What words do you hate to hear/see misused?

[patientlee]

Good point.

I had an editor last year who decided to write a story of his own and asked me what I thought.

he used the expression "they were truly our salad years"

Salad years? I know the expression, but I can see a lot of people going "What?"

My wife hates the expression "wicked awesome" which is huge where she grew up in Boston and gets used a lot here in RI. I use it sometimes just to tick her off.

Haha. 2 of my recent stories- Be Awesome (advice to a humble hair twirler) and Wicked Hot- (Boston couple meets Arkansas couple. Battle of the accents.) You probably shouldn't read them.

 

[lovecraft68]

Haha. 2 of my recent stories- Be Awesome (advice to a humble hair twirler) and Wicked Hot- (Boston couple meets Arkansas couple. Battle of the accents.) You probably shouldn't read them.

Wow, those sound like uber wicked stories!

 

[patientlee]

Wow, those sound like uber wicked stories!

Literally.

 

[PennLady]

My wife hates the expression "wicked awesome" which is huge where she grew up in Boston and gets used a lot here in RI. I use it sometimes just to tick her off.

My kids use "awesome" and "epic" a fair bit. I find it hilarious when my 5yo daughter tells me something is "epic!" I don't hate those yet, but I can see where I might.

 

[patientlee]

Legit. When will that die?

 

[lovecraft68]

Legit. When will that die?

I thought it did, I haven't heard it in a long time.

That reminds me of when I was a kid. I grew up in a mostly black neighborhood in the 70's and the word was "solid!"

 

[LucyH]

I hate it when people say "utilize" instead of "use" when it doesn't contribute anything to the meaning of the sentence - they're just trying to sound smart or formal.

 

[patientlee]

I thought it did, I haven't heard it in a long time.

That reminds me of when I was a kid. I grew up in a mostly black neighborhood in the 70's and the word was "solid!"

Oh. Then there's hope. You know how fashion in the US is so far behind Europe? Well, that's how we are out in the sticks. For all I know, Uggs are out too. (We've had an announcement running on the PA all week telling us that a certain scholarship has "legit money".

 

[patientlee]

I hate it when people say "utilize" instead of "use" when it doesn't contribute anything to the meaning of the sentence - they're just trying to sound smart or formal.

My boss does that. Annoys the crap out of me.

 

[lovecraft68]

Oh. Then there's hope. You know how fashion in the US is so far behind Europe? Well, that's how we are out in the sticks. For all I know, Uggs are out too. (We've had an announcement running on the PA all week telling us that a certain scholarship has "legit money".

Uggs live up to their name.

Trust me a boot is pretty bad when someone with a foot fetish thinks they are the ugliest thing going.

 

[patientlee]

Uggs live up to their name.

Trust me a boot is pretty bad when someone with a foot fetish thinks they are the ugliest thing going.

Haha!

 

[LucyH]

No one's mentioned 'bitches' yet - when did that creep into common parlance?

I don't know. Used to bug when my boyfriend did it, until I realized that he applies it liberally to all kinds of people including himself. Now I'm desensitized. Who knows - give it another year and I may be calling him a sexy bitch right back.

 

[SamScribble]

I don't know. Used to bug when my boyfriend did it, until I realized that he applies it liberally to all kinds of people including himself. Now I'm desensitized. Who knows - give it another year and I may be calling him a sexy bitch right back.

I hear bitch/bitching as a verb quite often. That doesn't offend me. In fact, it's quite a useful word.

 

[monoblanco]

I don't know. Used to bug when my boyfriend did it, until I realized that he applies it liberally to all kinds of people including himself. Now I'm desensitized. Who knows - give it another year and I may be calling him a sexy bitch right back.

I understand why it gets under some people's skin but 'bitches' or more frequently with my friends 'bichez' doesn't bug me too much.

To me, it's kinda become like 'y'all'. An all-purpose replacement for the plural 'you'. Though it's only appropriate in certain company.

It's kinda like referring to someone as 'dude' or 'man' regardless of gender.

I call people 'dude' all the time. Comes from growing up in California, I guess.

 

[monoblanco]

I'm a little surprised that the South's dialects are based on those of Great Britain. I think it is true. What surprises me is there seems to be so little Spanish and French influence. Even more, there is so little Danish influence in Hawaii and Russian in Alaska.

If you want to hear the Spanish influence, come to my part of the world.

There are, literally, (ok, not really) countless words that either ARE Spanish or are derived from Spanish used here all the time. Not even counting place names.

And then, if you go to south Texas, parts of New Mexico, Arizona, or much of southern California, you hear all manner of variations of Spanglish. Something I absolutely adore but which drives some purists crazy.

 

[lovecraft68]

I understand why it gets under some people's skin but 'bitches' or more frequently with my friends 'bichez' doesn't bug me too much.

To me, it's kinda become like 'y'all'. An all-purpose replacement for the plural 'you'. Though it's only appropriate in certain company.

It's kinda like referring to someone as 'dude' or 'man' regardless of gender.

I call people 'dude' all the time. Comes from growing up in California, I guess.

Can't help where we grow up.

A few years back my company wanted me to able to give presentations here and there because I knew the product well and-although many here would disagree-I have a pretty engaging personality when I want it.

But I tended to speak in the manner I developed growing up in the inner city. So they sent me to "toastmasters" to learn to speak much more eloquently.

But old habits die hard and I always revert back to it.

My wife will always bust my balls by saying "Uh-oh your street is showing"

her favorite to point out is "Whadaya" which is generally followed by "nuts? stupid, kidding me etc....

The classic line is "Whadaya fuckin' retahded?"

and when she tries the "You have to"

"I don't gotta do nothin'"

of course in RI "Not for nothin" is pretty common.

 

[stickygirl]

I had to explain to my very shocked mother when I came out with 'dem bitches' that it was a casual remark and not an insult. I think she should get out more ... OMG she'd die if she found this site or I would!!
One day I hope I'll visit the States - I can't wait to hear someone say rightbackatcha to me

 

[MSTarot]

one I hear a lot on the job is "You need to tighten up, up there."

The boss basically wanting us to work faster.

Of course here in the land of redneck hell I get every verity of backwoods slang. I asked a guy if he was close on a measurement the other day.

"I'm just a cunt hair off."

 

[stickygirl]

one I hear a lot on the job is "You need to tighten up, up there."

The boss basically wanting us to work faster.

Of course here in the land of redneck hell I get every verity of backwoods slang. I asked a guy if he was close on a measurement the other day.

"I'm just a cunt hair off."

gah
https://31.media.tumblr.com/f69ecfa13ddbf0f72ba26790b42a4655/tumblr_mx8pz0eGBD1rx9ovro1_250.gif

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Here's something I started using about a year ago, to help with accidental homonym mistakes when writing. I modified a macro to highlight a set of homonyms, and use it in MS Word. It won't tell you if it's correct or not, but it will highlight some of the most common ones. Of course, if you have issues with different ones, it can be modified. You can make it longer, just make sure the last entry is "end". (and change the size of the array of words - varWordList(50) ) You can also shorten it the same way, just remove the ones that don't fit your writing.

To use it, open Word, go to create a macro (for Word 2007 View->Macros->Create), and paste it in. The macro should then be available whenever you need it.

Fair warning - it's a simple macro, not smart enough to deal with footnotes, headers & footers and such. I made an earlier version of this available in a How-To.

---

Sub hilite_HOMONYMS()

Dim varWordList(50) As String

varWordList(0) = "accept"
varWordList(1) = "except"
varWordList(2) = "already"
varWordList(3) = "all ready"
varWordList(4) = "all together"
varWordList(5) = "altogether"
varWordList(6) = "altar"
varWordList(7) = "alter"
varWordList(8) = "ascent"
varWordList(9) = "assent"

varWordList(10) = "bare"
varWordList(11) = "bear"
varWordList(12) = "brake"
varWordList(13) = "break"
varWordList(14) = "capital"
varWordList(15) = "capitol"
varWordList(16) = "conscience"
varWordList(17) = "conscious"
varWordList(18) = "desert"
varWordList(19) = "dessert"

varWordList(20) = "discrete"
varWordList(21) = "discreet"
varWordList(22) = "emigrate"
varWordList(23) = "immigrate"
varWordList(24) = "its"
varwordList(25) = "it's"
varWordList(26) = "lead"
varWordList(27) = "led"
varWordList(28) = "loose"
varWordList(29) = "lose"

varWordList(30) = "passed"
varWordList(31) = "past"
varWordList(32) = "principal"
varWordList(33) = "principle"
varWordList(34) = "their"
varWordList(35) = "there"
varWordList(36) = "they're"
varWordList(37) = "to"
varWordList(38) = "too"
varWordList(39) = "two"

varWordList(40) = "waste"
varWordList(41) = "waist"
varWordList(42) = "weather"
varWordList(43) = "whether"
varWordList(44) = "your"
varWordList(45) = "you're"
varWordList(46) = "end"
varWordList(47) = "end"
varWordList(48) = "end"
varWordList(49) = "end"

counter = 0

Do
With ActiveDocument.Content.Find
.ClearFormatting
.Replacement.ClearFormatting
.Replacement.Font.Color = wdColorRed
.MatchWholeWord = True
.MatchCase = False
.Execute FindText:=varWordList(counter), _
ReplaceWith:=varWordList(counter), Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End With
counter = counter + 1
Loop Until "end" = varWordList(counter)

End Sub


Sub unhilite()

With ActiveDocument.Content.Find
.ClearFormatting
.Font.Color = wdColorRed
With .Replacement
.ClearFormatting
.Font.Color = wdColorBlack
End With
.Execute FindText:="", ReplaceWith:="", _
Format:=True, Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End With

End Sub

 

[stickygirl]

Glad you explained it - I thought Lit had exploded when I opened the page

gotcha... I think

 

[TonyDeeDee]

Ignorant. Ignorant means lacking knowledge, usually of a specific topic. Most people use it as a synonym for stupid, which it is not.

You can be an intelligent person and know a great deal and yet be ignorant, too. For example, I know math and science but I am ignorant of psychology and psychiatry. (In fact, I'm not even sure I spelled that latter one correctly. )

 

[patientlee]

Ignorant. Ignorant means lacking knowledge, usually of a specific topic. Most people use it as a synonym for stupid, which it is not.

You can be an intelligent person and know a great deal and yet be ignorant, too. For example, I know math and science but I am ignorant of psychology and psychiatry. (In fact, I'm not even sure I spelled that latter one correctly. )

My students think ignorant means rude.

 

[patientlee]

Here's something I started using about a year ago, to help with accidental homonym mistakes when writing. I modified a macro to highlight a set of homonyms, and use it in MS Word. It won't tell you if it's correct or not, but it will highlight some of the most common ones. Of course, if you have issues with different ones, it can be modified. You can make it longer, just make sure the last entry is "end". (and change the size of the array of words - varWordList(50) ) You can also shorten it the same way, just remove the ones that don't fit your writing.

To use it, open Word, go to create a macro (for Word 2007 View->Macros->Create), and paste it in. The macro should then be available whenever you need it.

Fair warning - it's a simple macro, not smart enough to deal with footnotes, headers & footers and such. I made an earlier version of this available in a How-To.

---

Sub hilite_HOMONYMS()

Dim varWordList(50) As String

varWordList(0) = "accept"
varWordList(1) = "except"
varWordList(2) = "already"
varWordList(3) = "all ready"
varWordList(4) = "all together"
varWordList(5) = "altogether"
varWordList(6) = "altar"
varWordList(7) = "alter"
varWordList(8) = "ascent"
varWordList(9) = "assent"

varWordList(10) = "bare"
varWordList(11) = "bear"
varWordList(12) = "brake"
varWordList(13) = "break"
varWordList(14) = "capital"
varWordList(15) = "capitol"
varWordList(16) = "conscience"
varWordList(17) = "conscious"
varWordList(18) = "desert"
varWordList(19) = "dessert"

varWordList(20) = "discrete"
varWordList(21) = "discreet"
varWordList(22) = "emigrate"
varWordList(23) = "immigrate"
varWordList(24) = "its"
varwordList(25) = "it's"
varWordList(26) = "lead"
varWordList(27) = "led"
varWordList(28) = "loose"
varWordList(29) = "lose"

varWordList(30) = "passed"
varWordList(31) = "past"
varWordList(32) = "principal"
varWordList(33) = "principle"
varWordList(34) = "their"
varWordList(35) = "there"
varWordList(36) = "they're"
varWordList(37) = "to"
varWordList(38) = "too"
varWordList(39) = "two"

varWordList(40) = "waste"
varWordList(41) = "waist"
varWordList(42) = "weather"
varWordList(43) = "whether"
varWordList(44) = "your"
varWordList(45) = "you're"
varWordList(46) = "end"
varWordList(47) = "end"
varWordList(48) = "end"
varWordList(49) = "end"

counter = 0

Do
With ActiveDocument.Content.Find
.ClearFormatting
.Replacement.ClearFormatting
.Replacement.Font.Color = wdColorRed
.MatchWholeWord = True
.MatchCase = False
.Execute FindText:=varWordList(counter), _
ReplaceWith:=varWordList(counter), Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End With
counter = counter + 1
Loop Until "end" = varWordList(counter)

End Sub


Sub unhilite()

With ActiveDocument.Content.Find
.ClearFormatting
.Font.Color = wdColorRed
With .Replacement
.ClearFormatting
.Font.Color = wdColorBlack
End With
.Execute FindText:="", ReplaceWith:="", _
Format:=True, Replace:=wdReplaceAll
End With

End Sub

I'm pretty sure I hear that buzzing in my head when I read.
ETA: You should add breath and breathe to that list.

 

[Man_in_Chester]

People are your friends

I hate it when people say "utilize" instead of "use" when it doesn't contribute anything to the meaning of the sentence - they're just trying to sound smart or formal.

You are quite right about that, or so it seems to me, but because different people use the words they do you are able to write them as different characters in your stories.

So think about variety as your friend in public even although your nerves are really wound up by some wordings.