Pretentious Phrases instead of Plain English words -Piece de resistance

[igr61]

Just thought I would get this one of my chest.
Irritating People that use pretentious foreign words Phrases instead of basic plain English-
"Piece de resistance " instead of saying Masterpiece or the best available.
and that other one usually said by TV presenters and journalists:
"Raison detre " instead of reason for existing

Grin fail

Well I must admit I still have doubts about how to pronounce croissant with or without a pretentious french accent. Sometimes I pretend to be American because I know how they say it.

And doesn't "soupcon" mean " a little"? So, while yes she was being incredibly pretentious and twatty, was she actually incorrect? Unless she pronounced it with a hard "c" and not a soft "c" (I can't do a cédille)

I speak Spanish and while I find the mispronunciation of Chor-eeth-o as Chor-itz-o (and other variations) extremely annoying, I wouldn't dream of pronouncing Madrid, Valencia, etc correctly when speaking English. I think it's because it's more common, which makes no sense at all. Can't bear Ibiza being pronounced Eye-beetha because it's just WRONG!

Virtue signalling is not just being pious or morally superior. It's being those things but making damn sure everyone knows how superior you are, and therefore how inferior everyone else is.

It's 'look at meeee, aren't I amazing?'. (And expecting the reply 'yes'.)

And usually it's done by people who have done very, very little. The ones who really do a lot for charity/the environment/making sure their children eat healthily, are the ones you never hear from because they just get on with it.

Virtue signalling is a lot easier than trying to say that little lot.

@chemenger - same! I sometimes just go completely over the top and do a Del Boy "Croysont" pronunciation.

Maybe we should try and use plain language like OP suggests, so we should go for "buttery shell shaped pastry". That would make life so much easier!

Soupçon is a very small amount of something; a smidgen, a pinch or a dash - to me even one ice cube is more than a soupçon.

One of the meanings of soupçon is 'suspicion'. You'd only use it in relation to food when you were adding herbs or spices, really. A soupçon of ice would be...pretty much undetectable.

While we are on the subject of foreign word pronunciation and potential pretentiousness where do we stand on bruschetta?

So I’m not the only one who hears these phrases with a Del Boy accent!

It's weird to me that English people seem far more concerned about being thought pretentious than anything else when it comes to speaking foreign languages -- it must really cramp your style if you think people are going to laugh at you unless you pronounce 'croissant' as 'KWOSS-awnt'...?

Ah @chemenger is much cleverer than me and figured out how to do the cedille!!

I always took it to mean a touch or a drop, so should only really be used when referring to liquid? So yeah ice cube lady was wrong as well as twattish lol

and yes it was hilarious, I came out of the pub laughing but it was lost on DH who had never heard the phrase before

It's now DSs favourite phrase

A) I’m not English although I am British and B) I don’t really care if people think I’m pretentious, I’m a university lecturer, it comes with the territory. I just don’t know how to pronounce croissant in English. I do know how to pronounce bruschetta in Italian, having been mercilessly teased by Italians, but feel I would probably be just as mercilessly teased by fellow Britons if I pronounced it that way!

My phone can spell soupçon Frangipani despite the fact it usually can’t spell anything.

I agree with the OP. It's the difference, I see it, between cliché and clever use of words.

I would say that Quelle Surprise is pretentious, just because it's become a bit cliched. Whereas "chacun à son gout" is a bit less cliched in English.

Tinkerbell.. at least your DM is attempting to pronounce chorizo correctly unlike my DM who pronounces it “Kor eyes oh”.. 😊

I don’t find any of the words here pretentious. They are just words and it’s nice to use different ones.

What does get my goat is the use of t’is and t’was. I also know someone who says “see you anon”

That’s irritating to myself

a propos
mea culpa

au fait

I love those, though. 😉

Most of the words or phrases here only become irritating when they get used wrongly. I used to get officious and officient wrong so I proclaimed myself to having been terribly officious one day. I am sure maybe a colleague had a wry smile and thought “aye, right enough”

@passmethecrisps - Yes! my DM says "see you anon" and it bugs me. Why can't she just say "see you later"? or "goodbye"?

Actually it's mostly my DM's pronunciation that gets my goat (another interesting phrase!). She says "restaurant" the French way, and when she can't hear what one of my DDs has said, she says "Pardon?" in a French accent.

Despite her not being even slightly French!

Not sure why it annoys me tbh, probably because it DOES feel pretentious.

HOW DO YOU DO A CEDILLE???

Ç this thing?

@RoseWhiteTips I LOVE saying "apropos of nothing" because most of what I say is a non sequitur