Words, usages, and phrases that annoy the shit out of you...

almost certainly complained about these before, but the thread has become too large to search, so if you write

• smacks of
• methinks
• writ large

One that's been annoying me lately is "technical term" followed by some colloquialism, ie "Her behaviour was certainly unusual, I believe the technical term is 'batshit crazy'".

hearing a couple of people recently using what sounds like the phrase cognitive dissidence in places where I would expect cognitive dissonance. Wondering if it is conscious and an in joke of sorts or if it is a case of the latter.

Would think a cognitive dissidence had some level of agency involved. Whether that's esoteric knowledge or just arrogant doubling down.
But not sure if it is conscious or not.

Cognitive Dissidents is the name of a San Francisco-area bar in William Gibson's Virtual Light

"Spitballing"

p much all corporate speak tbh

mookie will you explain what bugs you about "smacks of" and possibly provide some alternatives, it's for a friend

it’s very Buster Bluth to me

Seems like

Calls to mind

Reminds one of

Has the air of

Is redolent of

all awful phrases ofc

Think Wodehouse used "has the air of" well, think it has its uses along these lines. The others, agreed.

learnings
stakeholders

most prepositions

Learningsssssss imagined always in a Von Helsing voice.

"worry not!|

mattkkkkk otm, I can't make soup without a voice in my head saying "with a smack of ham to it! "

To me, smacks of means than resembles. If something smacks of hypocrisy it means it stinks of it.

worry not!

A few of the pubs/restaurants I follow on social media use this sort of style and it really sets my teeth on edge. "Rejoice! our spring menu has returned...behold its wondrous delights" etc. Guaranteed someone will reply with a "Hurrah!"

Or worse, “huzzah”

On the suspenders side of things I give “wax” or “waxes” a pass, I kinda enjoy it tbh, I wax enthusiastic about wax

Somebody told me they hated “myriad” once and I have a subroutine in place to avoid its usage, too bad, it’s a useful word

If people wish to use "myriad," I prefer when they use it as an adjective. I know it also is accepted as a noun but I am not reconciled to that usage.

Best: I have myriad iguanas.

Not so great: I have a myriad of iguanas.

I didn't even know it could be used as a noun in place of multitude or suchlike. It's too similar to pyramid for me to take it seriously - "I have a pyramid of iguanas".

most nouns

I've got a myriad of pyramids, kid

Myriad as noun goes back further than myriad as adjective, I believe.

second on learnings

what’s with all these ppl suddenly using thou thee thy second/fam again? it’s v fucked up and distracting. can barely get a ye in edgewise.

(xp) I would have thought so.

I have myriad iguanas.

One for the "shocking old" thread: I was unaware that this word is also an adjective and have never seen it used this way.

*shockingly

same!

I specifically remember in my degree tutorials my friend getting "a myriad of" corrected to "myriad" by the professor.

prof otm

totally. non-adjectival use of "myriad" isn't technically wrong, but it always raises an eyebrow when a writer chooses this word, presumably to sound highbrow, but then fumbles the application

I have a plethora of piñatas

myriad as a noun was around for centuries before it was used an as adjective, so "isn't technically wrong" is kind of an understatement

You're right, of course, and I am usually on that side of usage disputes (verbing, for example). But one can have preferences, and be sensitive to the preferences of one's target audience.

myriad as a noun was around for centuries before it was used an as adjective, so "isn't technically wrong" is kind of an understatement

― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Monday, March 4, 2024 2:22 PM (thirty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

guess what, lots of things that make people sound stupid have been established practice for centuries

Today I learned that the use of "myriad" as a noun annoys people. Don't really know why though. Might be an 'American thing'.

it always raises an eyebrow when a writer chooses this word, presumably to sound highbrow, but then fumbles the application

so you know this is the origin of myriad used as an adjective, right

if we try real hard, we might just recreate this thread

Taking Sides: Another Think Coming v Another Thing Coming

viking as a gerund

today i vike
yesterday I viked
I has have had been viked
many times before

It's necessary that you be viking

its viking sleep?

Motorviking

https://y.yarn.co/c827194a-05a1-4a56-af47-c9d064d0013e_text.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPbG8aBhfDE

i'm a viking girl, in a viking world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO_VONrCJQE

so you know this is the origin of myriad used as an adjective, right

― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Monday, March 4, 2024 3:08 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

yup! i am really talking about a style choice, and an awareness of readers' perceptions. you could make the same argument about "self-depreciating," which emerged long before "self-deprecating" and is technically correct, but if a writer used it i would question their judgment for sure. sometimes writers make subtle choices that i appreciate, not because the writer is 100% correct, but because they've managed to avoid awkward or unwelcome associations etc etc