One word is ruining my book

Lifenov86 · 2026-10-07T20:54:39+00:00

I’m reading the new cj Tudor book “serenity falls”. Really enjoying the story. My problem! No one walks anywhere they “pad”. It’s so jarring once you notice it

ShallWeDance · 14/10/2026 13:04

SubmarineDream · 11/10/2026 21:10

Was it Wheel of Time?

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It wasn't. It was The Furyk Saga. But now you mention it, Wheel of Time must be an influence there. 😲

MrMurphysComeuppance · 12/10/2026 19:20

Thegirlwhowent · 12/10/2026 07:06

I won't buy or borrow those 'Pinch of Nom' cookery books because 'nom' sounds stupid to me! And I agree that 'scran' sounds seedy to me though I'm aware that depends on where you are. We could say 'grub' but only the really rough kids at school said 'scran'.

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Yes, just posted again before I saw this, but that's exactly it!

I won't buy the Pinch of Nom books either 😂

MrMurphysComeuppance · 12/10/2026 19:16

FruAashild · 11/10/2026 22:30

Scran is a Scots word. Nothing common or seedy about it.

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I know it is. They use it in Liverpool too. It's a horrible word. It's the Scots equivalent of the English grub which I don't like either but something about scran sounds worse to me. It sounds uncouth. Maybe because every time I've heard the word used, the person saying it has been quite uncouth.

Thegirlwhowent · 12/10/2026 07:06

MrMurphysComeuppance · 08/10/2026 17:34

I have words that give me the heebie jeebies as well.

There is a cookery book I really like the look of, but I can't buy it because it's called SCRAN.

Referring to your meals and food in general as 'scran' just feels really common and a bit seedy. Urrgh. Like sarnies and sandos. I can't cope.

I won't buy or borrow those 'Pinch of Nom' cookery books because 'nom' sounds stupid to me! And I agree that 'scran' sounds seedy to me though I'm aware that depends on where you are. We could say 'grub' but only the really rough kids at school said 'scran'.

FruAashild · 11/10/2026 22:30

MrMurphysComeuppance · 08/10/2026 17:34

I have words that give me the heebie jeebies as well.

There is a cookery book I really like the look of, but I can't buy it because it's called SCRAN.

Referring to your meals and food in general as 'scran' just feels really common and a bit seedy. Urrgh. Like sarnies and sandos. I can't cope.

Scran is a Scots word. Nothing common or seedy about it.

CousinBette · 11/10/2026 22:27

TheoreticallyAdult · 08/10/2026 08:09

I just finished a book on kindle where everything was “on”.

On a sigh …
On a grin…
On a laugh…

Every single time I reported it as a typo. Rage.

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You are marvellous and I am going to do this too 👍🏻

EmpressaurusKitty · 11/10/2026 22:24

PaintMeLikeYourFrenchGulls · 11/10/2026 21:38

I quite liked the first Agatha Raisin books as a harmless bit of fun, but she repeats stock phrases endlessly. “Bear-like eyes.” “That precious pair.” I found it increasingly annoying as the stories progressed.

I can raise a solitary eyebrow, AND curl my lip, by the way.

And the bit about wondering what Charles really thought of her because he was as self contained as a cat, or something like that.

FruAashild · 11/10/2026 22:14

BrandiedAromatics · 08/10/2026 08:46

There are other examples : Americans would write 'smelled', English - 'smelt', etc.

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Yeah, I think American English is moving towards removing the 't' ending to verbs and replacing with 'ed'. The t ending is more prevalent still in Scotland than England and there are verbs in Scots that have a t ending when English doesn't, e.g. telt vs told, kent vs knew, skelpit vs smacked.

PaintMeLikeYourFrenchGulls · 11/10/2026 21:38

I quite liked the first Agatha Raisin books as a harmless bit of fun, but she repeats stock phrases endlessly. “Bear-like eyes.” “That precious pair.” I found it increasingly annoying as the stories progressed.

I can raise a solitary eyebrow, AND curl my lip, by the way.

Thegirlwhowent · 11/10/2026 21:28

JaneJeffer · 10/10/2026 18:03

Windcheater is widely used to describe a lightweight rain jacket.

When I was a child - early 60s - my mum knitted windcheaters for me and my brothers. Ours were a sort of thick cardigan with a zip up the front. We'd wear them on the beach when it was blowing a gale (Cornwall rather than Corfu!)

SubmarineDream · 11/10/2026 21:10

ShallWeDance · 10/10/2026 18:01

Read a long fantasy series recently (it was pretty good) but the writer used 'bulged' all the time whenever something dramatic or horrifying was experienced by one character. Her eyes were 'bulging' or 'bulged' every single time.

I noticed the repetition but also found it difficult to work out exactly what it meant.

Was it Wheel of Time?

SheilaWilde · 11/10/2026 14:43

ICantStomachWhelks · 08/10/2026 15:28

Padding is normally done by female characters who are wearing just their pants and a man’s shirt. Boke.

I’d like to see more galumphing in that scenario.

Yes that’s exactly how I imagine it to be used:
“she padded across the room, her eyes wide beneath her full fringe, towards Jack who leant against the desk with a smile tugging at his lips.”

Seagullsandsausagerolls · 11/10/2026 13:40

Feyre and her bowels constantly turning to water.

Cheeseplantalltheway · 10/10/2026 20:06

@ShallWeDance was the character a pug?

CrowsInMyGarden · 10/10/2026 19:39

Lisa Jewell characters are always slanting their eyes

Thegirlwhowent · 10/10/2026 19:36

I've had to abandon books where nobody ever 'says' anything. They whisper, they mutter, they sigh, yell, opine, explain, grunt, stutter etc. (Though no longer 'ejaculate' as in some Sherlock Holmes novels!)

SirChenjins · 10/10/2026 19:29

A shirtwaister or shirtwaist dress is just a style of dress, like a shift dress. They are brilliant for pear shapes and there are loads online 😊

HatStickBoots · 10/10/2026 19:25

I had no idea what a windcheater or shirt waister was either until I came across an old book written the 1930s called “The Bride’s book” and found examples in there.

JaneJeffer · 10/10/2026 18:03

Windcheater is widely used to describe a lightweight rain jacket.

ShallWeDance · 10/10/2026 18:01

Read a long fantasy series recently (it was pretty good) but the writer used 'bulged' all the time whenever something dramatic or horrifying was experienced by one character. Her eyes were 'bulging' or 'bulged' every single time.

I noticed the repetition but also found it difficult to work out exactly what it meant.

Madamefroufrou · 10/10/2026 17:55

elperil · 08/10/2026 12:02

I want your dancing eyebrows. If I try to raise just one of mine, nope it's always both, and if I contortion my forehead to raise just one I automatically close the other eye. I look like someone just making faces. So I don't bother and now give a wry smile and pad back to my chair in silence.

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ARe you really Emilia Clarke of the Dancing Eyebrows?

Yetanotherone12 · 10/10/2026 17:49

ooh that’s another pet hate of mine, use of terms like “windcheater”

shirtwaister, is another I think, beloved of Jilly cooper, and the usual Americanisms.

not so bad these days but as a teen with no google it completely wiped my mental picture if I had no idea what the item they mentioned was.

what is a windcheater? Like a wax jacket?

Honnomushi · 10/10/2026 17:47

For a while in romantasy books there was a spate of lips kicking up instead of smiling which annoyed me every time.

mumisfull · 10/10/2026 17:45

Amongst the many many things wrong with the Twilight books, Bella is always ‘scarfing’ her food. Just a horrible vision and I can hear the noise she’d be making 🤢

Madamefroufrou · 10/10/2026 17:45

FloofyKat · 07/10/2026 23:18

The number of modern writers who use the words ‘grin’ or ‘grinned’ multiple times is similarly annoying. I don’t often see people grinning - smiling, yes, smiling broadly, yes, a ghost of a smile, yes. But grinning every single time? No.

And what about all the times the characters ‘raise an eyebrow’? I don’t think I know anyone who can successfully do this.

(Sir) Roger Moore built his entire acting career and found
eternal fame with this unique ability