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Pedants' corner

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

My friend uses the wrong words...

411 replies

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2008 13:23

My very good, kind and lovely friend uses the word "pacific" rather than the correct term "specific". My fellow pedants, what do I do? I have turned a blind eye (or deaf ear) to it thus far, but it drives me crazy. Another lovely friend responded to my ds saying "How do you do?" (he is 18 mths - very cute!) by saying "Very well thank you and how are you?"!

Am I going straight to hell for being so judgemental?

OP posts:
allgonebellyup · 12/02/2008 13:24

yep

wineisthewaytomyheart · 12/02/2008 13:26

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Glammama · 12/02/2008 13:27

I don't understand what's wrong with the second one?

Also, people who say mortified when they mean horrified annoys me every time.

UnquietDad · 12/02/2008 13:28

And "literally petrified"

Glammama · 12/02/2008 13:28

And I meant to write annoy, obviously. Otherwise it is bad grammar .

wineisthewaytomyheart · 12/02/2008 13:29

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Glammama · 12/02/2008 13:29

Ah, yes, literally!!!!

lennygrrl · 12/02/2008 13:30

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WigWamBam · 12/02/2008 13:30

The second one wouldn't bother me. She was responding nicely to his very grown-up question.

The first would drive me nuts, and I would have to say something.

I'm always having to tell dh off for saying "somethink" and "anythink" - dd is starting to copy him and it just drives me up the wall.

LadyOfWaffle · 12/02/2008 13:31

Don't get the second one, and literally petrified - wouldn't that just be an exaggeration (can't spell), I am sure no one means they were literally petrified. I am sure I have said when I have been very very hungry " I am literally starving", when clearly I am not... it's just one of those things.

wheresthehamster · 12/02/2008 13:32

constonant

edam · 12/02/2008 13:32

The response to the second should be '... and how do you do?' I think but wouldn't bother me.

Pacific/specific is very annoying, though. Can only suggest you tell her, kindly and privately.

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2008 13:33

The response to "How do you do?" is "How do you do?" It doesn't mean "how are you?" as is often assumed.
"Literally" drives me mad. I blame TV chefs!
I don't get "racialist" either. Where did that come from?

OP posts:
TheDevilWearsPrimark · 12/02/2008 13:35

A friend of my DH says 'ipso facto' all the time, where you would usually say something like 'such is life'.
He thinks he is being smart so I haven't bothered to correct him.

wineisthewaytomyheart · 12/02/2008 13:35

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Mistymoo · 12/02/2008 13:35

Some people cannot say specific, however hard they try, eg my mum. She knows she says it wrong so she just tries to avoid using it.

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2008 13:36

BTW, my friends are lovely and I wouldn't dream of correcting them, especially "How do you do?"!
I don't really care, just having a light hearted whinge.

OP posts:
LadyOfWaffle · 12/02/2008 13:36

BLimey, "how do you do" "how do you do", that would go on forever, how do you find out how the other one does then? I take "how do you do" as either retorical (not bothering to google the spelling for that!) or "how are you". Yikes.

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 12/02/2008 13:37

But who even says how do you do anymore?

FioFio · 12/02/2008 13:37

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UnquietDad · 12/02/2008 13:37

And "publically".

Where has that come from?

TheDevilWearsPrimark · 12/02/2008 13:38

The friend mentioned below says this in a cod foreign accent too, which I won't even get started on.

rachaelsara · 12/02/2008 13:40

Explanation mark!!!!!!!!!!

swampster · 12/02/2008 13:41

I know someone who says slither instead of sliver (of cheese). Yuck!

WallOfSilence · 12/02/2008 13:41

My MIL told me yesterday that she had an aportant imppointment.

I laughed & said what a tongue twister... but she looked at me like & I then realised that she had been taking dh to aportant imppointments all his life.. or imppointments anyway, I'm sure they weren't all aportant.