# Words and phrases that grate on me (not quite a pitting) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492 "2008-01-06T13:40:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/81 "2008-01-09T21:52:40Z")
[QUOTE=nashiitashii] Is it that tough to understand that “good” describes things and “well” describes actions and states of being? [/quote] The meaning of “I’m good” is clear, so nobody has the impetus to look into what the rule is. I doubt very many people ever learn it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/82 "2008-01-09T21:55:17Z")
Prolly. […wincing…] ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/83 "2008-01-09T22:22:56Z")
[QUOTE=Lsura] Mine, and I actually see it here more than anyplace else, is the use of “wiki” as a verb, as in: “I wiki’d it” to say that you went and found the article on Wikipedia. Hello, Wikipedia is not the only wiki out there. It may happen to be use of wiki software that is most commonly known, but there are many other wikis out there [/QUOTE] For the record, the last time I used the term in question, I had used both wikipedia and wikisource to solve my confusion. Otherwise, I would’ve used a term equally as annoying, “wikipedia-ed”. I’m probably one of the least grammar nazified English majors out there, having also been a linguistics minor and so interested all speech, whether “correct” or not. That said, the word “goodies” makes me cringe every time. Dunno why, but I’ve been known to go on a rant/temper tantrum/freakout sort of kick when I hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Wing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/51bf81/32.png) [@Little\_Wing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Wing)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/84 "2008-01-09T22:56:51Z")
Someone using “him” or “himself” when talking about their husbands/significant other as in “Himself decided to clean the garage” or what have you. Ye gods, that grates. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/85 "2008-01-09T23:04:57Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] The meaning of “I’m good” is clear, so nobody has the impetus to look into what the rule is. I doubt very many people ever learn it. [/QUOTE] I never hear just “I’m good.” It’s almost always “I’m doing good” in relation to a “how are you doing?” which is both wrong and a bit irritating. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/86 "2008-01-09T23:23:33Z")
The new PC ways of naming the personnel department. Human Relations is bad enough. But the latest trend? Human Capital. Blech! ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/87 "2008-01-09T23:28:01Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] I can’t think of a situation where it would be appropriate to use a reflexive pronoun, like ‘myself’, in a compound. [/QUOTE] “If you misuse that word again, I will first shoot you and then myself.” Eh, I’m stretching here… [QUOTE=FairyChatMom] There’s another one that just occurred to me: “You guys.” … I say again: GAH!! [/QUOTE] Very well. From now on it’s “You gahs.” We’ve already got the jump on it here in Bahstin… [QUOTE=Litoris] Would you prefer “y’all?” Me, not so much. [/QUOTE] I love “Y’all”. Of course I never hear it here in the North, and it always sounds so welcoming and inclusive when I hear it. That might change if I heard it all the time though. [QUOTE=Mama Tiger] As a court transcriber, I am constantly appalled at the verbal tics people use. [/QUOTE] While I concur that lazy speech is prevalent, I also know that testimony under oath causes one to become very nervous. These may be people who are ordinarily self-possessed in less demanding circumstances. Or maybe not. I was a member of Toastmasters for a few years, and it caused me to focus on verbal “crutches”. One task during a meeting is to count “ums” and “ahs” of each extemporaneous speaker, and it is staggering to realize how many times a person might transgress in just a few minutes, even while on guard. [QUOTE=Mama Tiger] The new PC ways of naming the personnel department. Human Relations is bad enough. But the latest trend? Human Capital. Blech! [/QUOTE] I hope it doesn’t change here. I am fond of calling them the Great Oxymoron, being neither human nor a resource. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/88 "2008-01-10T05:05:39Z")
“Aren’t I?” ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/89 "2008-01-10T14:06:31Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] [QUOTE=3acresandatruck] I can’t think of a situation where it would be appropriate to use a reflexive pronoun, like ‘myself’, in a compound. [/QUOTE] “If you misuse that word again, I will first shoot you and then myself.” Eh, I’m stretching here… [/QUOTE] You might have one there. Now, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and I had to diagram and parse sentences in school, my teachers would have said that your sentence was _actually_ “If you misuse that word again, I will first shoot you and then **(I will shoot)** myself.” The part I inserted (according to the way I was instructed) was implied and we had to include it to get the correct answer when diagramming. Those teachers would have maintained that this was not an example of a reflexive pronoun in a compound. OW! I may have injured myself, trying to stretch even more than you did. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/90 "2008-01-10T22:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] “Aren’t I?” [/QUOTE] Yes, and I are too! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/91 "2008-01-10T23:21:12Z")
[QUOTE=Earl Snake-Hips Tucker] “Aren’t I?” [/QUOTE] “Am I not?”, while more grammatically correct, sounds even more stilted and ridiculous, though. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/92 "2008-01-10T23:58:50Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] “Am I not?”, while more grammatically correct, sounds even more stilted and ridiculous, though. [/QUOTE] Just go with “ain’t I?”. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/93 "2008-01-11T04:55:25Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] $.69¢ $0.69¢ .69¢ [/QUOTE] My husband writes “10$”. I froth with rage when I see it. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/94 "2008-01-11T05:14:23Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea] My husband writes “10$”. I froth with rage when I see it. [/QUOTE] You froth with rage? \* Moi aussi.\* The whole bloody province of Quebec writes it that way. Not only that, they don’t use commas, except for using a comma instead of the decimal point. So, they write 5 000,75$ and expect us to know it’s $5,000.75. I wonder why they hate the decimal point. Is it because it’s an _anglais_ plot? ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/95 "2008-01-11T06:29:19Z")
I confess to shock, horror, bewilderment, and slight nausea at this news. In that order. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/96 "2008-01-11T14:50:01Z")
[QUOTE=TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW] “Come with” used as its own article. “I’m going to the store. Do you want to come with?” ARRRRRRRRRRRGH COME WITH **WHO**!?!??! [/QUOTE] Article? It’s a phrasal verb, and phrasal verbs are very productive in English. How about: _I’m going to the store. Do you want to come along?_ What’s the difference? There are many phrasal verbs that become intransitive over time. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/97 "2008-01-11T17:37:32Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] There are many phrasal verbs that become intransitive over time. [/QUOTE] That’s hot. Marry me. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/98 "2008-01-11T19:31:02Z")
Regarding court transcripts, let me tell you it was \*horrifying \*seeing my oral phrasings in black and white for the first time. You never realize how much filtering we all do when we listen to people speak. I don’t think most of us hear most of the “ums” and “ahs” and so forth. It’s only when it rises above a certain ratio to content words, or if the person uses a particular word as an inappropriate crutch (there was a lady who used “actually” at least twelve times in a recent short NPR story, and it got grating fast). On the other hand, people who speak extemporaneously without using some nonsense noises to fill gaps seem very awkward and off-putting. I know this because it’s how my father speaks sometimes. Trust me, occasionally saying “ummm” is far more socially acceptable and pleasant in a conversation than unexplained stretches of silence. Anyway, while I’m here, I would like to say, “MascaRpone.” Please observe where the “r” falls, and pronounce it there. Especially if you work on Food TV! I don’t need everyone to do a lilting Giada-esque “Mascarpon-ay,” but please stop with the “Marscapone” before I have to shoot you. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/99 "2008-01-11T22:39:01Z")
[QUOTE=Unauthorized Cinnamon] Anyway, while I’m here, I would like to say, “MascaRpone.” Please observe where the “r” falls, and pronounce it there. Especially if you work on Food TV! I don’t need everyone to do a lilting Giada-esque “Mascarpon-ay,” but please stop with the “Marscapone” before I have to shoot you. [/QUOTE] :eek: Wow! Ignorance fought. I’ve even made tiramisu a few times, so I’ve seen the packaging. How did I miss that? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492/100 "2008-01-11T23:36:39Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] The word **asap**. Has the acronym become a word? I HATE IT! [/QUOTE] Put down that a laser and check the radar for good place to scuba, ASAP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-that-grate-on-me-not-quite-a-pitting/432492.md?page=6)