# Tiny, unimportant things that folks get all bothered about **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2022, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271 "2022-04-22T19:24:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/161 "2022-05-02T01:45:47Z")
It was a pun. Really. (Actually, it was me not realizing that @Thing.Fish was talking about the pronunciation of Willamette. I thought he was talking about those two words. D’oh!) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/162 "2022-05-02T04:23:06Z")
So is it Wil-LAMM-it or Wil-LAHM-it? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/163 "2022-05-02T04:56:15Z")
The first one. Rhymes with ‘ham.’ ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/164 "2022-05-04T01:53:56Z")
You use a long A in camel? From where and when are you? When I was in school (central Indiana, 1960s) a long A was A as in day, and a short A was A as in cat. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/165 "2022-05-04T02:51:35Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I didn’t know there were multiple pronunciations of “dammit”. I use a long A and a strong accent on the second syllable. So it would rhyme with “camel” if you replaced the l with a t and said “camet”. I cannot parse what you are saying here. I can’t even imagine _how_ it would be said that way. A long A and accent on the **second** syllable? day-MIT? cay-MEL?? That doesn’t even follow any rules of English or accent I’ve ever heard of. Can you record yourself saying it or find some kind of audio of this supposed pronunciation online? ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/166 "2022-05-04T02:59:32Z")
OK, other than reversing the meanings of “short” and “long” and saying “second” instead of “first”, I was completely clear. It’s only going to get more confusing if I try to explain further. I’ll show myself out. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/167 "2022-05-04T03:37:50Z")
This only bothers me: in articles and books written about ancient comic strips, the author invariably refers to the character in the Krazy Kat strip as “Offisa Pup”. No. It’s “Officer Pup”. Offisa is how Krazy pronounces it. He also calls his tormentor “Ignatz Mice”, but that never gets mentioned. These things matter. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/168 "2022-05-04T03:41:10Z")
Small yappy dogs. They annoy me out of all proportion. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2022, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/169 "2022-05-04T04:42:00Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > And the river that runs up through half the western side of the state isn’t the “WILL-uh-mette” either, it’s “Will-AM-ette” and don’t you forget it! I learned that one soon after I got here. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2022, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/170 "2022-05-04T04:50:09Z")
I can probably think of a few, but being the same general age as a lot of people who complain about the following, it embarrasses me for my generation. Of course I mean the ones who bitch about people saying “No problem” instead of “Thank you”. It shouldn’t matter so much, but it apparently does. ---
**Author:** ![AzFavorite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@AzFavorite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzFavorite)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/171 "2022-05-04T15:49:57Z")
On the 100, that. Also the people who say anything over 100 degrees is just hot The hell you say! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/172 "2022-05-04T16:42:26Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Then there is the abomination that is Cincinnati style/skyline chili! 😲 The interesting thing is that Cincinnati chili doesn’t actually derive from the original Tex-Mex (chili is a dish that originated in mid-19th century San Antonio) tradition, but rather from the Greek dish Kima, with some tweaks derived from Tex-Mex chili. So it’s perfectly valid and authentic, if undeniably weird when compared to Tex-Mex chili. I think that’s where people get tripped up with all these food opinions actually. They get a confused notion of “authenticity” in their heads, and then start judging all other variants of that dish by one yardstick. If you look at something like Tex-Mex chili and declare that it’s not actually Mexican food, you’ve missed the entire point. It’s absolutely Mexican- the only non-Mexican thing about it is the political boundary in the 19th century when it was developed. It was developed by ethnic Mexicans, using traditional Mexican ingredients, and was eaten by ethnic Mexicans as well. But since it’s not something developed within Mexico proper, some people will claim it’s not “authentic”. Which is absolute bullshit for reasons mentioned above. Same thing goes for most American styles of pizza or Italian food. They were originally conceived of by Italians, use traditional ingredients (or ones that were more commonly available; a common refrain among immigrant dishes in the US), and were eaten by the Italians in the US. I’ve decided to be a bit more catholic in my enjoyment of various styles of food- why should I care if deep-dish pizza is “authentic” or not, if it’s good? Same thing for Tex-Mex, chili, barbecue, etc… ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/173 "2022-05-04T18:41:36Z")
This gripe is especially silly considering how in a bunch of other languages when someone thanks you the proper response is, basically, “no problem.” Like “de rien” or “de nada” you’re literally saying “it’s nothing” and how that differs from “no problem” is an RCH measurement. ---
**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:** [May 4, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/174 "2022-05-04T19:01:27Z")
Exactly. As a matter of fact I believe there’s a term in linguistics for this type of expression, in which the act of acknowledgment is what’s important rather than the actual meaning of the words. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/175 "2022-05-05T02:28:05Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > You use a long A in camel? From where and when are you? When I was in school (central Indiana, 1960s) a long A was A as in day, and a short A was A as in cat. To the extent that vowels being “long” or “short” has meaning, “A” as in “cat” is neither long nor short to me. It’s in the middle between an “A” as in “Day” and “A” as in “father”. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/176 "2022-05-05T14:36:52Z")
Don’t worry about what I eat (or don’t eat). It’s not always a barrel of laughs having a picky palate but I’ve been dealing with it for over 50 years and I know how to do so without causing any hardship to anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/177 "2022-05-05T14:44:00Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > To the extent that vowels being “long” or “short” has meaning, “A” as in “cat” is neither long nor short to me. It’s in the middle between an “A” as in “Day” and “A” as in “father”. The way I learned it back in elementary school (in the USA)—which may or may not have been accurate, but I’ve never run across a reliable source that contradicted it—is that the A in “cat” _is_ what a “short A” sound is. “Day” has a long A. The A in “father” is closer to a “short O” sound (as in “dot” or “clock”). ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/178 "2022-05-05T14:52:45Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Complaining about Wal Mart. It’s why I don’t shop there 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/179 "2022-05-05T15:01:08Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > The way I learned it back in elementary school (in the USA)—which may or may not have been accurate, but I’ve never run across a reliable source that contradicted it—is that the A in “cat” _is_ what a “short A” sound is. “Day” has a long A. The A in “father” is closer to a “short O” sound (as in “dot” or “clock”). Yeah, what I was taught is that a “long” vowel is when you pronounce it to sound like the letter itself. A=ay E=eee I=eye O=oh U=you ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271/180 "2022-05-05T19:53:28Z")
I have two very picky-eater buddies. The only issue with them, as far as I am concerned, is ordering food for the gang on game night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-unimportant-things-that-folks-get-all-bothered-about/963271.md?page=10)