Miscellaneous Do you have a “pet peeve”

[Tuppertn]

"Welcome in" started showing up everywhere when things re-opened after Covid. Never heard it before that. It used to be incorrect usage, but now that everyone says it, it's correct.

 

[mrblackbat]

Stick and carrot

Tie the carrot to the stick and dangle it in front of a donkey while sat on it's back. The donkey walks forward to try and get the carrot.

The metaphor is about using encouragement to achieve a goal, and nobody gets threatened or hit with anything.

My pet peeve is people saying "we need more stick" to imply that threats should be made.

That's not true. The original metaphor shows that a carrot can be more effective than a stick, but the stick was very much a threat of violence.

collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/carrot-and-stick

 

[Pete Thomas]

There are people who use the word obviously in front almost every sentence. If it’s someone at tech support in a call centre I sometime tell them it’s not obvious to me, that’s why I’m ringing.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Only 2 come to mind:
- people (kids/teenagers?) who leave litter lying around within 3-4 feet of a litter bin
- people (acquittances) whose only mode of conversation is to talk about themselves, their friends, their lives, etc.

So I pick up the litter and put it in the bin. And I keep these kind of 'conversations' as short as possible!

Other than that, I'm pretty laid back🙂.

I've read all responses to this thread so far. But with my 'laid back' attitude, I consider most of the 'peeves' that have been mentioned so far as being just 'the way of the world' as it is now.

I realize that I really do have strong (international) peeves. But taking the Cafe's guidelines into account, I'll leave it there.

Mike

 

[mizmar]

There are people who use the word obviously in front almost every sentence. If it’s someone at tech support in a call centre I sometime tell them it’s not obvious to me, that’s why I’m ringing.

"Obviously", and then, once problem is resolved "well, it is recommended to use..."
Recommended? Where? By who? The government? The manufacturer? Job Blogs at No. 35?

 

[turf3]

The Internet Literalist. The person who comes on a forum, asks a question, which betrays a lack of understanding of the subject, and then gets all pi$$y when people provide actual useful information rather than only answering the exact question.

"I find that when I drink a quart of whiskey, I feel really bad the next day. Instead of whiskey, which liquor should I drink a quart of?"

"Umm, you know, fellow, maybe you should consider not doing that. It's unhealthy, and anything you drink that much of is going to make you feel lousy the next day."

"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION! I'M TAKING MY BALL AND GOING HOME!"

 

[Dr G]

"Honestly...", "to tell the truth.. ", "truth be told...", "to be frank.." / "frankly ..." and such.
Because what? Normally they'd just be lying or makeing stuff up?

Low key, I’m not gonna lie, that kinda bugs me too.

 

[mrblackbat]

My biggest pet peeve is when things try to steer away from politics. Like it or not, that stuff is important....

 

[davidk]

That's not true. The original metaphor shows that a carrot can be more effective than a stick, but the stick was very much a threat of violence.

collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/carrot-and-stick

I stand corrected. I was thinking of "carrot on a stick".

Carrot On A Stick: Definition, Meaning, and Origin

The phrase “carrot on a stick” is an intriguing way to illustrate a motivational strategy. But what does it mean and where did it originate?

usdictionary.com

 

[turf3]

I stand corrected. I was thinking of "carrot on a stick".

Carrot On A Stick: Definition, Meaning, and Origin

The phrase “carrot on a stick” is an intriguing way to illustrate a motivational strategy. But what does it mean and where did it originate?

usdictionary.com

Nope. "Carrot on a stick" is simply a misunderstanding of the phrase "carrot AND a stick". You dangle the carrot in front of the mule and you apply the stick behind, to urge forward progress.

 

[turf3]

It's like "the proof is in the pudding" - no, the phrase is "the proof of the pudding's in the eating". The shorthand version loses almost all of the context. Another one that annoys me is reference to "the ugly American". That was the title of a book, and the HERO of the book is an engineer who works with people in a third world nation to genuinely improve their lives. He's called the ugly American because he's physically unattractive. Using "the ugly American" to describe the negative behaviors of Americans abroad is exactly backwards.

 

[Pete Thomas]

"Honestly...", "to tell the truth.. ", "truth be told...", "to be frank.." / "frankly ..." and such.
Because what? Normally they'd just be lying or makeing stuff up?

I probably do use those terms as I believe it can add some value in certain circumstances. It kind of prepares people for bad news. But I get your point.

 

[mizmar]

I probably do use those terms as I believe it can add some value in certain circumstances. It kind of prepares people for bad news. But I get your point.

Sure, so do I when appropriate - like your example, it can mean more like "without the social niceties" or "no way to sugar coat this".

Overall, I'm allergic to being rhetoricized. What people sometimes are doing is saying "look, I know what I'm saying is weak and won't hold up to closer inspection, so here's a little extra persuasiveness".
Add to the list: "my experience tells me.." "when you get to my age..."

 

[jonf]

My pet peeve is old people whinging on about the youth of the day. This has been going on forever, and documented since the time of the ancient Greek philosophers. I remember vividly a conversation from a couple of years ago, in which I was being told of an old miserablist, bemoaning the youth of that day, saying how easy they had it all, and how their generation would never live up to his own. The person relaying the conversation was my dad, not long before he died at the age of 90, and the conversation in question happened in early 1946. It was in the North of England in winter, the war had just ended and rationing was very much in place. He had just left school and was working as an apprenticed engineer at the time.

 

[Targa]

Internet acronyms such as FYI, FWIW, IMO, IMHO ( is there IMDHO) etc.
They are bad enough used lazily or passive aggressively, (another overused phrase), on the net and far worse in speech.

 

[jonf]

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[Grumps]

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[Targa]

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[Pete Thomas]

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[jonf]

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