Word use that drives you up the wall!

[tbrown]

For Sell

[MasterOfNone]

Ending a sentence with "so..." as if they thought they needed to say more but didn'tthink of anything else. That's what additional sentences are for.

[sjfcontrol]

Imply and infer.

One implies to and infers from.

But what really drives me up the wall is when people can't seem to understand the plain meaning of simple, basic English phrases like "shall not be infringed" and "the right of the people."

That one's simple. If you're a collectivist (in all things), then "The People" is a collectivist term. Therefore, The People may be armed through the agency of appointed enforcers and bureaucrats and armies, but not individually. The People's this. The People's that. The People's Republic of Californiastan. If you're a conservative/libertarian, then you properly understand the rights of the people as individual rights.

One of my latest bugaboos...... "Pivot," which from Obama has come to mean "more of the same."

To Obama, to "pivot" means, "To spin in place some multiple of 360º."

[jmra]

For Sell

I hate that.

[Songbird]

I was administering one of those lovely state tests to a class of 8th graders several years ago. It was a writing test. They were allowed to use dictionaries. A student raised his hand and said "I'm looking for the word "tookin" and I can't find it.

[Abraham]

dought rather than doubt - I see this misspelling quite often.

[jmra]

I was administering one of those lovely state tests to a class of 8th graders several years ago. It was a writing test. They were allowed to use dictionaries. A student raised his hand and said "I'm looking for the word "tookin" and I can't find it.

Two phrases that kids use at school that really get to me:
1. "I wasted my drink." (Translation - "I spilled my drink")
2. "I have to use it." (Translation - "I need to pee.")

[Pawpaw]

dought rather than doubt - I see this misspelling quite often.

At least there trying! Or should that be their trying?

[Abraham]

Now you've done it...they're or they are - so there.

[Pawpaw]

Now you've done it...they're or they are - so there.

[Julie]

We recently visited family in Canada. Fortunately, none of us picked up the "...eh." habit. However, the other thing that they do up there is to say, "...right?" at the end of all their declarative sentences. My 2 year old picked this up.

Mommy, I need to go potty, right?
Mommy, I just hit my little sister in the head, right?
Mommy, the sun is up, right?
Mommy, I miss my friends, right?
Mommy, I want to go to school tomorrow, right?

My answer is always, "I don't know. Do you?" or something to that effect. I know she's not trying to be a pest, but it's driving me up the freaking wall. It makes her sound so insecure, as if she needs reassurance of every little thing she says.

[nightmare]

Two of my favorite "redundants" have already been mentioned:

"ATM Machine" - ATM stands for "automatic teller machine". You don't need to find an "automatic teller machine machine"
and
"Hot water heater" - the device heats cold, or even warm, water. Hot water doesn't need to be heated. It's a "Water heater"

Since I'm a professional geek, I'll add

"NIC Card". These are the "network interface cards" (these days they're usually actually built in) that let your computer connect to a network. Much like ATM machines, you don't need a network interface card card

What if you forget your PIN number for the ATM machine?

In the same vane. Just kidding. In the same vein,
LCD display
SAT test
DC current and AC current
HIV virus
VIN number
ABS system or ABS brakes
and
CHL license

[Pawpaw]

Speaking of ATMs...

Why do the drive-up ATMs have all the buttons labelled in Braille?