Overused and abused words

Dav275

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

"Yard" in the UK tends to refer more to industrial or commercial premises, e.g. scrap yard, timber yard etc.   Flower garden, or vegetable patch is what I would use to distinguish those.

I fetch my sawn timber from the local timber yard, or builders merchants. I wouldn't think to go to buy "lumber".

Iamnobody

JohnS37 said:

The one I still hear that drives me witless is ‘not three bad’ - aargh!

I think that’s just a northern thing!

Also someone mentioned schedule earlier - I think that might be a north/south divide as well.

Accepting that the English pronunciation is something like Shed-Jewel al lot of northerners (me included) will say Sked-jule. It’s just not within me to say it the other way!

EricTheWeary

Iamnobody said:

JohnS37 said:

The one I still hear that drives me witless is ‘not three bad’ - aargh!

I think that’s just a northern thing!

Also someone mentioned schedule earlier - I think that might be a north/south divide as well.

Accepting that the English pronunciation is something like Shed-Jewel al lot of northerners (me included) will say Sked-jule. It’s just not within me to say it the other way!

There are a few words where now I think 'I don't really know how to say this anymore' and schedule is one of them. I'd probably say rota or agenda or something and avoid saying schedule outloud. 
Although scone is definitely pronounced scone.   

fob

'Jealous', when the speaker almost certainly means envious. It always pricks my ears up but is pretty much universal these days.

I have to talk to a lot of management types and management speak does spread like a virus. The two that really got to me were 'source' instead of get/find/buy, and 'blue sky thinking'. I never pick anyone up on speech or grammar in a professional context, I think that would just be rude, but you knew you were dealing with someone who didn't really know their stuff when they used blue sky thinking. Both seem to have died off, thankfully.

Iamnobody

fob said:

'Jealous', when the speaker almost certainly means envious. It always pricks my ears up but is pretty much universal these days.

I have to talk to a lot of management types and management speak does spread like a virus. The two that really got to me were 'source' instead of get/find/buy, and 'blue sky thinking'. I never pick anyone up on speech or grammar in a professional context, I think that would just be rude, but you knew you were dealing with someone who didn't really know their stuff when thay used blue sky thinking. Both seem to have died off, thankfully.

Ah Bullshit bingo!

Once I heard a colleague talking about dipping our toes in to test the depth of water before making the mistake of jumping into a shallow pool I knew we weren’t going to get along. 

boogieman

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

Ok well I’m just going by the language my brother in law and his family use (Floridians and New Yorkers, if that makes any difference?). They call their front and back garden the front/back yard, whereas it’s just a front/back garden here. Yard does seem an odd choice, I presume it’s come down through dialect that was adopted or maybe from a mistranslation somewhere along the line?

As far as I’m concerned a tree is still a tree till it’s felled. Then it’s wood. When it’s planed, squared up and ready for use in building jobs or diy, then it’s timber. 

What is it they say? Two nations divided by a common language. 

EricTheWeary

boogieman said:

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

Ok well I’m just going by the language my brother in law and his family use (Floridians and New Yorkers, if that makes any difference?). They call their front and back garden the front/back yard, whereas it’s just a front/back garden here. Yard does seem an odd choice, I presume it’s come down through dialect that was adopted or maybe from a mistranslation somewhere along the line?

As far as I’m concerned a tree is still a tree till it’s felled. Then it’s wood. When it’s planed, squared up and ready for use in building jobs or diy, then it’s timber. 

What is it they say? Two nations divided by a common language. 

Yard or backyard or frontyard are more examples of British English that fell out of favour  in the UK and we went all French ( jardin got corrupted to garden). Yard is also still used in Australia and the West Indies ( where it encompasses the whole property) so it's really the British who went in a different direction. Yard and backyard continued in British English for an uncultivated area. If, for example, you look at the remaining back to back houses in Birmingham that were built in the 19th century they are described as having a yard - a small paved area at the rear of the property leading to the outside toilet.    
Yard is from the anglo saxon ( from what I can google ) geard which means something like home or piece of land, shares the same origins as the word yard meaning 36" but calling your property your yard doesn't originate with the measurement. 

randella

EricTheWeary said: 

Although scone is definitely pronounced scone.   

No, it's definitely 'scone'

PolarityMan

fam

kaypeejay

EricTheWeary said:

boogieman said:

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

Ok well I’m just going by the language my brother in law and his family use (Floridians and New Yorkers, if that makes any difference?). They call their front and back garden the front/back yard, whereas it’s just a front/back garden here. Yard does seem an odd choice, I presume it’s come down through dialect that was adopted or maybe from a mistranslation somewhere along the line?

As far as I’m concerned a tree is still a tree till it’s felled. Then it’s wood. When it’s planed, squared up and ready for use in building jobs or diy, then it’s timber. 

What is it they say? Two nations divided by a common language. 

Yard or backyard or frontyard are more examples of British English that fell out of favour  in the UK and we went all French ( jardin got corrupted to garden). Yard is also still used in Australia and the West Indies ( where it encompasses the whole property) so it's really the British who went in a different direction. Yard and backyard continued in British English for an uncultivated area. If, for example, you look at the remaining back to back houses in Birmingham that were built in the 19th century they are described as having a yard - a small paved area at the rear of the property leading to the outside toilet.    
Yard is from the anglo saxon ( from what I can google ) geard which means something like home or piece of land, shares the same origins as the word yard meaning 36" but calling your property your yard doesn't originate with the measurement. 

Back to backs can’t have a yard at the rear of the property can they. Rows of terraces often have yards, particularly in Yorkshire, normally back yards as the front opens onto the street. 

randella

Not a word as such, but the fashion for using an adjective as an adverb is still around and still gets on my tits:

"I thought they played brilliant", "my new car drives perfect".

Not sure where it came from, it can go back though as far as I'm concerned.

Kittyfrisk

kaypeejay said:

EricTheWeary said:

boogieman said:

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

Ok well I’m just going by the language my brother in law and his family use (Floridians and New Yorkers, if that makes any difference?). They call their front and back garden the front/back yard, whereas it’s just a front/back garden here. Yard does seem an odd choice, I presume it’s come down through dialect that was adopted or maybe from a mistranslation somewhere along the line?

As far as I’m concerned a tree is still a tree till it’s felled. Then it’s wood. When it’s planed, squared up and ready for use in building jobs or diy, then it’s timber. 

What is it they say? Two nations divided by a common language. 

Yard or backyard or frontyard are more examples of British English that fell out of favour  in the UK and we went all French ( jardin got corrupted to garden). Yard is also still used in Australia and the West Indies ( where it encompasses the whole property) so it's really the British who went in a different direction. Yard and backyard continued in British English for an uncultivated area. If, for example, you look at the remaining back to back houses in Birmingham that were built in the 19th century they are described as having a yard - a small paved area at the rear of the property leading to the outside toilet.    
Yard is from the anglo saxon ( from what I can google ) geard which means something like home or piece of land, shares the same origins as the word yard meaning 36" but calling your property your yard doesn't originate with the measurement. 

Back to backs can’t have a yard at the rear of the property can they. Rows of terraces often have yards, particularly in Yorkshire, normally back yards as the front opens onto the street. 

 Yes, I can say with certainty that the term 'backyard' has never left useage in the North East UK.
It refers to a paved, concreted or hard surfaced area to the rear of a property. A garden (front or back) is a place where grass or plants may be grown in soil.
And the outside toilet was locally a 'netty', the old one in my backyard is now a tool store 

Dopesick

Ah gotta love the bi-monthly Fretboard whinge binge thread. Awesome. Literally awesome. 

EricTheWeary

kaypeejay said:

EricTheWeary said:

boogieman said:

Cranky said:

boogieman said:

phil_b said:

very annoying Americanisms that seem fine when used by an American but

stepping up to the plate

construction   

the fall

trash

Add lumber to that list. It’s timber... you don’t get Lumber Wolves do you?

And it’s a garden, not a yard. A yard is a concreted area. 

I always wondered where we got the word "yard" from.  What do you in England call what Americans refer to as a garden -- aka a dedicated spot for growing food or flowers?

Also, doesn't timber become lumber?  I think my Canadian friends agree with me, at least.  Maybe the English should be more discriminating in this case, so that when someone says "fetch me some timber" you don't make the mistake of trekking out to the woods instead of driving to the local lumber yard.

Ok well I’m just going by the language my brother in law and his family use (Floridians and New Yorkers, if that makes any difference?). They call their front and back garden the front/back yard, whereas it’s just a front/back garden here. Yard does seem an odd choice, I presume it’s come down through dialect that was adopted or maybe from a mistranslation somewhere along the line?

As far as I’m concerned a tree is still a tree till it’s felled. Then it’s wood. When it’s planed, squared up and ready for use in building jobs or diy, then it’s timber. 

What is it they say? Two nations divided by a common language. 

Yard or backyard or frontyard are more examples of British English that fell out of favour  in the UK and we went all French ( jardin got corrupted to garden). Yard is also still used in Australia and the West Indies ( where it encompasses the whole property) so it's really the British who went in a different direction. Yard and backyard continued in British English for an uncultivated area. If, for example, you look at the remaining back to back houses in Birmingham that were built in the 19th century they are described as having a yard - a small paved area at the rear of the property leading to the outside toilet.    
Yard is from the anglo saxon ( from what I can google ) geard which means something like home or piece of land, shares the same origins as the word yard meaning 36" but calling your property your yard doesn't originate with the measurement. 

Back to backs can’t have a yard at the rear of the property can they. Rows of terraces often have yards, particularly in Yorkshire, normally back yards as the front opens onto the street. 

I see what you mean, although the Birmingham ones do have have some kind of yard. A row of terraces in Yorkshire is probably a clearer example of how the term yard or backyard might be used.  

chillidoggy

"Appetite".

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard a director say "The Board doesn't have much appetite for..........(insert something here that has nothing to do with any comestible items).

StratNut

chillidoggy said:

“Safety is our No.1 priority.”

No, it’s making money,

A business primarily exists to make money for the shareholders, and there's nothing wrong with that.  I  used to be a senior manager at a company and had a stand-up row with a colleague at a meeting once when he insisted that our company existed "in order to serve the community".  

StratNut

My bugbear is companies that think that putting the word 'solutions' in their name or strapline will somehow make people think they are more clever than they really are.    For example hosepipe makers that claim they are providers of  'water distribution   solutions'.  

JohnS37

Snap said:

Cranky said:

I'm feeling not at all sympathetic with the purists who complain about Americanisms.  Not because I'm American -- in fact, I identify as trans-national non-binary. 

It's just that English is a uniquely adaptable language, and language always and inherently defies our arbitrary provincialisms. 

Americans don't speak English though, they speak American. It's different. It's the poor imitation old boy.
Probably that Tea Party lot, decided to change a load of words, just to make a point.

I mean come on, sodder ffs. 

Correct me if I’m wrong (hehe) but I think many of the American spellings were invented by a Mr Webster, of the dictionary fame.  He made it his mission to ‘simplify’ English usage for Americans, and managed to rub us all up the wrong way for years to come in the process.

scrumhalf

JohnS37 said:

Correct me if I’m wrong (hehe) but I think many of the American spellings were invented by a Mr Webster, of the dictionary fame.  He made it his mission to ‘simplify’ English usage for Americans, and managed to rub us all up the wrong way for years to come in the process.

Surely he should have changed the spelling of his surname to Webstr.

HAL9000

Adding the suffix -gate to anything with even the slightest whiff of a scandal.