'Excited for' versus 'excited about'

[Apileofballyhoo]

AIBU to ask if this has taken over now and when did it happen?

I would only use excited for if I was telling somebody I was excited for them because of an amazing opportunity they had or something. If I was off on my holidays I'd be excited about it.

But people seem to be excited for things now, rather than about them.

I expect it’s an Americanism...

I agree OP. I think it's bloody ridiculous. I wish people would think before they spout such twattish nonsense. It is excited ABOUT. Excited FOR is feeling excited on behalf of someone else. All this excitement does remind me of hyperactive 8 year olds though. Why can't people simply say the good old phrase 'I'm looking forward to...?'

Prepositions are such a bugbear. They do change, but some of the changes are hideous.

I agree with PPs - excited for - on behalf of.

The one that gets on my threepennies is what do you think to this dress?instead of what do you think of this dress.? It infests the Style and Beauty threads.

I've not seen this usage, I've only seen it in the contex of 'oh I'm so excited for you!' when someone has exciting news to share. I've also never heard 'what do you think to', is it regional?

YANBU, I've noticed this over the last few years, mainly from younger generations.

Okay... I say “excited for” sometimes. Not often though. For example, “I’m so excited for our holiday”. I know it’s probably grammatically incorrect but as far as I can remember, I have always said it.

I’m Scottish though. Not sure if it’s possibly a regional thing rather than an Americanism as I really think I’ve said that since I was a child.

Have only ever heard Americans use this phrase so assume it hails from across the pond?

Agree with you OP. I have to bite my tongue when I hear it.

The new one that’s doing my head in is ‘it was a really chill weekend’.

Arrgghh. . This makes no sense!!

I think you can be excited for someone but not something.

In a similar vein - we're going to the zoo:

At the weekend
On the weekend

I'm thinking this one may be regional variance though.

Language is constantly changing. It's not something that bothers me.

www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/language-tip-of-the-week-excited

You do have to scroll past all the humphy personal bloggers who think language is prescriptive before you get to any reliable sources. This is about the tenth hit on Google.

I'd say "what do you think to" was just a less formal way of saying "what do you think of/about".

I accept all the above in written work because they're all correct.

I agree - I’ve only heard people saying this for a couple of years.

But someone (and a posh person at that) said it in the period Agatha Christie adaption on Sunday - bloody ridiculous!

I give you also:
I'm talking with John (wrong)
I'm talking to John (correct)

Bloody Americans!

Also:

Change up

Swap out

We never used to use ‘up’ or ‘out’ with these verbs.

It's a whole syllable (or two letters, if typing) shorter, hence the appeal.

Can't watch a cooking programme without someone "frying off" something. What's wrong with just "frying"? Reminds me of "sucking off", though weirdly, that doesn't offend me.

It is annoying, like "gotten" or "pissed" instead of "pissed off".

When I think about why it's annoying I think it's because it shows a weakness of mind, a sign that people are easily influenced/changed by new trends.

I'm sure I'm being completely irrational, I mean I love our language and ought to be excited about (not for!) it evolving... why should it bother me if others are easily influenced?

I guess I want to have faith that people are strong-minded, or something. In case of crisis or whatever...

Excuse the rambling!

Language evolves and changes, it doesn’t bother me too much. We speak differently today to how we did a few decades ago, your kids and grandkids will have similar gripes about it as you do now.

I'm with you SummerPavilion. See also "mad at".

I know intellectually of course that language changes, but the shift in prepositions bothers me irrationally because it grates; it's like a musical note out of key. It's not the language I've always spoken so it sounds 'wrong'. I try not to be a prescriptivist but it's difficult at times.

Most "Americanisms" are, of course, the way English was spoken when the first British settlers landed.

Pan-frying does my head in though. Where else would I fry? The ironing board?

sunset that's exactly how it sounds to me too, like a wrong note.

Is gotten acceptable in British English now?

And another one that I wonder about - disinterested always meant a neutral party to me but it seems it's acceptable as a synonym for uninterested. Was that always the case?

I dislike “change up” too. See also “offer up” 🤢

"Different to" always worries me slightly because things don't differ to other things, they differ from them. "Different than" just seems totally wrong, but I don't know why!