What word do you absolutely HATE

Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by grnidone, Apr 14, 2009.

  1. Neets

    Neets New Member

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    Thanks Cognito, now I can stop thinking of the nerdy little people movers every time I hear the word "segue" (I hope).

    /le beep beep
    //le toot toot
     
  2. Martha W

    Martha W New Member

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    The word that drives me crazy is 'that'. It has its place, don't get me wrong but I find myself tossing it in sentences where it has no reason for being there. Whenever I write something I do a special edit read just for that word!:D

    ex) I knew that. ((yeah! It should be there.))

    I knew that she would be here. ((aaaahhhh! Make it go away!))
     
  3. Kas

    Kas New Member

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    It's only offensive if the black person in question is ashamed of being black, or if the words are somehow delivered with a sting. There's no way for the words, in and of themselves, to be offensive. Calling things what they are can't be wrong. Calling things what they are not, however, is wrong. For example, black people are not 'tanned'. They're black.

    This is just another kind of racism. . . At the very least, by calling them tanned, you call attention to the matter of race by making such an obvious effort to be tactful (which is not tactful at all). At worst, you imply there's something wrong with being black, and thus you prefer to think of them as white guys with a really awesome tan. The most racist terms I hear these days are usually coined by white people who struggle, counterproductively, to prove how very un-racist they are.

    Not being a racist is pretty simple. It means you don't care about race. Therefore, you can feel free speak naturally, call things (and people) what they are. You don't need to pussyfoot around the issues either. Guess why. There are no issues for you to pussyfoot around, because you're not a racist! Enjoy your freedom. If others take offense to your blunt speech, they are the racists, not you. They are the ones perceiving issues that don't exist in the moment. They are the ones who create issues to argue about, and in so doing, ensure the continuation of racism and racist thoughts.
    Good for you. There's never a good reason to hate basic, legitimate terminology, aka natural English. Hate the way it is used, if hate something you must.

    Still, there are words that are just. . . weird. Personally, I'm not too keen on the word "caucasian". If I'm hangin' out with a bunch of black guys, I'd much rather be called "the white boy" or even "honkey" or "wonderbread". I know if they give me a label it's probably all in good fun. But caucasian just sounds. . . horribly, horribly wrong. Perhaps if my father put his (deleted) in an asian, and out came Kas nine months later, the word would make better sense to me. But alas, that did not happen, and my confusion still stands.:confused:
     
  4. ravenflutterby

    ravenflutterby New Member

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    As people have said, it's not the words which I hate it's the misuse of them. I have a couple of friends who use 'brought' instead of 'bought' which bugs the hell out of me.
     
  5. UnknownBearing

    UnknownBearing New Member

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    i was actually just reminded of "evolve." when used properly it's totally fine, but when it's beaten to death in situations where a person thinks it sounds good, i just despise the word so much.
     
  6. J_F

    J_F New Member

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    "Dichotomy." Usually used by pseudo-intellectuals, and even when it isn't it's just an unpleasant word.
     
  7. arron89

    arron89 Banned

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    I adore dichotomy! And binary. My academic essays on literature often tend to focus on binaries and patterns in literature, and those 2 words feel like my catchphrases sometimes...
     
  8. Forde

    Forde New Member

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    Not to lower the tone or anything...

    ...my two bugbears are 'poo' and 'pee'. Aargh, there's something about them that makes me cringe. Any other term for the evacuation of bodily fluids are fine, what is it about those two?!
     
  9. Dodoced

    Dodoced New Member

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    Uhm...

    Well, there isn't really any word I hate, but there is one word that I would like to see more often. And that word is Floccinaucinihilipilification. And then words like Thesaurusical(Which I kind of am...) Flibbertigibbeter etc.

    I am sure I spelled one of those wrong...
     
  10. chrisrozwod

    chrisrozwod New Member

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    I think every word has its place, and I would never keep myself from using a word (not matter how unsavory) if I felt it was needed. I guess I'm making that point when I'm talking about fictional characters who might use phrases, or say words that you would generally be opposed to. So there is a place. I use ain't a lot when I write dialogue, but never when I'm speaking.

    The words/phrases that are currently driving me nuts are random, and epic fail (or fail).

    My dislike for the word random is all about the usage and overuse. I feel as though there's been an explosion of people saying this word incorrectly. Sometimes they'll use it as though it's meaning is to be funny. What?

    I don't like it when people say epic fail, or fail because it sounds like they're making a joke. People are supposed to laugh, but it's not a real joke. It's not funny. It's something people who aren't funny say because they can't think of something clever to say.

    Also, I have to agree with the number of people who dislike whenever people write in all caps. It's so lazy.
     
  11. Kas

    Kas New Member

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    I think that's a good attitude. The question of need is a tricky one though.

    I've noticed that. . But random has a very simple definition, one which (you'd think) can't possibly be misunderstood or confused with anything else. Misuse was inevitable.

    Actually, I think the youtubers might be responsible for this one. You know those videos where they suddenly break from the topic to do or say something completely pointless and unrelated, roll their eyes, say "Random??" and get on with the equally pointless show? People have discovered they can achieve internet celebrity status simply by doing intentionally stupid things and recording them: class clown gone global.

    I guess hearing the word in that context leads some people to think random = funny. In any case, I noticed the youtube trend first.

    Yeah, I hate that too. I don't see anything funny at all in saying "you failed miserably". And it's not so much a joke as it is an insult/rallying cry: "Come all ye ***holes! Let us boost our epeens by pissing upon this hapless newbie!" Thankfully, I've only ever heard this online.
     
  12. murphcas

    murphcas New Member

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    I don't hate any words but I really get annoyed when people use the word "ignorant" wrong. I feel like throwing a dictionary at them! "Ignorant" means "destitute of knowledge or education" (and I got that right from the dictionary), but people like to think it means that someone's being rude and they use it that way all the time.
     
  13. Kas

    Kas New Member

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    I agree to a point. Ignorance isn't synonymous with bad manners, but rude behavior can demonstrate ignorance. A simple example would be a person who is ignorant of proper etiquette.

    An egalitarian like myself might brand homophobia ignorant. Fears stem from ignorance and a phobia is a fear. Calling something that animals do 'unnatural' would seem to be ignorant.

    So you could slap the ignorant label on a lot of rude people with justification, but technically it carries a different meaning.

    "Mommy, that man said _______."

    "Oh, he's just ignorant, dear."

    If she means to say that he doesn't know any better, I think the usage is correct. Her statement is probably wrong. Rudeness, to me, is defined as behaving inappropriately despite knowing better. I wouldn't consider a foreigner rude if I knew that his friend told him f*** means hello.

    You kinda have to pick one. It's a matter of opinion whether a person is actually rude (by my definition) or just ignorant, but either term can often be applied to the same person.

    I think that to call a rude person ignorant would be defending him. It doesn't really work as an insult.

    Incidentally, it's a funny word to misuse, for obvious reasons.;)
     
  14. Rosetta Stoned

    Rosetta Stoned New Member

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    I don't like using weak words. Maybe, sometimes, probably, a little, slightly... drives me nuts when people overuse them.
     
  15. BillyxRansom

    BillyxRansom Active Member

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    That's the point of the phrase. It's ironic in nature, and thus, you have the concept of "same difference".

    I asked about this once, and that was the answer I got, because I was just as perturbed about "same difference" as you appear to be.
     

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