# Today's word usage pet peeve: "temper" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328 "2013-06-19T04:16:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/1 "2013-06-19T04:16:40Z")
Some people say, “Oh, he has a temper!” when they mean “an inability to control anger.” But temper means “the ability to control emotional volatility.” Someone says, “He has a terrible temper” and someone who doesn’t know the word assumes from context that it means “a terrible tendency to get angry” instead of a “terrible inability to control anger.” So that “temper” is then used alone, in the opposite of its original meaning. (Many of my word usage pet peeves are words that begin to take on the opposite meaning due to misunderstanding and misuse.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/2 "2013-06-19T05:45:26Z")
Well, I’m sure the word “temperamental” also causes its share of misuse too. However, at least one of [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)’s entries on this word have your “mistaken” definition listed _before_ your “real” definition (though at least one also has the word origin, which is of course your “real” definition). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/3 "2013-06-19T17:32:34Z")
This battle was lost decades if not centuries ago. Do you also get upset when people use “presently” to mean _later_ instead of _right now_? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/4 "2013-06-19T17:42:35Z")
I’m fairly confident I’ve never heard anyone use the noun “temper” in the way you describe. I can’t even recall reading it used that way. Are we starting at the most obscure peeve and working our way up? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/5 "2013-06-19T18:51:16Z")
I don’t hear “He has a temper” much. More of “He has a tendency to lose his temper.” ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/6 "2013-06-20T00:30:08Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’m fairly confident I’ve never heard anyone use the noun “temper” in the way you describe. I can’t even recall reading it used that way. > > Are we starting at the most obscure peeve and working our way up? [**My toddler has a temper. Advice wanted**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=693992&highlight=temper) > [@njtt](#): > > This battle was lost decades if not centuries ago. This is not a battle. Note forum title. 😉 > [@](#): > > Do you also get upset when people use “presently” to mean _later_ instead of _right now_? I’ve never heard anyone use it to mean _later_. In England they use it to mean _soon_. The English can do what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/7 "2013-06-20T00:42:19Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Some people say, “Oh, he has a temper!” when they mean “an inability to control anger.” But temper means “the ability to control emotional volatility.” Someone says, “He has a terrible temper” and someone who doesn’t know the word assumes from context that it means “a terrible tendency to get angry” instead of a “terrible inability to control anger.” So that “temper” is then used alone, in the opposite of its original meaning. > > (Many of my word usage pet peeves are words that begin to take on the opposite meaning due to misunderstanding and misuse.) Many words are changing their meanings over time. Have you ever said “I am nauseous”? Were you making **other** people sick at the time? How about the word “organic”? I can assure you that **ALL** the food I have ever eaten was organic according to the original meaning including all the food drenched with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. “Narcotic”? Well, I highly doubt crystal meth has put many people to sleep or done much as a pain killer but law enforcement still calls it a narcotic. Complaining that words have changed meanings doesn’t have much traction around here. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/8 "2013-06-20T01:29:55Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Complaining that words have changed meanings doesn’t have much traction around here. It’s just a little annoyance I have that I wanted to share with a few thousand of my closest friends for the sake of amusement (see forum title). I certainly don’t hope to change direction of the language. Second, to be clear, I am very aware of the natural way that words change meanings over time–but in this case some people use it in the opposite way of its original meaning, which came about through ignorance. A contrasting example is the slang usage of “sick” which takes on a radically different meaning than the conventional one, but not because the original word was misunderstood (perhaps as a desire to annoy one’s parents). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/9 "2013-06-20T04:32:16Z")
Getting your panties in a twist about it is sort of pointless. However, “here’s a bunch of words which have had their original meaning reversed, isn’t language fascinating” could be an interesting thread. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/10 "2013-06-20T04:45:16Z")
Apparently you cleave to (what you take to be) the original meaning. Would you sanction sanctions against people who use it differently? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/11 "2013-06-20T09:46:09Z")
People, this is a tongue-in-cheek rant. There are no battles, twisted panties, or cleavage involved. Let’s just have a little fun. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/12 "2013-06-20T14:25:37Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > People, this is a tongue-in-cheek rant. There are no battles, twisted panties, or cleavage involved. Let’s just have a little fun. I would, but I have a temper. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/13 "2013-06-20T14:36:51Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > This battle was lost decades if not centuries ago. > > Do you also get upset when people use “presently” to mean _later_ instead of _right now_? Don’t you have that backwards. The traditional meaning of “presently” is _after a short time_, not _right now_. And yes, although both meanings are presently correct, I don’t like it one bit. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/14 "2013-06-20T14:41:03Z")
OK THAT’S IT. \*Presently \*means ‘RIGHT NOW’ and it NEVER SHOULD MEAN “sometime in the future.” THIS IS THE LINE I’VE CHOSEN TO DIE ON. I definitely can’t control my temper. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/15 "2013-06-20T14:42:32Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > . . .(Many of my word usage pet peeves are words that begin to take on the opposite meaning due to misunderstanding and misuse.) A “pet” is an animal, and I see nothing in the OP that indicates any peeves with animals. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/16 "2013-06-20T14:45:48Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > ok that’s it. \*presently \*means ‘right now’ and it never should mean “sometime in the future.” > > this is the line i’ve chosen to die on. > > I definitely can’t control my temper. LINE IN THE SAND OR HlLL TO DIE ON AUGH ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/17 "2013-06-20T14:46:14Z")
How do you use presently to indicate later, or after a short time? Can someone give an example? I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard it used in that context. - Presently, were using revision 2 of the procedure. - I am presently driving a Hyundai. These sentences reflect the immediate time, not some future point. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/18 "2013-06-20T14:53:29Z")
The plane will be landing presently. Presently, lunch will be served in the large hall. I will leave for the airport presently. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/19 "2013-06-20T14:58:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The plane will be landing presently. Presently, lunch will be served in the large hall. I will leave for the airport presently. THESE ARE ALL NONSENSE. It’s like saying “I went to the store tomorrow!” AND I’M GOING TO DIE RIGHT HERE ON THIS LINE (which happens to be on a hill, thank you very much) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328/20 "2013-06-20T15:02:20Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The plane will be landing presently. Presently, lunch will be served in the large hall. I will leave for the airport presently. > [@drewtwo99](#): > > THESE ARE ALL NONSENSE. > > It’s like saying “I went to the store tomorrow!” > > AND I’M GOING TO DIE RIGHT HERE ON THIS LINE (which happens to be on a hill, thank you very much) Yeah, I have never heard presently used in that context at all: ever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/todays-word-usage-pet-peeve-temper/661328.md?page=2)