Words people Hate

[ShivaFan]

Namaste

This has nothing really to do with Hinduism, but just for fun I am wondering about "words or slang that make others angry".

For example, I have a habit of using the word "Yummy!".

So this morning my wife gives me a breakfast of sheermal (wheat pancakes with sugar and butter). So I bite it and say, "mmmm... Yummy!"
She immeaditely gets angry saying, "I hate that word!

Have any favorite words or slang that others hate?

Om Namah Sivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: As a teacher/writer/editor I 'hate' overused colloquial stuff like awesome, and overused simplistic or redundant words like pretty, actually, usually, and very. "It's actually really very simple!" would get my goat.

On a more serious note I really dislike racial or religious slurs, and cursing for no reason.

Pet names like 'Honey, and 'Sweety' are obnoxious as well.

Aum Namasivaya

[ShivaFan]

Namaste EM

Some of my relatives have nicknames in addition to their Indian names, which translate to "Little Bird", Dolly, Pinky, Sweety and such in English. But that's not the same as calling or replying to someone you are not intimate with as "Swetty", as in "Sweety, your shoe lace is untied"...

I hate racial terms as well. Actually, I don't like being called a mleecha but I never let it get my goat.

But what about those "innocent" words that others hate, like "Yummy!", or even such terms which are innocent cultural terms such as yummy but others from a different culture do not understand that sometimes get you in a funny situation?

Om Namah Sivaya

[Arjuni]

Namasté,

"Myself" is the most annoying word in the English language, to me, because a lot of people use it wrong in an effort to sound smarter.

"Bob and myself gave the presentation--"
"She will transfer ownership to myself--"
"The client was seen by myself--"

ARGH. "Myself" as a reflexive means that you are both the subject and object of the action being done. So it only applies in situations where you're doing something to yourself:

"I looked at myself in the mirror."
"I caught myself before I fell."
"I stopped myself from eating the whole cake."

There are also two words that I've come to dislike since moving to Canada: "awesome" because people use it for everything that's even a little bit pleasant, and "yeah-no," which is a weird thing that Canadians do to indicate sort-of-accepting something? Sometimes it even continues "Yeah-no, yeah, no, yeah--" It is so confusing. :p

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: Indraneela, that was such an awesome post.

It gives away my age but I find certain older idioms entertaining ... some filler expressions used for, uh, pausing, you know, will become irritating from people who really overuse them. I will stop listening and start counting.

Aum Namasivaya

[JaiMaaDurga]

Namaste,

Plz dnt xpct me 2 taek u srsly if ur msgs r liek dis 1!!! ;)

JAI MATA DI

[ShivaFan]

Namaste Indraneela

Oh my goodness, I have relatives in Canada, I now I know what "yeah-no" means when I go there. It means "sort of, maybe like" or it could mean someone isn't listening to you when you are talking to them but pretending they are .... ?

I hate "awesome" ...

There is one word here in the United States that is in use, which is so horrible that some are considering physically attacking anyone who uses it in a group assault style counter strike of the most extreme prejudice. Unfortunately the use of the word is spreading around the world and will no doubt show up in a Bollywood movie coming soon ....

And that word is "sweet!" ... Or even worse - "sweeeeeeeet !"

As in, someone looks over the shoulder of someone playing the latest version of some game console, and says "sweeeeet!".

Or someone is handed a coupon from a joker standing on a busy sidewalk for $3 dollars off for a Chinese food takeout, and the guy taking the coupon looks down at the flyer and then says, " sweet!" ....

Om Namah Sivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.


Namasté,

"Myself" is the most annoying word in the English language, to me, because a lot of people use it wrong in an effort to sound smarter.

"Bob and myself gave the presentation--"
"She will transfer ownership to myself--"
"The client was seen by myself--"

ARGH. "Myself" as a reflexive means that you are both the subject and object of the action being done. So it only applies in situations where you're doing something to yourself:

"I looked at myself in the mirror."
"I caught myself before I fell."
"I stopped myself from eating the whole cake."

There are also two words that I've come to dislike since moving to Canada: "awesome" because people use it for everything that's even a little bit pleasant, and "yeah-no," which is a weird thing that Canadians do to indicate sort-of-accepting something? Sometimes it even continues "Yeah-no, yeah, no, yeah--" It is so confusing. :p

Indraneela
===
Oṁ Indrāya Namaḥ.
Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.

While I'm generally of the belief that if two people can understand each other, a language works. Nevertheless, I'm human and things do annoy me:

Loose for lose.

Whom for who ("whom is going to the movies?" :eek: fingernails on a chalkboard sound better). Whom is an object case, either direct or indirect (the old dative or accusative): "Whom do you see?" (object of the verb); "Whom did Johnny give a wedgie to!?" (dative). 'Who' is a subject pronoun: "Who is going?", "And you are, who?", "Who is there?".

The loss of the subjunctive, sadly, except in some fossilized phrases. But Classical Sanskrit and Modern Greek lost their subjunctive also, so English is in good company.

Now, words and phrases I hate:

"Reach out to"; "at the end of the day"; "that said/having said that"; and other corporate neo-jargon.

The incorrect use of "begging the question". It should be "raises the question". "Begging the question" has an extremely limited and specific use, and does not have a proper use in everyday speech.

Using a past tense as a past participle: "you should have came", not to mention "you should of came". Btw, it's perfectly acceptable to use a present participle as an infinitive, e.g. "Using a past tense... ". Iirc it's a verbal noun. Split infinitves are OK too: "To boldly go... ". English has that flexibility.

Hypercorrections such as "between you and I" and generally incorrect use of pronouns "me and my brother should have went" (kill me, kill me now). However, these errors become correct by common usage, as my college English prof. called it. That's how language changes and evolves. If not for errors in Anglo-Saxon speech, we would be speaking... Anglo Saxon and not Modern English.

Techincally 'like' and 'since' are used all too often, when 'as' and 'because' should be used. 'Correct by common usage' at work again.

I'm sure I can come up with some more pedantisms given the time. :p

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: 'Axe' instead of ask annoys me, but maybe it's just because it has a violent connotation, and I'm a Hindu. "I'll go axe my brother," just doesn't sound right.

But I think English speakers, at the same time, need to be sensitive to non-English speakers, and especially in places like these forums, or at Hindu temples. I'm not proud to be a person who only knows one language, and I'm sure it's incredibly difficult as an immigrant anywhere, stumbling your way through a foreign language.

Aum Namasivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.


Vannakkam: 'Axe' instead of ask annoys me, but maybe it's just because it has a violent connotation, and I'm a Hindu. "I'll go axe my brother," just doesn't sound right.

I have to tell you something that will likely break your heart... :(

Aks is the original form of the verb, 'aksen', from Middle English. It was aks that incorrectly morphed into ask. Of course, that correct-by-common-usage thingie comes into play, and for the past 700-800 years ask has been the norm. Aks does send an electrical charge up one's spine, but linguistically (and geekishly :o ) it is a correct variant.

Oh, and more bad news... ain't is also valid. It's a real live contraction of "am I not" and "I am not", e.g. "I ain't (am not) going" and "Am I not (ain't I) looking dashing today?" (OK, I'm sure I could of came up with a better example :D ).

[Kismet]

My brother can't stand the word "Grand."

Must be too... grandiose. :rolleyes:

[Jodhaa]

I'm not a fan of the word "flesh". I can't really explain it. It's the sound of it plus I don't like the images that come to mind.

"Skin" doesn't bother me though. hmm.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Jodhaa: I found 'flesh' to be a useful tool when becoming a vegetarian. Eating meat is one thing, but eating flesh seems to be another, yet they are the same.

Aum Namasivaya

[Jodhaa]

Vannakkam Jodhaa: I found 'flesh' to be a useful tool when becoming a vegetarian. Eating meat is one thing, but eating flesh seems to be another, yet they are the same.

Aum Namasivaya


That would do it!

Although I am admittedly not a vegetarian as yet. :o