129 replies to this topic

[Leigh Witchel]

perky, on Nov 13 2008, 11:21 AM, said:

Using the word "meh" to describe something or someone you really couldn't be bothered to have an opinion or feeling for.

There is actually an ancient reason for the use of the term "Meh."

Meh is the Egyptian God of Indifference.  Translated from the original is the Prayer to Meh.

Quote

Oh Meh.

We pray to you.

Or not.

It's very short.

I'll try and remove my tongue from my cheek now.

[zerbinetta]

Leigh Witchel, on Nov 13 2008, 05:45 PM, said:

Quote

Oh Meh.

We pray to you.

Or not.

Inspiring!

And it's almost half a haiku.

[papeetepatrick]

Are you okay with that?

Is that gonna be a problem for you?

"Hey, you okay?" (on TV movies)

[vagansmom]

Oh goodie, I finally get to say it: Misuse of the word "bemused."   It means bewildered, NOT amused. Far too many people, including  journalists, misuse this word as a synonym for "amused."

[Hans]

I have a similar problem with 'nonplussed', which many people seem to think means 'unimpressed'.  It means perplexed or bewildered.

[papeetepatrick]

My most-loathed:  "Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do."

My favourite trash phrase "I'm outta here."

[Helene]

perky, on Nov 13 2008, 08:21 AM, said:

Using the word "meh" to describe something or someone you really couldn't be bothered to have an opinion or feeling for.

I always thought "meh" meant "It isn't worth having an opinion about."

[cubanmiamiboy]

kfw, on Nov 12 2008, 06:10 PM, said:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science.

I'm fairly guilty of overusing # 6.  (Imagine, dealing with countless ladies eager for some chit-chatting/gossiping in a hairdressing salon...one ends up agreeing on everything they say..."Oh, absolutely!"

[bart]

I understand, Cristian.   Absolutely.  I use it too.   To paraphrase Patrick, "We gotta do what we gotta do."

Regarding "meh."  I'm having trouble placing this. Can somene help with pronunciation ... and possibly a couple of examples of how it's used?

[Hans]

'Meh' is pronounced the way it's spelled--like the Italian 'e' or 'eh' sound with an M at the beginning.  It's used to indicate apathy, as far as I can tell.  'Did you have fun at the party?' 'Meh, it was ok.'  It's really more of a sound than a word.

[kfw]

papeetepatrick, on Nov 13 2008, 06:40 PM, said:

Is that gonna be a problem for you?

You betcha!

[Marga]

"Reticent" used as a synonym for "hesitant" drives me up the wall (a phrase which does not )

[4mrdncr]

Hans, on Nov 13 2008, 11:15 AM, said:

Ok, I can explain the Starbucks issue.  The original sizes were Short (10 oz.), Tall (12 oz.), and Grande (16 oz.).  Customers complained that the Grande was not large enough, so Starbucks added the Venti (20 oz.--'venti' means 'twenty' in Italian), and people eventually stopped ordering the Short size, so they removed it from the menu.  Whether the fault lies with Starbucks for insisting on cutesy/pretentious names for its sizes or with American gluttony, I leave to you.   I think it's somewhere in between.

Oh, and some annoying grammar/spelling issues:  alright and alot when it ought to be all right and a lot.  Similarly, every day and everyday, although the difference there is that both are valid but have different meanings.  If something occurs every day, it is an everyday occurrence.

THANK YOU! for both the Starbucks explanation--I always ignore their silliness and simply say "small, medium, or large" and let them translate my order--and for once again reminding the grammatically illiterate of the correct forms of "a lot", "all right", and "every day" or "everyday".  You made my day.
(Sorry, if that's an annoying saying too.)

[Barbara]

Re "no problem" as a customer service response - many years ago I organized a major business meeting at a Ritz Carlton in Palm Springs. The staff were trained to say "it's my pleasure" whenever they were complimented. Sounds much more elegant, right? Except by the end of the weekend I thought I would scream if I heard it another time I think a simple "you're welcome" would do just fine.

Regionally, when I moved from Calif to NY I was struck by the phrase, "Are you going to (insert question) or no?" Why add "or no" and if so, shouldn't it be "or not"? Another peeve was leaving out "at" in a phrase such as, "I left my bag home" instead of "at home". One more peeve: "I should have went" instead of "gone".

[kfw]

"Skill sets" for "skills."

"Price point" for "price."

"There is something fundamentally wrong with that" instead of just "that's wrong" when what's wrong is obvious.