People who use words they don't understand

Shorc · 05-09-2013 03:59PM

take everything wrote: »

Yeah, another case of improper use of a word being accepted generally.
Like the case made for "literally" becoming accepted as "figuratively".

If literally means figuratively or non literally what da fuq means literally?

osarusan · 05-09-2013 03:59PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Indeed. I suspect the "nausea/nauseated" one comes to us very recently from that Big Bang Theory programme. I seem to recall the "let's laugh at the high functioning autistic" Sheldon character corrected one of the other characters for it.

I actually had a windowlicker of the Sheldonesque variety call me out on this very thing a while back in the middle of a conversation that didn't involve him directly. I replied with "is the following sentence grammatically correct? fúck off, you thundering gobshíte". Apparently it is. Grammar nazis. Jesus, get a bloody life.

Is that detail crucial or are you adding it epexegetically?*

*A prize for anybody who gets the reference.

who_me · 05-09-2013 04:04PM

Charlie Rock wrote: »

Languages change constantly. Isn't it only dead languages that don't change?

At the same time, a language is a standard of communication. If the standard changes too much, it's no longer a standard - nor a language - and it becomes a hinderance to understanding.

wil · 05-09-2013 04:05PM

BeerWolf wrote: »

Nothing hard in saying "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the tuth, so help me.."

unless you're Jonathan Ross:D

No I literally didnt mean literally, more in the sense of bad language, no not grammar, you know dirty words, no not hygiene, you know what I mean ffs.
OK using swear words, four letter words for no other reason than having them in the sentence, not for humour, emphasis, anger or any reason, or simply using them in completely wrong context.
Well but in exactly not the same way this isn't, just to be clear

M5 · 05-09-2013 04:06PM

Bought a new thesaurus today. Nothing to write house about!

wil · 05-09-2013 04:15PM

osarusan wrote: »

Is that detail crucial or are you adding it epexegetically?*

*A prize for anybody who gets the reference.

I think you may have forgotten to explain that:D

Gotta be the word of the century, but no, I give up.

bonzodog2 · 05-09-2013 04:16PM

Muise... wrote: »

favourite (2nd hand) malaprop. It could be a suburban myth, but I don't care.

"She had the house done up lovely - a dildo rail the length of the hall."

They'll be nice and tidy then, don't want to be tripping over them in the hall.

osarusan · 05-09-2013 04:24PM

wil wrote: »

I think you may have forgotten to explain that:D

Gotta be the word of the century, but no, I give up.

It'll take a few minutes, but the answer is here.

That link opens a word.doc.

xgwishyx · 05-09-2013 04:34PM

One word.

eXpresso

*shudder*

Birneybau · 05-09-2013 04:35PM

M5 wrote: »

Bought a new thesaurus today. Nothing to write house about!

Bought one myself. It's really, really, really good.

IrishExpat · 05-09-2013 05:35PM

One particular use I was irked about:

"I know how to work an iPad, I'm not a philistine."

definition: a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them.

It does not simply mean lack of knowledge on any subject.

grr

Judge Roy Bean · 05-09-2013 05:36PM

'Get two birds stoned at once'

HansHolzel · 05-09-2013 05:48PM

To refute means to disprove (NOT to reject, deny or rebut).

Fate and faith are two different words.

B0jangles · 05-09-2013 05:48PM

http://www.independent.ie/woman/miss-ireland-aoife-walsh-hopes-her-red-hair-will-cinch-the-miss-world-title-29555699.html

Headline:

"Miss Ireland Aoife Walsh hopes her red hair will cinch the Miss World title"

Cinch does not mean what you think it does Indo .

loalae · 05-09-2013 06:00PM

When people say weary when they mean wary -

"I was a bit weary at first about sending him to that creche because I heard bad things but it has worked out well"

Ficheall · 05-09-2013 06:01PM

Honey-ec wrote: »

Anyone who uses the word "revert" when they actually mean "reply".

That makes baby jesus (and me) cry.

I applied for a job in Trinity a couple of months back and they promised to "revert to" me. I complained about their usage (after they turned me down) but received no reply.

Jimmy444 · 05-09-2013 06:15PM

Nearly every time I hear the word "misnomer" it's used incorrectly, e.g. "There's a great misnomer out there that the rich are paying their fair share". I think they mean misconception or misunderstanding. As far as I know, "Misnomer" just means giving something the wrong name.

pickarooney · 05-09-2013 06:18PM

Chronic means long-lasting, not terrible
Dirge is a noun meaning a sad song, and is not a synonym of bilge

Alice1 · 05-09-2013 06:30PM

I hate hearing "it's a big ask". For goodness sake, ask is a verb - not a noun. A verb I tell you!

earlyevening · 05-09-2013 06:38PM

"Generic" means unbranded. It is not a synonym for "general".

HansHolzel · 05-09-2013 06:40PM

presently does not mean at present

christ on a bike! · 05-09-2013 06:49PM

That's a really interesting point of you

rannerap · 05-09-2013 07:26PM

salacious crumb wrote: »

Was it for a job in Subway? :pac:

No :pac:

Earthhorse · 05-09-2013 07:41PM

earlyevening wrote: »

"Generic" means unbranded. It is not a synonym for "general".

Actually, it is.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/generic?s=t

HansHolzel wrote: »

presently does not mean at present

Actually, it does.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/presently?s=t

WhatNowForUs? · 05-09-2013 07:46PM

Links234 wrote: »

This thread is starting to read like John Waters' vocabulary.

Do you not mean Kevin Myres

HansHolzel · 05-09-2013 07:52PM

Earthhorse wrote: »

Actually, it does.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/presently?s=t

Presently may mean at present to people who don't know the difference. That does not make it correct, no matter what wiki-type dictionary you look at.

Earthhorse · 05-09-2013 08:01PM

No, presently just means "at present", in certain contexts. This is true regardless of what you personally believe.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presently
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/presently

HansHolzel · 05-09-2013 08:11PM

Earthhorse wrote: »

No, presently just means "at present", in certain contexts. This is true regardless of what you personally believe.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presently
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/presently

From your own 'Oxford' source:

"Both senses date back to the Middle Ages, but the second sense fell into disfavor between the 17th and 20th centuries."

Note the American spelling of disfavour in an 'Oxford' link. This is NOT a link to the OED.

Earthhorse · 05-09-2013 08:13PM

It doesn't matter if it fell into disfavour, or disfavor, for that matter, what matters is that it is correctly used; this is entirely a different thing from preferred usage.

Earthhorse · 05-09-2013 08:14PM

Also, the note on usage from the first link I posted is more expansive (and sensible in my opinion):

The two apparently contradictory meanings of presently, “in a little while, soon” and “at the present time, now,” are both old in the language. In the latter meaning presently dates back to the 15th century. It is currently in standard use in all varieties of speech and writing in both Great Britain and the United States. The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century. Strangely, it is the older sense “now” that is sometimes objected to by usage guides. The two senses are rarely if ever confused in actual practice. Presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense ( The professor is presently on sabbatical leave ) and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense ( The supervisor will be back presently ). The semantic development of presently parallels that of anon, which first had the meaning, now archaic, of “at once, immediately,” but later came to mean “soon.”

People who use words they don't understand

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