Word use that drives you up the wall!

[fickman]

pistol pistol Pistol pistol

Meanie. (Albeit an extremely informative meanie.)

[RedTop]

Without reading every post....Here are some things said that just get under my skin....

"Disturbing"...I/You may find this disturbing to watch.....really? does that person need to seek help afterwards?
"Difficult"...that was difficult to see.....Same as above but with this.....how hard is it to just sit and watch something?
"painful"...that was painful to hear.....If it was why did you finish it?

So many catch phrases now...drama queens I swear...

[Dadtodabone]

When quoting the Declaration of Independence, the use of "Inalienable" instead of "Unalienable". There are millions of text books out there that are incorrect in this particular.

[ELB]

I mentioned the confusion between "discreet" and "discrete" about 47 pages ago, but I keep seeing it all over the place and it just me.

[ELB]

I mentioned the confusion between "discreet" and "discrete" about 47 pages ago, but I keep seeing it all over the place and it just me.

You just have to use your discretion

[Magnawing]

Orientate...you can orient something or you can determine it's orientation....orientate is NOT a word. I've had this discussion with several teachers throughout my childrens' school careers.

I also get irked by their, there and they're. And don't get me started on accept vs. except and to, too, two. One of my biggest peeves is people who use "a" before words beginning with a vowel....you ate AN apple, not A apple.

[C-dub]

After 48 pages of word use that drives us up a wall, I finally realized something that drives me up the wall.

"We had to post that 30.06 sign to protect our employees."

[3dfxMM]

Orientate...you can orient something or you can determine it's orientation....orientate is NOT a word. I've had this discussion with several teachers throughout my childrens' school careers.

I only looked at online versions, but every dictionary that I could find disagrees with you on this one.

[Magnawing]

Orientate...you can orient something or you can determine it's orientation....orientate is NOT a word. I've had this discussion with several teachers throughout my childrens' school careers.

I only looked at online versions, but every dictionary that I could find disagrees with you on this one.

If you could find a dictionary that was 25+ years old, you would most likely find that "orientate" did not exist in the American English language until it became used so frequently (albeit incorrectly) that it has become accepted as a real word and included into dictionaries. Kind of like internet, and many other "words" that have weaseled their way into our daily language. Although, you will never hear me utter the word "orientate" unless it is to complain about people saying "orientate" when that actually mean "orient". I believe this came into general usage on college campuses when students would have to attend freshman "orientation"...they had to get "orientated" to the campus and college life. Maybe the first class should have been Grammar and the English Language?

[Abraham]

And for a simple one: Twicet/Oncet

Or, Filem for film, arrrgggghhhh!

Orientate is beloved by UKers....

[LDB415]

If orientate is a word it shouldn't be. I also don't like when people have idears about something.

[Skiprr]

Orientate...you can orient something or you can determine it's orientation....orientate is NOT a word. I've had this discussion with several teachers throughout my childrens' school careers.

I only looked at online versions, but every dictionary that I could find disagrees with you on this one.

If you could find a dictionary that was 25+ years old, you would most likely find that "orientate" did not exist in the American English language until it became used so frequently (albeit incorrectly) that it has become accepted as a real word and included into dictionaries. Kind of like internet, and many other "words" that have weaseled their way into our daily language.

I'm one of those geeks who owns a hard-copy, 16-volume set of the 1978 Oxford English Dictionary. "Orientate" appears on page 200 of volume VII; first recorded use 1849 in Ecclesiologist IX; other usage examples from 1850, 1866, 1877, 1880, 1883, 1884, and 1886.

That said, I agree it's an ugly word, and one that I never use. In a similar vein I will administer a program, but choose not to administrate it.

[Wolverine]

Use any synonym, euphemism, or colloquialism that you want and I'll go right along. Say "pistol" and I'll look like I just ate a lemon.

How about pistil? And stamen. :evil2: