Pismonunciations that drive you nuts

[GoodyGoodyGumdrops]

I'm sure you've all got your particular teeth-clenching, fingernails-on-blackboard nemesis.

Today's offering: they did "drawring" in Art.

I will break him of that habit. I will!

I used to work with someone who said, "we all have our little foblies"(fobleez). I thought it was rather sweet.
And yes "can't be arsed" for all my life and I am in my late sixties.

The non-schwa in words like "police" was once a sign of Great Poshness. The Queen, circa 1955 would have said it. Now, of course, she's been streeted by her grandchildren and probably calls them the rozzers.

The polite substitution for arse in my childhood was ass. My father (born 1910) would say "silly arse" in private and "silly ass" in public.

'archery' instead of artery.

'expresso' instead of 'espresso'.

Gerty everybody on here knows should of is incorrect, that's a given.

People are not dropping 'can't be arsed' because you are wrong and refuse to accept it.

I often couldn't be arsed to do things as a teenager back in the eighties.

Really? They all know should of is wrong? I hear folk all the time, posh, poor, rich, educated who have no idea its wrong! (PS The fact you were a teenager in the eighties is why you think its arsed!!! I am loving this!) And if we all went purely on majority rule, we'd ALL think Eastenders was a great tv prog! But it does make me laugh this "refuse to accept it" - I would cry and sob but I simply haven't the time because I love this thread too much and loved reading about "vunerable" and "pleece" and imagining the Queen saying rozzers (thank you Vintage!!!!!) :-)

Oh wow are you still persisting with this Gerty? As a matter of fact I visited my parents today (in their late 70s), I mentioned the phrase, and they agree it has always been 'arsed'. My dad can remember using it often when he was young (so in the 1950s/60s).

Of course you were an English teacher.

No one is saying that 'they' all know should of is wrong. What Pizza is saying is that everyone who posts on this part of this site does.

If you taught English O level then I'm guessing you've not actually taught English since 1988...............

Pemba and Ivy - its asked. It then got changed BY SOME FOLK to arsed. Whether a 70/80/90 yr old said ooh its arsed - well, not everyone knows everything about everything, espec English wot is writ and spoked. Like I said, I enjoy this post immensely, its very amusing and funny etc etc - so why not enjoy the rest of the posts? I have another word to add to the collection - Harassment. Pronounced two different ways, one correct, one more commonly used.

Gerty. I have provided proof. Mainly the OED and text from 1968.
Where is your proof as any that you have provided so far has not really been up to much?

As you say, no one knows everything. Therefore it is helpful to back it up with facts. I find it hard to enjoy something when people are SHOUTING that they are right and everyone else is wrong, even when it has been proven that they are wrong.

So when did you give up teaching English then?

SHOUTING?!? Capital letters are providing emphasis - NOWADAYS though some younger folk call it shouting! You can use underlining too. I am 63, retired from teaching, as opposed to GIVING UP teaching however after a year I missed work so now have a different job, vaguely similar in the English stakes at least! So, back to Harassment and the two pronunciations ......... Crikey I forgot - my DH is 8 yrs younger than me and he says Asked - ex Army chap. Now lets get on with the job in hand...........

-2- BTW Ivy, I find your comments that you are guessing I've not taught English since 1988 very slightly odd? Accusatory even? I also gave some examples but you pooh-poohed them and I sobbed. We should all be enjoying the various MN postings, but of course now we have other things to think about like the tragic London atrocities yesterday so lets get on with appreciating we are alive and not have this finger-pointing. God bless all the folk who were murdered yesterday or were terribly injured, or affected in any way by what happened.

It's standard online that CAPITALS means shouting.

Oh he's in the army? Why didn't you say. Oh someone in the army says it then if must be true. Bugger what the OED says.

You said you taught o-levels. They ended in 1988.
Your 'proof' was nothing of the sort. An example when it was used differently, and example taken from a web site selling t-shirts and one post on a forum.
I gave you the OED.

Are you seriously going to bring in the events of yesterday into this?
What a cowardly thing to do.
You can't be criticised because something dreadful happened? What utter disrespectful tripe.

Ivy I think you have a problem - how dare you call me a coward on some itty bitty discussion/posting which YOU are getting uptight about and tell me I AM NOT ALLOWED to show how there is far more important stuff in the world than your stuff? That I am disrespectful? That I said let's get on with appreciating we are alive? I suggest you stop twisting everything that is written to suit yourself and start appreciating you have free speech etc etc. Don't EVER call me disrespectful - you are making yourself sound nasty and if you look inside yourself you probably are not that at all. I bet you aren't. Not really.

It's spelt wasp so I say wasp. Can't bring myself to say wosp.
A colleague writes soar throat. I'd love to know how far up in the clouds someone's throat is.

Whilst I'm here could someone tell me how would you use the word pus with a y at the end, eg the wound is pus y and needs antibiotics. Surely it can't be pussy as I see it written?

I was in the Army and it was arsed. CBA. A TLA (three letter abbreviation) for Can't be Arsed. Definitely not asked. Gerty you are still wrong. Now you are being rude as well

Gerty
I used to say 'off my own back' and 'another thing coming'.
I have since learned that they were both wrong, and do you know what I did? I said 'gosh, I didn't realise that I was getting it wrong all these years' and changed what I said.

If by 'twisting things to suit myself' you mean quoting the OED then I think you are rather confused.

I am not uptight, I'm not the one shouting.
I simply don't like someone turning up, announcing they are right and then refusing to admit that they are wrong when it it proved they are.

You are being disrespectful to all people involved the the tragic incident yesterday by bringing them into a debate like this. Are people never allowed to disagree because something dreadful is happening somewhere in the world?

-2- You said about my DH : "Oh he's in the army? Why didn't you say. Oh someone in the army says it then it must be true". I said he WAS in army. Maybe you shouldn't denigrate him by displaying slight sarcasm. You're being a bit disrespectful towards him and again, maybe deep inside you aren't really. The original job in hand was something else .....

troysMummy
I know what you mean. I have the same issue with the spelling of swap. It's all wrong.

However I don't find watch odd or wrong, or any of the other 'w followed by and a' words.

Gerty you seemed to imply that someone who was/is in the army as knowing better than the OED. I was sarcastic because your point was verging on the ridiculous.

Please drop it. You are making rather a spectacle of yourself dear.

Stop twisting things. Stop saying yesterday's terrible events are being used to skew the discussion. And STOP implying ANY mention was to sidetrack the thread - absolutely disgusting saying that. Like I said before, don't say I am disrespectful. As you well know, I said we should be appreciating we are alive and stop this finger-pointing. You just carry on finger-pointing then........ whilst the rest of the folk like TroysMammy come up with very good examples of pus and the cat connection - which is very good and very funny indeed!!!

Gerty - drop it, you are getting rather embarrassing.