I have a group of consultant engineers I work with. The lead engineer had a weird grammatical quirk that several other people in their office have picked up and propagated:
They use "the same" instead of a simple "this" or "them". As in:
I have the drawings in my office. Let me know when you can pick up the same.
It's not technically wrong, it's just weird.
As a firefighter, it bugs me when news reporters describe a building as being "fully engulfed".
The building could possibly be fully involved. At which point, it could also be described as being engulfed in flames. But the word engulfed implies a sense of fullness on its own. Fully engulfed is redundant.
RacerBoy75 said:Here in the Pacific Northwest, everyone says "you guys", but "y'all" will probably get you sideways looks.
When I lived in Portland for a short time, a friend used to ask me to say "oial" as in motor oil and "nayked" Ok, ohl and nekid to let people hear my accent. Y'all talk funny over here. We talk right.
If I look at a menu and see an item listed as de-constructed, I'm leaving.
Duke said:I have a group of consultant engineers I work with. The lead engineer had a weird grammatical quirk that several other people in their office have picked up and propagated:
They use "the same" instead of a simple "this" or "them". As in:
I have the drawings in my office. Let me know when you can pick up the same.
It's not technically wrong, it's just weird.
I see that phraseology a lot from the Indian folks at work. Another one that gets under my skin is "do the needful".
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:As a firefighter, it bugs me when news reporters describe a building as being "fully engulfed".
The building could possibly be fully involved. At which point, it could also be described as being engulfed in flames. But the word engulfed implies a sense of fullness on its own. Fully engulfed is redundant.
The flying version is "tarmac". The news always talks about people stuck on the tarmac, plane crashed on the tarmac, etc.
Far as I know, tarmac is asphalt, they're usually referring to a taxiway or apron, and frequently those are concrete, or at the very least not inherently asphalt, so I have no idea where they get the word, or what it is supposed to mean. I've successfully passed a few FAA exams, and defied gravity in a tin can powered by an air-cooled 4 cylinder from the late 60's, and I've never used "tarmac" in relation to any of that. But maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
My peeve is "heighth." People think it goes with width.
I've heard an architect say it.
This is a coil. It is a single coil.
This is a coil pack. It is multiple coils in a single case.
If the device you have does not have multiple coils in it, it is not a pack.
NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:When I lived in Portland for a short time, a friend used to ask me to say "oial" as in motor oil and "nayked" Ok, ohl and nekid to let people hear my accent. Y'all talk funny over here. We talk right.
Again, might be partly a city vs. country thing. Plenty of us in the PNW say crick and y'all. But when we meet somebody who sounds like you, it's novel to us. Doesn't mean we think you're wrong. It's kind a special treat to catch a little glimpse of a living, historical connection to a region. A lot of people out here don't have that.
Spearfishin said:The flying version is "tarmac". The news always talks about people stuck on the tarmac, plane crashed on the tarmac, etc.
Far as I know, tarmac is asphalt, they're usually referring to a taxiway or apron, and frequently those are concrete, or at the very least not inherently asphalt, so I have no idea where they get the word, or what it is supposed to mean. I've successfully passed a few FAA exams, and defied gravity in a tin can powered by an air-cooled 4 cylinder from the late 60's, and I've never used "tarmac" in relation to any of that. But maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
"Tarmac" is short for "Tar MacAdam"; i.e. asphalt - specifically petroleum-based paving.
I believe the airfield definition comes from British usage, and their insistence on taking the ambiguous part of the description and turning that into the specific noun. They also specifically call the sidewalk the "pavement" despite the fact that any time there is a sidewalk the entire roadway is likely to be paved as well.
See also "motor" as the short form of "motor car". The important part is that it is a car, and numerous other things are also motor-powered, like boats or cycles. Yet Brits insisted on saying "my motor" when referring to their cars.
Plywood sheeting.
The word is sheathing. It means to wrap around something, to envelope it. Like the sheath of a dagger, or a condom.
Its both a noun and a verb.
Plywood is sold in sheets, and it is used to sheath the house. The house sheathing is usually sealed at the joints.
Sheeting is a noun, but not a verb. Unless we are on a sailing vessel. Then the sailor can be sheeting in the sail.
"Footer" instead of "footing" bugs me too, but I guess they are now pretty interchangeable.
SV reX said:"Footer" instead of "footing" bugs me too, but I guess they are now pretty interchangeable.
I'm in commercial construction and I've given up on expecting any clarity or commonality in terms folks use in the field. Hell, getting ready for a duct bank inspection this morning and the foreman for medium voltage electrical crew repeatedly called the reinforcing steel "rebarb". Wanted to confirm his "rebarb inspection was on the schedule."
Yeah. It is. And also, you sound like an idiot.
In reply to Spearfishin :
I hear you
Footers and rebarb never bothered me much, but Joyces would cause me to cringe.
(joists)
Cornish and masonary used to bug the hell out of me.
You guys are killing me. I hate every one of those, but forgot that I ignore them every day!
I've been in the heavy industrial world for a while. Not much Cornish out here. But tons and tons of rebarb.
Another that gets to me out here are SALT/DALT "testing". Like "we're getting ready to do DALT testing on the west side of the 4th floor". Which is to say, "we're getting ready to do duct air leakage testing testing on the west side of the 4th floor".
The ole automated teller machine machine.
I don't remember if pages back I mentioned this one.
"Chomping at the bit" when the original is actually "Champing at the bit"
Then and than aren't interchangeable.
Spearfishin said:I've been in the heavy industrial world for a while. Not much Cornish out here. But tons and tons of rebarb.
Another that gets to me out here are SALT/DALT "testing". Like "we're getting ready to do DALT testing on the west side of the 4th floor". Which is to say, "we're getting ready to do duct air leakage testing testing on the west side of the 4th floor".
The ole automated teller machine machine.
Did we say "VIN number" yet?
bludroptop said:rebarb
Reminds me of that sharp stuff they put on the top of fences to prevent you from climbing over.
Bob wire.
z31maniac said:I don't remember if pages back I mentioned this one.
"Chomping at the bit" when the original is actually "Champing at the bit"
Funtionality is a made up word particular to the software industry..................I dislike the word even when speaking of software.
If you use the word when describing a functional aspect of tangible goods.......toilets, cars, kitchen or whatever...............when it doesn't work is that a malfunctionality?
I think I once called out Tim for using the word in relation to a upgraded part.
NermalSnert (Forum Supporter) said:RacerBoy75 said:Here in the Pacific Northwest, everyone says "you guys", but "y'all" will probably get you sideways looks.
When I lived in Portland for a short time, a friend used to ask me to say "oial" as in motor oil and "nayked" Ok, ohl and nekid to let people hear my accent. Y'all talk funny over here. We talk right.
When we went to Australia I used to have to get an Aussie translator for ordering food. Also "Water" is funny the way most Americans say it.
For me it's how they say "no", their version as far as I can tell has all the vowels in it
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