High crimes and misdemeanors - against the English language

[BlueSkyJaunte]

My office (cubicle) was moved recently and among my new neighbors I get to overhear some really interesting conversation at times. Of particular note is how frequently the English language is absolutely butchered - either through mixed-up idioms, off-the-wall metaphors, or a new gaff that I have termed "cyclical reverbification". Once you see an example the nomenclature should be self-explanatory.

Keep in mind that the people I sit among are brilliant in their fields - one guy has two M.S.'s and an MBA, and another has two Ph.D's. Just not in English.

I'll be documenting these brutalizations of the Queen's English in this post, since I can't share them with my neighbors anymore! Feel free to add examples that you've overheard as well. I'm all ears.

Cyclical reverbification:
"interpretate"
"degradate"

Tortured Idioms:
"This is the crux in the road."

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

My office (cubicle) was moved recently and among my new neighbors I get to overhear some really interesting conversation at times. Of particular note is how frequently the English language is absolutely butchered - either through mixed-up idioms, off-the-wall metaphors, or a new gaff that I have termed "cyclical reverbification". Once you see an example the nomenclature should be self-explanatory.

Keep in mind that the people I sit among are brilliant in their fields - one guy has two M.S.'s and an MBA, and another has two Ph.D's. Just not in English.

I'll be documenting these brutalizations of the Queen's English in this post, since I can't share them with my neighbors anymore! Feel free to add examples that you've overheard as well. I'm all ears.

Cyclical reverbification:
"interpretate"
"degradate"

Tortured Idioms:
"This is the crux in the road."

Cyclical reverbification: (using the same verb over and over?)
"interpretate" I have no clue. Maybe interpret?
"degradate" I am guessing to degrade?

One of my wife's former co-workers was a blonde to the core lady. Her name was Sue so we call some of her comments Sue-isms.

My favorite of all of her Sue-isms:

"We had a lot of thunder last night but no lighting."

And she was not going to have to worry about a certain change in the law "Because of the grandfather clock rule."

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Cyclical reverbification: (using the same verb over and over?)
"interpretate" I have no clue. Maybe interpret?
"degradate" I am guessing to degrade?

I guess it wasn't so self-explanatory, eh?

Interpretate = (verb) interpret -> (noun) interpretation -> (verb) interpretate

[LakeCleElum]

A guy in France once told me:

Wherever you go, its always Something.

[Craig T]

Stop this. You're unconcentrating me.

[Tervuren]

"English Language" simply means a living conglomerate language put together from conquered and conquering tongues.

I shall now go record this in my records while listening to a music record that was recorded. If I unplug my power cable, and plug it back in, have I re-corded my record player?

A computer, used to refer to a person, not an object.

[1990C4S]

A co-worker wrote an email and replaced 'implementation' with 'in plantation'. And it was not an auto-correct error. He thought it was correct....

[sand_man]

"strategery"

[Neilk]

Just on a conference call and heard "agreeance". Although it is technically a word per dictionary.com, I have the feeling it is simple butchering of the English.

I had an IT person repeatedly tell me they wanted to put data out on the FPT, yes that's correct, FPT, not FTP!

[wayner]

My wife tells me that when I eat beans I fart like a banshee...

In my first job with a computer, a colleague installed a macro on my machine that, after a certain time delay while I types, went back and replaced every occurrence of the word THE with the word TITS.

That is all I've got.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by Neilk

Just on a conference call and heard "agreeance". Although it is technically a word per dictionary.com, I have the feeling it is simple butchering of the English.

I had an IT person repeatedly tell me they wanted to put data out on the FPT, yes that's correct, FPT, not FTP!

It is a real word. It refers to a state of being.

[black73]

Guy giving a talk on workplace safety said we needed to guard against complacementcy (complacency). I knew what he meant but was having a hard time thinking of the correct word myself. Every time I would almost get it, he would say complacementcy again, starting the process all over. I was so distracted I completely missed the gist of what he was talking about.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Ooh, another good one that's in common use around me: "incidences". Um, I think they're called "incidents".

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by black73

Guy giving a talk on workplace safety said we needed to guard against complacementcy (complacency). I knew what he meant but was having a hard time thinking of the correct word myself. Every time I would almost get it, he would say complacementcy again, starting the process all over. I was so distracted I completely missed the gist of what he was talking about.

so you became complacent.....

[oldE]

The one that has me grinding the enamel off my teeth is "irregardless".

My boss years ago used it so much I had to be careful not to repeat it.

Best
Les

[nostatic]

These words are quite cromulent.

[masraum]

Would you like to "conversate" with a beautiful woman?

Yeah, I've heard and seen "conversate" used a few times by different people. Fingernails down a chalkboard.

[black73]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

so you became complacent.....

Afterward, a group of us were standing around and I blurted out "Complacency! That's what he was trying to say." They all just looked at me kinda funny....

[mistertate]

I love this stuff

[RANDY P]

Paging Cockerpunk.