Becoming a Curmudgeon?
-
- Posts: 7234
- Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:29 am
- Location: Cove, Hampshire, England.
Becoming a Curmudgeon?
As a regular listener to the London Broadcasting Company (LBC) I appeared to have developed an aversion to the apparently worsening habit of using irrelevant filler words/phrases in conversation.
I suspect that this is an onset of curmudgeonly / cantankerous behaviour on my behalf.
Currently annoying me in an ear-worm type fashion are:
1. Gratuitous use of "you know" for no apparent reason
2. Starting sentences with "So" or "Basically"
and worse of all
3. Liberal use of "like" multiple times in the same sentence.
I have more-or-less recovered from the outbreak of Australian Intonation Disease (AID) brought in from "Neighbours" some years ago.
Any suggestions for therapy?
I suspect that this is an onset of curmudgeonly / cantankerous behaviour on my behalf.
Currently annoying me in an ear-worm type fashion are:
1. Gratuitous use of "you know" for no apparent reason
2. Starting sentences with "So" or "Basically"
and worse of all
3. Liberal use of "like" multiple times in the same sentence.
I have more-or-less recovered from the outbreak of Australian Intonation Disease (AID) brought in from "Neighbours" some years ago.
Any suggestions for therapy?
Last edited by John Upham on Tue Feb 28, 2023 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
-
- Posts: 607
- Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 3:45 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
Agree with you on these. "I was like..." instead of "I said..." is particularly irritating.
-
- Posts: 5839
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
"You know" has been around for 50+ years.
I had a work colleague that literally (sorry) started every sentence with "So".
Charlotte Edwards (the very fine cricketer) became a summarizer on TV cricket coverage, but had the bad habit of answering every question,"Yes no", before actually answering it.
I had a work colleague that literally (sorry) started every sentence with "So".
Charlotte Edwards (the very fine cricketer) became a summarizer on TV cricket coverage, but had the bad habit of answering every question,"Yes no", before actually answering it.
-
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2022 9:23 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
It's 'very unique' and variations thereof that rile me. It's either unique or it isn't. No qualification necessary.
-
- Posts: 720
- Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 1:07 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
Yes, I vividly remember Alan Ball being interviewed after the 1966 World Cup victory. He couldn't seem to get more than three or four words out without saying it.
And come to think of it, even Sherlock Holmes was guilty (in The Three Gables).
True (I nearly said "very true" .... ), although we've had this thread for some time for airing such concerns.Paul Ashton wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 11:32 pmIt's 'very unique' and variations thereof that rile me. It's either unique or it isn't. No qualification necessary.
"The chess-board is the world ..... the player on the other side is hidden from us ..... he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance."
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)
(He doesn't let you resign and start again, either.)
-
- Posts: 7234
- Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:29 am
- Location: Cove, Hampshire, England.
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
Was she influenced by The Vicar of Dibley?Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:54 pmCharlotte Edwards (the very fine cricketer) became a summarizer on TV cricket coverage, but had the bad habit of answering every question,"Yes no", before actually answering it.
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
-
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:51 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
'The Times' letters page is often a good source of curmudgeonly complaints. Here is one from Monday 27th February:
WORRYING TREND
Sir, Sitting in my favourite pub, having requested a drink from the young waiter, I hear the dreaded response, “No worries”. A momentary slip? Sadly not. Every subsequent transaction ends the same way. What response can I make? “Thank you” is unlikely to change things. “I’m pleased for you”, “I hoped there wouldn’t be”, “I have none either”, “Please don’t keep saying that”? Maybe I should have just screamed and risked embarrassment.
Ken Humphris
High Casterton, Cumbria
WORRYING TREND
Sir, Sitting in my favourite pub, having requested a drink from the young waiter, I hear the dreaded response, “No worries”. A momentary slip? Sadly not. Every subsequent transaction ends the same way. What response can I make? “Thank you” is unlikely to change things. “I’m pleased for you”, “I hoped there wouldn’t be”, “I have none either”, “Please don’t keep saying that”? Maybe I should have just screamed and risked embarrassment.
Ken Humphris
High Casterton, Cumbria
-
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
I get annoyed by valueless 'I means'; these seem particularly common with Londoners.
Get rid of these fillers!
Get rid of these fillers!
-
- Posts: 7234
- Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:29 am
- Location: Cove, Hampshire, England.
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
On that topic I would add
"My bad" (My bad what?)
and
"laters" (what does this mean?)
to my list of cringe-inducing comments.
British Chess News : britishchessnews.com
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
Twitter: @BritishChess
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/britishchess
-
- Posts: 556
- Joined: Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:51 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
Reminds me of boxer Frank Bruno (a Londoner) and his legendary, frequent 'Know what I mean, 'arry?' when interviewed by commentator Harry Carpenter.Nick Ivell wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:46 pmI get annoyed by valueless 'I means'; these seem particularly common with Londoners.
Get rid of these fillers!
-
- Posts: 1188
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:46 am
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
@John Upham: only because I'm likely from your same decade, I allow myself to comment that even your list of language pet peeves is dated and betrays our age group.
If you dislike those expressions, what would you say about any of those from today's kids?
If you dislike those expressions, what would you say about any of those from today's kids?
-
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:33 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
It's not just the uneducated though (if I can call Frank that; I wouldn't to his face). I remember Jon Snow being a particular offender. It got me shouting at the TV.
-
- Posts: 5839
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
I'm grateful to Paolo for his link https://parade.com/1293898/marynliles/g ... ang-words/
I thought "woke" meant an (unrecognised) childish belief that you could bully someone into agreeing with you, rather than "politically aware". Surely "extra" is a very over-the-top reaction.
I think we can distinguish being curmudgeonly from pedantry, as the former is an opinion, and the latter is a desire for correctness. e.g. saying "very unique" is clearly wrong, whereas disliking people using slang is a pet peeve.
I thought "woke" meant an (unrecognised) childish belief that you could bully someone into agreeing with you, rather than "politically aware". Surely "extra" is a very over-the-top reaction.
I think we can distinguish being curmudgeonly from pedantry, as the former is an opinion, and the latter is a desire for correctness. e.g. saying "very unique" is clearly wrong, whereas disliking people using slang is a pet peeve.
-
- Posts: 1866
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:35 pm
- Location: All Of Them
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
It seems worse then ever these days thanks to people in the public eye having an obsessive need to be seen to constantly be speaking, regardless of how worthless the "filler" phrases are.
Lose one queen and it is a disaster, Lose 1000 queens and it is just a statistic.
-
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2010 6:40 pm
Re: Becoming a Curmudgeon?
That they're mostly an internet thing and rarely turn up in speech unless someone wants to playfully advertise how deep in "the discourse" they are.Paolo Casaschi wrote: ↑Wed Mar 01, 2023 5:07 pm@John Upham: only because I'm likely from your same decade, I allow myself to comment that even your list of language pet peeves is dated and betrays our age group.
If you dislike those expressions, what would you say about any of those from today's kids?
Donate to Sabrina's fundraiser at https://gofund.me/aeae42c7 to support victims of sexual abuse in the chess world.
Northumberland webmaster, Jesmond CC something-or-other. Views mine. Definitely below the Goodall Line.
Northumberland webmaster, Jesmond CC something-or-other. Views mine. Definitely below the Goodall Line.