meijer. Not Kmarts or Meijers. Jiminey Cricket! I try my best to eradicate this blunder by gritting my teeth and stating firmly, " Unless you went to two stores by the name of Kmart today then it is Kmart. NOT Kmart_s_.Sear_s_ is correct. Montgomery Ward_s_ is correct. But, stop calling it KMART_S_and MEIJER_S_" ---
**Author:** ![stofsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@stofsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stofsky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/108 "2000-10-12T12:22:14Z")
“No holes barred” OK, now we know your sexual habits, but that’s not the word to be used in a no-holds-barred argument. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/109 "2000-10-12T14:27:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by stofsky \* > \*\*_“No holes barred”_ > > \*\* It is against the law in the State of Georgia to say this cliche. ---
**Author:** ![Catrandom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@Catrandom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catrandom)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/110 "2000-10-12T17:07:00Z")
Cliches are useful and clear, which is why they tend to survive. But un-thought-through cliches are also the leading cause of mixed metaphors, which makes them a mixed blessing, or a doubled-edged sword, or something like that. On the cliche front, however, there is one that consistently irritates me: “one fell swoop” used as though it meant simply “all at once.” The cliche arises from MacDuff’s remark on learning of the murder of his family in “Macbeth”: “All my pretty chickens and their dam, in one fell swoop.” “Fell” was then (and still occasionally is) an adjective meaning “evil” with overtones of “disastrous.” So a remark like “Well, we got all those letters out in one fell swoop” makes no sense unless your letters are very sinister indeed. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/111 "2000-10-12T19:58:52Z")
[![](http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif) ](http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif) ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/112 "2000-10-12T21:15:35Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by AzRaek_ > **My ex used “actually” to start almost every sentence. grrrrr** > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by ladybug_ > **Actually, I posted this definition from the AP stylebook …** ::slinks off in shame:: 🙂 My roommate in my freshman year of college started almost every sentence with “actually,” so I can understand why you’d be annoyed. I was ready to pull my hair out by the end of the first semester. I was ready to pull her hair out by the end of the second semester. I’m coming in late here, but I’ll post this anyway … **Stuyguy** , I checked “entitled” in my dictionary (Random House Webster’s Dictionary, second edition) and the second definition does say “to call by a title or a name.” I was referring to the AP Style Guide when I posted and, I admit, I never looked in the dictionary. So I guess it depends on which one you use as a source. Just so you know, I wasn’t suggesting that we discard a valid meaning or that the AP Style Guide is always right. With all of the emphasis my professors put on learning the uses of certain words (you learn pretty quickly when you get between five and 50 points deducted for each error), I didn’t realize that it _was_ acceptable to use “entitle” in that way. However, I’ll still have to fight the urge to take out my red pencil and correct it when I see it. 🙂 Dammit! I just checked the dictionary for “adviser” and it says both spellings are acceptable. That’s it – I’m going over to the journalism building right now and demanding ten points back on that editing quiz. Who cares if I took it in 1996? 😃 Let me know if we ever get that “coupon” thing settled. My mom and I are still debating the pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/113 "2000-10-13T00:45:26Z")
I have always been annoyed by people using “bring” and “take” interchangeably. (Previous word looks wrong, but is spelled correctly according to my dictionary. Go figure.) I bring, you take. Simple, non? “I will bring BBQ pork to your party.” “Will you take BBQ pork to the party?” “Please take BBQ pork to the party-” “Will you please bring BBQ pork to my party?” I HATE it when someone says something along the lines of “Bring this to your dad, please?” Of course, as I found out when I checked the good old dictionary for irregardless, which was NOT a word 20 years ago-as previously stated, it is a double negative and is NOT a word if you want to be a purist- BRING and TAKE have now mutated into the same definition in the dictionary. So, I guess I am now wrong once again. And I will have to stop grinding my teeth when I hear it. Easier said than done. My other pet peeve has already been mentioned, it is the misuse of “seen” and “saw.” So far, I am still allowed to grind my teeth when I hear this one. Given the way things are going, I expect it will be proper to use them interchangeably any day now. Daniel Webster must be rotating in his grave pretty much non-stop. Scotti ---
**Author:** ![filthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@filthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filthy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/114 "2000-10-13T01:43:56Z")
Well, having scanned the Thread, I find that all of my favorite agravations have been covered except one and it’s minor. It’s all of those esoteric acronyms that I can’t figure out. While they don’t exactly drive me up the wall, they will often cause me to move on to something else. IMTTIW ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/115 "2000-10-13T13:53:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scotticher \* > \*\*I have always been annoyed by people using “bring” and “take” interchangeably \*\* I can’t stand when people use the word “ground” in place of “floor” when referring to something that fell. Floor = indoors; ground = outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/116 "2000-10-13T14:28:43Z")
Sorry **Filthy** , but “aggravate” is not synonymous with “annoy”. A bad situation or an unpleasant disease can be aggravated, i.e. something already considered bad can become worse or can be made worse. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/117 "2000-10-13T15:02:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\*I was listening to a man being interviewed on NPR - can’t remember the topic at the moment - and one of his comments was about a “pa-RID-dig-gum”. From the context, he knew what a paradigm was - just couldn’t pronounce it. Is it that difficult a word?? \*\* My guess is that he had the same problem I’ve had - he learned the word when reading and hasn’t learned to pronounce it. A great deal of mine came from extensive reading at an early age. I learned lots of vocabulary that wasn’t generally used in conversation with kids, so I didn’t hear them pronounced. Since I was too lazy to get up and go to the dictionary every time I came across a word I didn’t recognize, I learned them through context and made up my own pronunciation based on appearance. Once you’ve gotten a pronunciation stuck in your head, it can be hard to remember the real one. I will admit that ‘muh CAB’ (sorry, closest I can get) sounds more gruesome than ‘MACK a bray’ and I say it correctly (altho I sometimes mispronounce it mentally when reading). But I still often get ‘shellac’ wrong. And my favorite was just a couple of years ago, when I discovered that the game ‘pih NOH cul’ that I’d read about for years was ACTUALLY the game ‘PEA-knuckle’ that I’d been hearing about for years! 😃 ---
**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:** [October 13, 2000, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/118 "2000-10-13T15:34:36Z")
\ I’ll never forget my humiliation when I stood up in 8th grade to read “The Ancient Mariner” and pronounced it “Ma-REEN-er”. One time while watching Jeopardy I said the answer was Doo-AH-de-num, when the correct pronunciation is Doo-o-DEE-num (duodenum). I do this a lot, because some words you just don’t hear in conversation or on TV. It always surprises me when I hear the correct pronunciation, and like you said it’s hard to use the correct one. \ Another PP of mine is usage of “lay” and “lie”. When I was a kid, my mother and grandmother drilled these into my head, and now to hear “I’m gonna go lay down” grates on my nerves. ---
**Author:** ![filthy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@filthy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filthy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/119 "2000-10-13T16:53:41Z")
Celyn Member Sorry Filthy, but “aggravate” is not synonymous with “annoy”. A bad situation or an unpleasant disease can be aggravated, i.e. something already considered bad can become worse or can be made worse. * * * As a retired, old fart who is planning to return to school, I find this thread great. The first courses I’ll be takeing are Algebra for Idiots and a sort of Remedial English. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265/120 "2000-10-13T20:44:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by redtail23 \* > **My guess is that he had the same problem I’ve had - he learned the word when reading and hasn’t learned to pronounce it.** This happened to me, too. For the longest time, I thought the word gesture was pronounced with a g (as in go). Also: unbeknownst = unbeKOWnst hors d’oeuvres = whores doevras macabre = maKAYber [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-annoy-you-language-pet-peeves-get-em-while-there-hot/36265.md?page=7)