Language Peeves

I learn something new everyday here

 

One that I'm guilty of is "I'm not sure." Of course, what I mean is "I haven't got a clue."

 

Same here.

 

One language peeve I have is spelling hors d'oeuvres. I love to eat finger food and hors d'oeuvres but to spell that word, my goodness!

image from http://rejuvenatedforlife.com/healthy-hors-doeuvres-canapes-round-up/

 

Yum Krissttina, who cares how they're spelled if they look as good as those!

 

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I was listening to the radio yesterday and there was an otherwise very articulate woman who answered almost every question by saying, "Yeah,no..." Where on earth did this bizarre habit come from? I've noticed quite a few people doing this.

 

I catch myself doing this once in a while - don't know where I acquired the habit.

 

hors d'oeuvres ~~ or even appetizers = all big words for little sandwiches..

 

Bad English has its uses; I had a boss who came out with all sorts of rubbish, mangling words, mixing metaphors and generally giving the language such a severe kicking that it ran away screaming. All of this provided me with endless material for my novel. The only problem I had was making sure my proofreader knew that all the mistakes were those of my character and not me.

 

And how!!!

 

I've noticed lately that many of the younger people on television shows or being interviewed, whether in real life or on the news, will start sentences with, "I mean", then a pause, and it drives me crazy. Not that I don't have my own bad habits, I have plenty of them, but I wish they'd vary it up a bit, because they sound like robots.

 

I haven't noticed the "I mean" yet... but I can't listen to someone talking where "like" is every third word. Like I can't like stand that and it like really gets under my skin. Years ago, I remember when it was "ya know?"