Commonly misunderstood words that get your blood boiling

[Del-Toro]

Decimated. It's reduce by one tenth. I don't care if it's come to be used as annihilated, it's not. It's still wrong. You're still a fucking moron for using it like that.


Also, the phrase "I could care less". How the hell did that happen? "I couldn't care less" makes sense because it demonstrates that the sayer literally could not be less apathetic about the subject. "I could care less" implies that they are not completely apathetic about the subject, and yet it is used to say that they are!

The use of "ignorant" as an insult or as the central theme of a rebuke. In the case of the latter it is an arrogant dismissal of opposition, which destroys intelligent debate with the implication that only one viewpoint is of any validity. Seriously, fuck anyone who uses accusations of ignorance and racism to discredit opponents.

 

[lucky_sharm]

I hate the way people use the word "retarded" to describe anything or anyone that is thought of as stupid. That word doesn't mean what you all think it means, people.

 

[Kasawd]

I can usually put up with most of these examples, actually. Mind you, I still have a couple entries for your consideration.

1. The use of the word 'Ignorant' in place of 'Blunt or Rude' is something that angers me.

2. This isn't really a word so much as it is a terrible habit transferring itself into written form. I was on Wyrmrest Accord(RP server on WoW), yesterday during a guild event. Our guild is one of the many theives guilds in Old town and we were fixing up one of our men when some fellow whispers me this: "Hey, wuts that addon u use for trading drugs n shit?". I was tempted to reply with: "Ask me again, this time without the mental retardation".

EDIT: Oh, yes, how could I forget the meme?

Prescriptivists. Prescriptivists, everywhere.

 

[not_the_dm]

A pet hate of mine is when people pronounce "suit" as "soote".

Err... Well, how do you pronounce it then? Oohh, you must mean -suite- as in 'sweet' right? I hope that's what you meant, as, I'm reasonably sure both suit as in clothing and lawsuit are pronounced 'soote'. Could be a regional thing though...I've never heard anyone say it any other way.

suit [suːt sjuːt]

I did mean suit as in clothing.
Sjuːt[footnote]Thanks, I couldn't find how to type ː[/footnote] is the original way of pronouncing it, suːt is an Americanism.

Sjuːt - Syoote

 

[Cormitt]

The one that really gets me that I hear all the time is irregardless.. Some people seem to think it's actually a word.. So I guess this is the non-word used incorrectly that really gets my blood boiling.

 

[Kasawd]

I hate the way people use the word "retarded" to describe anything or anyone that is thought of as stupid. That word doesn't mean what you all think it means, people.

It means to hinder or prevent from normal function. I assumed, in my example that the fellow had something inhibiting his mind, seeing as he clearly spoke the english language.

 

[Blue Musician]

It annoys me when people think me being an "atheist" means I have a mental retardation.

This, as well that they think we are Satanists, sinners, etc, etc.

 

[Kasawd]

The one that really gets me that I hear all the time is irregardless.. Some people seem to think it's actually a word.. So I guess this is the non-word used incorrectly that really gets my blood boiling.

When I was in the twelfth grade, my english teacher became rather irate when one of the other students used 'Irregardless' in an essay.

 

[Evil_Gohan_Mixa_DJ]

I dislike it when people add pointless words to the end of acronyms, for example: ATM Machine or 4am in the morning (Although I do understand that AM means "Ante Meridiem" but that still represents the morning). It just hurts me in my brain place.

-Bam, posted by the one, the only Evil_Gohan_Mixa_DJ!

 

[Macheteswordgun]

It annoys me when people think me being an "atheist" means I have a mental retardation.

Very true right there.... let alone if you live in the south... ive heard so many god damn illogical statements from christ lovers when i say im atheist or agnostic

 

[darkfire613]

People who misuse "begs the question." It does not mean "raises the question," it's a logical fallacy in which a sentence validates itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question

 

[quiet_samurai]

It doesn't rally bother me alot, but I sometimes feel the need to correct people then they confuse things that are coincidental, unfortunate, or unique in varying degrees as being ironic.

Like

"Oh my god, didn't I just see you at that other place like five mins ago? It's ironic that were both in this palce now." No it isn't, it's just a coincidence.

"Oh my god, I went to the beach today and it totally rained, so ironic." No, that's just unfortunate.

However, the fact that people use non-ironic situations and call them ironic, makes the conversation in itself ironic. There is genius to be found in another's stupidity.

 

[Cormitt]

The one that really gets me that I hear all the time is irregardless.. Some people seem to think it's actually a word.. So I guess this is the non-word used incorrectly that really gets my blood boiling.

When I was in the twelfth grade, my english teacher became rather irate when one of the other students used 'Irregardless' in an essay.

Ouch.. Well that's the 12th grade.. Imagine hearing it used by executives on a regular basis..

 

[lacktheknack]

"Same difference."

NO IT IS NOT, YOU STUPID NONCE!

<punches seal, kitten, and innocent puppy>

Not implying you used it incorrectly, but a lot of people I know incorrectly use the word nonce. They think it is a synonym for idiot rather than slang for a child molestor.

Maybe everyone who says "same difference" molests children. Or maybe I should just go sit in a corner now.

 

[Nazz3]

When people say "I could care less".

There's a video for it, but it basically says this:

I could care less: You care, from a lot to a little, but you still care.
I couldn't care less: You don't care.

Haha, I remember seeing the PSA video on CollegeHumor.

 

[Frozenfeet2]

comedian David Mitchell comes to mind, specifically David Mitchell's soapbox (on youtube).

The one thing I hate is 'your' instead of 'you're'.

 

[Mike-E]

[/quote]

I would love to know how "gay" became a derogatory term when it originally meant "happy".

I'm not exactly sure when this came about, but I believe it was during when there were protests to make being a homosexual legal. The protestors used GAY as an acronym, to mean Good As You, and used the acronym/phrase on their banners. This was to show that because they were homosexuals, it did not mean they were lesser people, and were in fact equal, or Good As You. This naturally evolved when opposers got hold of the term and used it in a derogatory fashion. Hope I helped.

OT: I'm jumping on the 'I could care less' bandwagon, but also I have to mention around where I live, people use the word generally to mean genuinly. Really grates on me...

 

[Dr. Gorgenflex]

http://www.cracked.com/article_15664_9-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think.html
I've been getting pissed at people for using some of these words incorrectly beforehand, but irony is a word that is thrown around all the time and its always in the wrong context.

 

[Gincairn]

I don't really have any that annoy me, the things that tend to bug me are the mispronunciation of English words in general.

To give an example: using the word Pacific, just because Specific is too hard to say.

There are a number of people where I work who do this, I find myself having to hold back from comment quite regularly.

Other than that, it's just the general misuse of written language, the main ones being; There, Their and they're, to, two and too, and the all popular you're and your.

We had banners put up by one of our quality control agents the other day (Her job is to ensure that messages sent to client by staff are accurate and that includes grammar and punctuation etc.) and the banner said . . .

Sorry Your Leaving!

bugs the crap out of me

 

[superstringz]

I have a particularly egregious (second definition) scorn for people who misuse egregious
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Egregious