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Pedants' corner

It’s ‘champing at the bit’ I tell you.

82 replies

fluffiphlox · 26/11/2018 12:13

Not ‘chomping’ you numpties. (Ah that’s better).

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Limpetry · 26/11/2018 17:06

MrsTerry, this blog on UK/US usages seems to suggest that 'roil' vs 'roll' diverged, with most OED citations of 'roil' post 1700 being US -- interestingly, the first 'roiling' citation is apparently only from 1967:

separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2006/05/roiling-and-broiling.html

Who, you may imagine my popularity on the rare occasions I pick up my son -- I'm actively trying not to burst into

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Limpetry · 26/11/2018 17:07

Ah, posted too soon -- I was going to say, you can imagine my popularity in the playground as I try not to break into WHEN YOU'RE A JET, YOU'RE A JET ALL THE WAY...

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GummyGoddess · 26/11/2018 17:14

Like my DH serving me a 'slither' of cake. It's a sliver!

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Knittink · 26/11/2018 17:22

The other one that really annoys me, though I've never heard anyone else mention it as a bugbear, is "The reason being..."

Lots of people seem to say for example "The reason being is that I've got a headache", rather than "The reason being that I've got a headache". As though a 'reason being' is a thing, rather than 'being' being the verb in the sentence iyswim. It drives me nuts!

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MyEyesAreNotDeceivingMe · 26/11/2018 17:24

My DH says slither instead of sliver too.

Mind you, in the heat of a disagreement he intended to say that I was behaving like a gorgon and instead said I was behaving like a Gorgonzola😂.

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MarklahMarklah · 26/11/2018 17:26

Yes, it's champing.
And it's a damp squib.

Finding the more recent confusion over past/passed and worse/worst somewhat trying. I had a pretty poor set of teachers yet managed to take all this on board, don't know why others can't understand that they are not interchangeable.

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MyEyesAreNotDeceivingMe · 26/11/2018 17:26

Another bugbear is feint instead of faint. Especially on any TTC threads.

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bumblenbean · 26/11/2018 17:33

Slither of cake!! love that.

I have a personal pet hate of ‘crutch’ instead of ‘crotch’. Although I do dislike the word crotch!

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fluffiphlox · 26/11/2018 17:37

And ‘tenterhooks’ not ‘tenderhooks’ you numpties!

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AdaColeman · 26/11/2018 17:40

"Slither of cake" and "tow the line" are my pet hates.

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CaledonianSleeper · 26/11/2018 17:42

Off your own bat. BAT. Not back. Drives me loopy.

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crumpet · 26/11/2018 17:46

Misuse of “mortified” is a real bugbear. I put all these down to people reading fewer books and so have less opportunity to see the words/phrases in context. I’m guilty of spending too much time online nowadays but was a real bookworm and still love reading.

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TitilatedOcelot · 26/11/2018 17:52

I could say I'm not fazed about these, but I am. Especially when people use phased!

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TitilatedOcelot · 26/11/2018 17:54

Fazed by, I mean!

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DisneyDayOut · 26/11/2018 17:56

Came on to say the same as Titilated. It's fazed!!!!! That one has been annoying me for ages...

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haverhill · 26/11/2018 17:59

This reminds me of the IT Crowd when someone was put "on a pedal stool".

I hate seeing ect instead of etc, and 'we were going too the shops'. It happens a LOT on MN.

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fluffiphlox · 26/11/2018 18:11

No, it happens alot. 😀

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Grinchly · 26/11/2018 18:12

Champing.

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iklboo · 26/11/2018 18:15

If I see 'loose weight' one more time......

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Trills · 26/11/2018 18:25

It's not "I can't do links on here" it's "I don't know how to do links on here"

Also, what happens ALOT?

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PurdysChocolate · 26/11/2018 18:26

Didn't know champing, interesting!

I've noticed mortified seems to be used in place of horrified by many on Mumsnet. There was a thread the other day where OP said she was "mortified and embarrassed."

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MyEyesAreNotDeceivingMe · 26/11/2018 19:59

What’s wrong with mortified to express extreme shame. Or am I missing something?

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MarklahMarklah · 26/11/2018 20:07

Alot. Aswell.
Baby needs changed/sofa needs gone
I'll do are shopping
His a lively one
I was looking for sommit/sumfink/sank pacific

Is everyone illiterate today, or just stupid? And before anyone starts on the dyslexia thing, I have a number of friends with learning disabilities, dyselxia being common among them and none of them make errors like this.

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Limpetry · 26/11/2018 20:09

Eyes, it’s being misused to mean all-purpose shock and horror, not shame and embarrassment. I think the first time I saw it was on here, actually — someone said she was “mortified’ to hear a friend’s close family member had died.

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fluffiphlox · 26/11/2018 21:03

Trills Well my use of ALOT was my idea of a joke in the light of the immediately previous poster using, correctly, ‘a lot’. 😀

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