to find it annoying when people say 'It's ten of one' instead of 'it's ten to one' in the context of telling the time?

[danglingmodifiersmakemesad]

Am I???

Def American - does anyone else have the children's CD 'No!' by They Might Be Giants? There is a track called Four of Two which used to really annoy me because of that usage....

my north american friends use this construct, i'm kind of used to it now but it did take me by surprise the first few times.

am from NE Scotland too, and use the "back of" all the time, all my family do. i like it!

notso, yes, that's how I felt! (was not like that at school, by the way, can I make that clear :)
2plus2more, yes, that's how I'm used to people using 'the back of' from when I lived in Glasgow ? a vague phrase for 'some time after', often in contexts like 'I don't think I'll be able to get there until the back of 4'. I still use it a bit. I love it.

yabu
same thing for all intensive purposes surely

Yes, it definitely American. First time I used it to my husband, he looked like this and said 'don't you mean 10 to 2?'

And LittleMiss, the drunkest I have ever been was at a meeting in SLC. It's the whole private club thing!!!

although Americans saying "I could care less..." deserve to be put down immediately for being fucking idiots.

Its American
I'm bilingual American and English.
They won't change.

9 while 5 anyone?

I'm in Glasgow and haven't heard 'the back of' for ages. I used to use it all the time and had forgotten about it, unless I say it without realising? I think people want exact times nowadays and don't like the back of but I do, it means I'm never late lol

I say 'the back of' all the time but then I'm Scottish living in England. I now know why people look at me funny when I say it.

Oh, I loathe 'I could care less'! It JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!! Sorry to shout, but honestly ...

What would you rather people said instead of 'couldn't care less ?'

It's an American thing, isn't it?

I was very confused when we moved back to the UK from Germany as a child, as in Germany 'halb vier' (half-four) means half-past-three, whereas half-four in demotic English means half-past-four.

I still have to translate it in my head sometimes, and I'm in my thirties now

I live in North America .

If I hear one more "could care less",I will explode .

To the op I have never heard that here in all of 6 years -must be regional .

I don't think it would bother me really ,Americans have a right to use English differently :)

But ..."could care less " that is another matter .

"same thing for all intensive purposes surely"

would that be for all intents and purposes?????????

on reflection of about 2 seconds I guess it could be an autocorrect

Oh, was just about to put the German thing!

Think you´ve got a 9.30 appt & it´s 8.30!

I try to stick to the hour for making appointments

"you might tell someone you'll pick them up at "The back of 5,""

Is that like the back of beyond?

It is if you live in Scotland. Joking!

"What would you rather people said instead of 'couldn't care less ?'"

nothing. couldn't care less is perfect. it makes sense. On a scale of caring you are at the absolute minimum point of caring.
It is americans who say "I could care less..." which gets my goat, because it makes no sense.
I have heard it originated from exchanges between british and yank troops during the war, but this may just be an urban myth style explanation.
So you'd get
brit soldier: I couldn't care less
American soldier: oh yeah buddy well I could care less (i.e. I care even less than you do about this)

and in that situation it has at least a semblance of sense to it.
As a stand alone though it is just bizarre
person a: well I think xyz
person b: well I could care less what you think.

absolutely no logic to it

Oh! I didn't read your post properly!

I could care less??? Eh???

I've not heard that before, I thought you were annoyed by COULDN'T care less!

I have confused myself now

Never heard of ten off before but I actually like it
It's self explanatory

Worraliberty - is your MIL Welsh by any chance? My mum and gerandparents all say that and it's a direct translation of how you'd say it in Welsh.

I think of/after are standard American/Canadian phrases.