The superfluous use of the word "like" in the popular vernacular

That’s a relief - I have enough of a job finding the bugger at the best of times - especially when its cold! Female search parties are welcome!!

Dan, I wouldn’t worry about it. I have almost an identical background to your own, but with the absence of father figure at all, and I suspect a little older at 79? I too find the remark quite flattering, as when accused of ‘intellectualism’ - which I think you accused me of at some point in the past?
Anyway you know best as to how and where you have developed, as do I, so apart from the same lack of comprehension of ‘grammar’ that sometimes offends, I like you can still manage (hopefully) to communicate, which is what language is all about isn’t it?

Ditto - have now added another level to my techie non-knowledge base! Now ten generations back as opposed to the former 9.

Directly and alongside this reply I have a message ‘consider replying to several posts at once’ I think I have some competence in the English language, but the rest of the message makes me wonder. To me it reads like a Monty Python sketch.

Is this what is called a 'Bot?

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Fusty, is OK too, Peter. :grin:

…long time ago…just a memory now, looked beautiful, pale gold and a bit fizzy, but taste?
, a bit like cats pee? You know how taste is mostly experienced by smell?

Norman, you are only 79, stop acting up like you’ve made it to the Guinness book of records…dot dot dot. You know this is a cultural thing? Westerners still think three score years and ten, is something to do with god?
l go to see my family in Japan, where people (almost all) are still young and fit at 90+. They bring ancient, wrinkle-free, slim grannies and grandpas to compare with me, so I know the level of fitness I should be aiming for. Sharpen up. Back to your fresh spinach, bean sprouts, and the park gym.

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Do you mean mischievious?
Another pet hate.
Why have people started using this instead of mischievous?

What about defiantly rather than definitely. There are days when I could just correct many social media users.

Yes, defiantly for definitely, and also chester draws (not Cheshire knickers), pacifically meaning specifically, nucular, comprising of, send it to myself, I done it, he was sat at the table, restbite care, peddle stool (what you put the object of high regard on) etc etc etc

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Rhymes with devious and previous. When it comes to spelling, no word is impervious.

In Zambia, they coined the word movious, an extremely useful adjective usually applied to larceny-prone possessions, or married ‘men-about-town’.

Not for me it doesn’t. I say MISS chiv-əs (whereas devious and previous do rhyme: DEE vyəs, PREE vyəs)

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“Mitigate against” is rising rapidly up the popularity charts, to the extent that linguists are chewing their bottom lips at having to admit it has a good toe-hold on accepted usage.

It gives me a mild frisson when I hear it

Another fusty and dusty oldie that has had a fresh lick of paint like those ghastly garish City of London bollards is “albeit” which is rudely jostling “although” from its legitimate place. However, que sera sera as the lovely Doris Day used to croon so beguilingly

But Mis-CHEEVY-us is a perfect fit, no?

That’s the preferred argot of some, and Jane wondered how it had come about.

That’s my lame conjecture, Véro. :thinking:

Another pet hate is drawring instead of drawing.

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Just so Vero.

Bit hard for me to become Japanese no matter how much spinach I eat - and I am largely vegetarian). Cultural seems an odd way to put it. I carry about 94 kgs about with me, and am still a shade under 180cms. I take no pills whatsoever, and still ride my old bicycle 10-12 kms a day. So I am not open to too much criticism on that score:

Quite simply trying to compare me negatively to a Japanese half my weight is plain daft.
Sorry that my age so offends you, but I tend to use this as a measure of where and how I relate to someone I am talking to, and what commonalities we might share - these often do come with age and background. It can be demeaning to assume certain things about people, and their comparable experiences- at least I have found it so.

I know very little about Japan, a fair bit about Asia generally, and other places; and I am sure there are just as many 90 year olds there as anywhere. In my village of 220 souls
we have an’ Annual Lunch for Les Sages’ Free for those over 70 and the attendance is usually about 80 of which I know personally four in their '90’s and further 20 in their '80’s, whch might compare quite favourably with your bulk decision that every Japanese lives until he or she is 120? Wonder how the suicide rate compares?

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Oh for goodness sake!!
I read Jeanette’s comment as a light hearted ‘age is just a number’ type comment.
Don’t be an old curmudgeon!!!
:slightly_smiling_face:

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Am loving that word. Its up there with “Cranky” & “Sourpuss”.

@anon78757855 is as dotty as a fruitcake. My new bestie

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Catherine, its alright, m’ dear, I don’t expect to be accepted as a fine specimen of delicate awareness/consciousness of the hurt I might dish to others. Its never intentional, But I know I offend quite often, and because no one ever says exactly why or how, I’m usually In The Dark about it. People just vanish. So, in this case, Norman has been quite kindly explicit.

Norman I don’t mind you misunderstanding my G I R L Y (hahaha :grin: as an aside) humour, or thinking I’m a gasply, miserable old fart, intent on damaging your own, well deserved, very charming self and public, image.
I Should know someone well, before being overly familiar, perhaps

Really, my post ref Asian physique, is a response to my kind pals in Tokyo, who would, in almost all politeness tests, come tops with A ***.
while at the same time, with their JP concerns about health, beauty, obesity, exercise, etc could cause some tension, in UK especially.

I’ve no idea how you would square up, under Jp scrutiny, I don’t suppose it matters one bit, to you.
I’m used to my usual B- in Japan. Being female, and a lone world traveller, inspite of flab, wrinkles, micro tache, etc, gives me a few extra points.
So I get by. :grin: but only just.

Me too, I’m with Darren on this, @anon78757855 you are my go-to girly-grizzly crackpot too, wild and woolly, with a razor-sharp take on aesthetics, human so-called perception, and our amazingly intricate and lovable fucked-up-ness, all of us. :star_struck:

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