Slip something into the v.d. bucket?
âInnitâ WTF?
Actual.
As inâŚ
âItâs literally doing my actual head in.â
âŚas opposed to something figuratively doing in their metaphorical head.
2 Likes
Well now, speaking as both a word bore and a linguist, there are a few observations I could make. First up, I donât really see much, if any, pedantry on this thread. Except, of course, for the sentence preceding this one. What I do see is a list of dislikes regarding the English language. Most of these revolve around new usages, neologisms, and change generally. Itâs very well documented that English, above all other languages, has its own culture of complaint; writers have complained about the poor quality of English they see around them for centuries. It used to be the case that people would look back about fifty years for far better English use; now the timescale has shortened somewhat.
The simple fact is that language changes, unless that language is no longer spoken (and therefore dead). Latin doesnât change for obvious reasons, but it did while it was still being used. Hereâs an example from English which is a favourite of mine: the word âbirdâ originally denoted a fledgling; over time its meaning broadened, so in time it came to be used for any small bird, and eventually became the term for any winged, feathered creature, whatever its size. The word âfowlâ has seen an equivalent narrowing in its meaning; once the term for all birds, it now denotes a mere subset. Thus it is that we donât call a crow, rook or raven a blackbird, as at the time the name became common the only small black fowl in England was a type of thrush.
Another change, which my brother (whose qualities as a pedant are truly world class) likes to point out - this is effectively a swap in meaning between two similar words, coupled with the invention of a new one. The word âingenuityâ originally meant the quality of being ingenuous, not of being ingenious - ingeniousness was the term for the latter. How many times has anyone ever heard or seen the word âingeniousnessâ (unless they happened to be talking to my brother, of course)? Never would be my guess. That change happened a few centuries back I think - certainly, Iâve seen âingenuityâ used in its current sense in the works of Jane Austen, written two hundred years and more ago.
I can easily imagine people saying things like âThat be a fowl, not a bird!â or âI think youâll find that the person was being ingenious, not ingenuous.â. But to no avail. Once a change has taken root it canât be stopped or reversed. Many people like to come out with comments such as âWell what that really means isâŚâ - they are, of course, quite wrong. A word means what it is being used to mean, nothing else. Given the increasing use of âliterallyâ to mean ânot literally at all, but perhaps metaphricallyâ Iâd fully expect this to be the accepted usage within my own lifetime. It may even stop irritating me after a while, too.
Complaints such as that expressed by BTripz above (âCan I getâŚâ) run the risk of making the complainer appear to be an over-literal prat. (This is not aimed at BTripz personally, by the way, as Iâve heard many other people voice the same complaint). I remember reading a letter in the paper a few years back, in which the author told that, when her grandchildren told her to âget a lifeâ or âget realâ she would reply that she clearly had a life and was equally clearly real. Hurrah for her - but would she have reacted in the same brain-dead manner had she been told to âhave a heartâ? Of course not, though presumably she must have been in possession of such an organ. The point is that she didnât like phrases that were not in use when she was younger, and lost her capacity to recognise metaphrical speech when she heard them.
The âCan I getâŚâ point is rather different, but how many of us would rail at being asked if we expect to get any good Christmas presents, or if we got an email that had been sent to us? The verb doesnât imply going out and fetching them, just receiving them. So why shouldnât the same verb be used in the context of asking for a beer or whatever? Loath it as much as you like, it will very likely become prevalent sooner or later. And it wonât be wrong, either. Itâs not wrong now, come to that.
One final thought. I had considered suggesting an annual Thomas Hardy/Lev Tolstoy âNever mind the prolixâ award for the most long-winded Sotonians poster. On reflection, perhaps I wonât.
7 Likes
Originally posted by @Fowllyd
One final thought. I had considered suggesting an annual Thomas Hardy/Lev Tolstoy âNever mind the prolixâ award for the most long-winded Sotonians poster. On reflection, perhaps I wonât.
âŚand could I, in reply be the most succinct⌠bolix. 
1 Like
Can I propose Bletch for both of those awards?
Seconded.
Did I ever tell you about the time whenâŚ
1 Like
Twat.
3 Likes
Originally posted by @Fowllyd
Given the increasing use of âliterallyâ to mean ânot literally at all, but perhaps metaphricallyâ Iâd fully expect this to be the accepted usage within my own lifetime. It may even stop irritating me after a while, too.
I had to look that one up in the dictionary and couldnât find it ÂŻ_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Jamie Redknapp is one of the worst public figures for over-using and misusing the word âliterallyâ.
Please believe me that this literally isnât even half of the available quotes:
âThis new ball is going quicker than ever - it literally explodes off the playerâs foot.â
âGerrard has been amazing. Heâs literally covered every blade of grass on the pitch.â
âHeâs literally left Ben Haim for dead there.â
âThe crowd behind the goal are literally going insane.â
âHeâs literally turned him inside out.â
âHe had to cut back inside onto his left, because he literally hasnât got a right foot.â
âThe ball literally gave him a haircut.â
âHeâs literally just eaten the fourth official.â
â[Michael Owen] literally turns into a greyhound.â
âScholes has such a great footballing brain. Heâll see a picture in his head and literally paint it in front of you.â
âCenter forwards have the ability to make time stand still. And when Chopra got the ball, it literally did just that.â
As if there wasnât already enough ammunition for the âKick Redknapps Out of Footballâ campaign.
Fâsure. If you are involved in football (even if you are foreign and barely speak the lingo) and you are being interviewed you have to throw in a fâsure at some point. Preferably at the beginning of the sentence.
Well hereâs a bump. Itâs National Grammar Day today apparently (well, yesterday really, but who cares?). So hereâs an excellent article on the subject.
1 Like
I have a friend who often says âRight you are.â Is it just me or should that we left with Yoda? Shouldnt it be âYou are right?â
1 Like
Agree, Bletch does.
When frightened by something, my mother-in-law will tell you that it âfrit herâ.
No. The two expressions have different meanings.
A word famously used by Margaret Thatcher in 1983. During a Commons debate/bunfight she accused Dennis Healey of being âfritâ. Thatcher was from Grantham in Lincolnshire - whereâs your ma-in-law from?
Sheâs from the Midlands - near Leamington Spa.
Didnât Cameron do something similar recently at a PMQs?
I seem to recall him saying something in Scotch (sorry, Toke) to an SNP MP?
I thought it was something like âAfearedâ, but I couldnât find a reference.
Originally posted by @pap
This sort of thing does my head in, and you see it all the time. Poor wording, I reckon. Makes it look like people are in favour of breast cancer. NOW!
A mate of mine does work for a charity called âFootball For Cancerâ, while an email went to all NI-based employees the other week telling us that âcancer busesâ were going to be on site. What the fuck next? Plague wagons?
Breast Cancer Now rebrand is bloody awful! (I can say that now I no longer work in the charity sector )
