poncey words that you hate

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

are there any words that makes you quiver when you hear people use with a straight face?

I'm thinking of business "buzz" words, but it could really be anything.

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:51 (twenty-two years ago)

belle and sebastian

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:52 (twenty-two years ago)

For some reason i'm growing hate for the word "ascertain".. although it might just be the sound of it.

My friend at uni used to hate the word "logistics", so i made a point of using it repeatedly during my project presentation. (and probably impressed the examiners)

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:53 (twenty-two years ago)

"absolutely" where "yes" will do.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

oh god! yes! and inappropriate uses of "myself"!

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

jus

What is the point?!

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:56 (twenty-two years ago)

"Poncey" haha

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:58 (twenty-two years ago)

"I would be remiss if..."

― weather!ngda1eson, Thursday, 8 January 2004 10:58 (twenty-two years ago)

but vicky we save literally dozens of pounds a year by omitting the T

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:06 (twenty-two years ago)

jus is French isn't it?

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:07 (twenty-two years ago)

It is, but I get sick of tv chefs and foodies talking about pouring the jus over the dish etc. It's juice/gravy/sauce and they sound like total utter ponces, which is exactly what they are

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Utilise

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Touch base

― robster (robster), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:14 (twenty-two years ago)

guestimate.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

restructure

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

imagineer

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

ostensibly (my ex boss used it ALL THE TIME)

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

flexiday

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:29 (twenty-two years ago)

How can you tell their not just saying "juice", Vic? Or are the pronouncing it "jus" like "puss"?

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:36 (twenty-two years ago)

"ipod"

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:36 (twenty-two years ago)

'mission statement'

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:37 (twenty-two years ago)

they're pronouncing it ju (as in a soft french style j, not a hard j)

― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

'vision statement'

― robster (robster), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:42 (twenty-two years ago)

'on the money' ;)

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't stand it when ponces (normally mps) pronounce "restaurant" without the 't' on the end (i.e. the french way). Then again, I'm one of the annoying people who says "volksvagen", "budveiser" and "kraftverk", but those are proper/company names not words that have been in use in the english language for hundreds of years.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:54 (twenty-two years ago)

"touch base" = ugh, i agree.

also, "yehyeh" instead of yes.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:55 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't stand it when ponces (normally mps) pronounce "restaurant" without the 't' on the end (i.e. the french way).

it's the cockney way too innit.

oh god touch base.. my boss uses that and also he says "truth" when he agrees with what people are saying.. he's also googling me right now.

― kan see (ken c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 11:59 (twenty-two years ago)

truth

― kan see's boss (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

― kan see (ken c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Synergy.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

all of you back to work right now

― everybody's boss (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Medsun. You know, that stuff doctors give you a prescription for.

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 8 January 2004 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

other dire business words:
- 'My only concern is...'

- 'Yes, I take that on board' (=Ha ha! I'm not listening to you at all)

― M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

'We need to look at this in the round'

'We need a proper debate before taking action'

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:14 (twenty-two years ago)

used to hate 'allegedly'.
and 'actually' which is awful in conversation.
not that either is poncey.

'behoove' really gets me. and 'holistic'. i've used all of these i think, at work, to blind people to what i'm saying. so they have their uses.

― Enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, I hear what you're saying, but....

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

'sweet'...meaning 'that's nice'.

not poncey, but very silly.

'nice' is very possibly poncey, but should be used more often, because, well, it is nice.

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Anything that has to deal with slang....I don't mind the first 5 times...it's the next 5 million times said by 250 million others.

― questionallthings, Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

fo' sheezy, dogg

― Enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

innit

― chris (chris), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

People qualifying the word unique:

That is so unique

Oh that is almost unique

Those two things are unique

That is very unique

I mean something either is or it isn't there is no middle ground.

― Davel (Davel), Thursday, 8 January 2004 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

stretegic partnerships.

too bad they're my job. :(

― colette (a2lette), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

'soup to nuts'

― kephm, Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

'soup to nuts' is grebt!

― Enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

not when you have a boss that uses it at every meeting

― kephm, Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

give us an example

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

‘Although past phases of the stretch project have provided a high level of automation to the actual stretch calculation for level 1 beneficiaries the calculation for level 2 benefeciaries is still very manual. This will be covered 'soup to nuts' when robin returns from vacation’

― kephm, Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i get it now

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

"guys."

― Phoebe Dinsmore, Thursday, 8 January 2004 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 63 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

passive-aggressive

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

ipso facto

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

ipso facto's a good one, ken. so is the phrase type a personality . Oh, and penultimate used incorrectly. And alright instead of all right.

― The Second Drummer Drowned (Atila the Honeybun), Wednesday, 25 February 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"Hang fire"

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"from a ******* perspective"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

For some reason, it wasn't till my early twenties that I found out that 'all right' wasn't just a mistake. 'Alright' doesn't mean that all's right, so it seems appropriate that it be one word. I write 'all right' now though, because I have no courage of conviction.

How the hell is 'alright' supposed to be poncey, though?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

If you say it in a husky voice with a faux french accent.

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, you are quite right.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Woman at Glasgow Airport on Monday - 'at this time, Easyjet flight blah blah is boarding'.

At this time? You mean 'now'? Or have you turned into an American wrestler doing some trashtalking?

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I think someone needs to start a "poncey words you LOVE" thread.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

That sounds like a job for the Ponze.

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I have mental image of N. in a black leather jacket doing a rather limp-wristed thumbs-up and saying "ehhhhhhhh!".

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Thursday, 26 February 2004 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Doesn't everyone have that mental image?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I fucking hope not.

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 26 February 2004 15:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I have mental image of N. in a black leather jacket doing a rather limp-wristed thumbs-up and saying "ehhhhhhhh!".

You got it right, Jerry. It's The Ponz though, no 'e'.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 27 February 2004 03:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tony" used as an adjective to describe chic and/or up & coming.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 27 February 2004 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

http://ibs.theatermania.com/news/images/561a.jpg

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 27 February 2004 03:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Basically

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 27 February 2004 03:40 (twenty-two years ago)

"Basically" can, in my view, be effectively swapped out with "essentially." Does that make sense, on a basic level?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 27 February 2004 04:03 (twenty-two years ago)

'Basically' is now poncey?? I deplore the low bar for which ponciness is set in the modern world/

― The Ponz (nickdastoor), Friday, 27 February 2004 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not poncey at all - although David Beckham begins every other sentence he speaks with the word! It gets rather annoying.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 27 February 2004 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

In Dave the B's case it's an unnecessary word because his audience will assume any thought process of his is basic by definition.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 27 February 2004 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend of mine constantly says "eep". What does eep mean? It also sounds weird.

Also, my doctor always uses "deviate" instead of "turn". And he uses it 40 times per sentence! It's really annoying.

― natasha lushina, Friday, 27 February 2004 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

my little brother says 'oh my!' a lot. I guite like it and am stealing it forthwith.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

'reduction', as in 'balsamic vinegar reduction'.

― derrick (derrick), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

for some reason the phrase "balsamic vinegar reduction therapy" seems extremely familiar. i think i might've heard it in a dream.

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I don't like the word "poncey. "

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Saturday, 28 February 2004 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, my doctor always uses "deviate" instead of "turn". And he uses it 40 times per sentence! It's really annoying.

Is your doctor the evil twin of a member of Travis?

I don't know where exactly "eep!" comes from but Calvin and Hobbes et al use it as an exclamation of terror!

e.g. *calvin shows susie a worm
susie: EEEEP!!!!!

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 1 March 2004 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Reduction is just a cooking term that means 'boil the heck out of it until it's about half as much as it was when you started'. It's not poncey or nouveau.

― Madchen (Madchen), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

no, exactly, it's a word that does exactly waht it means.

now Jus on the other hand........

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Should cooking terms in foregin that have a perfectly acceptable English translation ever be used outside a restaurant of said nationality?

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

that's taking it a bit far, I mean I love it that my local sandwich shop sells me all those panninis

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

When a joke's funny once, it's funny every time.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

repetition is the key to good comedy.

Hey Mark, we had chicken on our pizza yesterday!

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I too have had chicken on a pizza lately and it was num. Have to do better than that, cabs.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Ham and pineapple?

― Madchen (Madchen), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

no, even I wouldn't go that far, but I am going to have some brushetta tonight

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought we'd have some chicken pasta, or some lovely seafood pasta, making sure we don't forget the cheese on top ;-)

― Vicky (Vicky), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Lam0rs.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

ooh or some nice tuna and pesto pasta, that would be scrummy.

― chris (chris), Monday, 1 March 2004 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Reduction is just a cooking term that means 'boil the heck out of it until it's about half as much as it was when you started'. It's not poncey or nouveau.

a-level chemistry warped my mind though - whenever people talk about reduction in cookery programs i have to really remember they're not talking about reducing oxygen bonds in molecules, gaining electrons or something (it's been a while since a-level)

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 1 March 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Woman at Glasgow Airport on Monday - 'at this time, Easyjet flight blah blah is boarding'.

That bugged me when I heard it on the plane the other day. I really would like to know why that's the preferred terminology -- why "now" would freak someone out or prove incomprehensible to certain passengers. Any theories?

Also, why "motorcoach" over "bus"?

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 March 2004 23:14 (twenty-two years ago)

BTW, I don't believe cooking terms are poncey -- if you can say in one word ("reduction," "deglazing," "caramelizing") what it would otherwise take 15 to say, why not?

"Jus" is slightly poncey but it refers to something pretty specific; "gravy" can mean a few different things, and I think giving "pan drippings" or "meat juice" a proper culinary name awards it a kind of dignity, makes it all sound less sloppy and haphazard.

― jody (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 March 2004 23:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I really would like to know why that's the preferred terminology

This isn't an answer, only related, but there's a term -- which I can't remember and have been googling all sorts of possibilities for, for months now, to no avail -- for a sort of dialect, a pattern of phrases and constructions which tend to be made by people who are trying to speak in a formal grammar that doesn't come naturally to them. (The idea's that most of these constructions are prescriptively incorrect, and others are just awkward; the term reflects that, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is.) A lot of business-speak babble fits into this, and mixing up "of" and "'ve," and so on. It's a couple steps away from the false-Latin perceptions that have would-be pedants telling people to say "cacti," "octopi," and "syllabi."

Anyway, point being, "at this time" is one of the constructions -- whether it's because stiltedness comes off as more correct, or "more words more better," or because "now" slips through the grammatical filter because it's one of those words that doesn't fit easily and obviously into the parts of speech as they're usually learned, I don't know.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 1 March 2004 23:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Meme.

― Amity (Amity), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Avatar, atavistic

― Amity (Amity), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

today I learned "grellow" and I hate it, not because it is unnecessary (grey + yellow) but because it sounds disgusting. Grellow. It sounds like a cross between grime + tallow or a disease you might catch from a sailor's whore in the south pacific.

― remy bean, Thursday, 14 July 2011 12:42 (fourteen years ago)

I can't picture what this color would be! Along those lines though - "geige" grey beige.

― (｡◕‿‿◕｡) (ENBB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 12:45 (fourteen years ago)

greige even

― (｡◕‿‿◕｡) (ENBB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 12:46 (fourteen years ago)

http://mydesigndump.blogspot.com/2010/07/grellow.html

― remy bean, Thursday, 14 July 2011 12:53 (fourteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.