Words you've misused.

ExOffender

I was doing the Irish Times Simplex the other day, and I came across a clue that said: 'Terse, using few words.' It was 7 letters, L_C_N_C. One glance and I knew that 'laconic' was all that was ever going to be.
All my life, well, ok, for the last fifteen years or so, I've thought that when someone spoke 'laconically' they were speaking in a very relaxed, drawly, lazy kind of way. Surfer-dude types would have fit my bill for 'laconic'. But I checked, and the xword was right. Annoying!
This has happened before. I never see the word 'gelid' without having to remind myself it means 'hot', not 'cold and viscuous' (I think it's the 'gel' bit that does that).
Anybody else have any words they used for years before discovering they didn't mean what they thought it meant?

Drummer

what does xword mean ?

Hoochiemama

crossword!!

pwd

a few common ones:

nauseous
def: adj to descrbe something that causes nausea.
incorrect definition: adjective to describe something experiencing nausea (nauseated)

it's
definition: abbreviated form of "it is"
incorrect definition: to indicate possession (its)

methodology
definition: the study of methods
incorrect definition: a fancy way of saying method

Drummer

Why use and 'x' to indicate 'cross'. They do that in phone books to indicate Harold's Cross. It's daft.

One that gets to me is when people type ... 'your and idiot' or ' your cool' ... when it should be 'you're' as it is the abbreviation of 'you are'.

Then again, these days most people will just type 'ur'to indicate either.

Capt'n Midnight

Drummer wrote:

Why use and 'x' to indicate 'cross'. They do that in phone books to indicate Harold's Cross. It's daft.

One that gets to me is when people type ... 'your and idiot' or ' your cool' ... when it should be 'you're' as it is the abbreviation of 'you are'.

Then again, these days most people will just type 'ur'to indicate either.

maybe because it's cross shaped, it's also used for trans- too, Xfer

when I was young I and before I had a better grasp of the politics and who was who I didn't know the difference between condone and condem , both used regularly on the news from Norn Iron.

ExOffender

Drummer wrote:

Why use and 'x' to indicate 'cross'. They do that in phone books to indicate Harold's Cross. It's daft.

Because an x is shaped like a cross. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Especially in the context.

--Kaiser--

I don't know, i once saw a sign that said 'Deer Xing', I was asking people for weeks what a xing was

ExOffender

--Kaiser-- wrote:

I don't know, i once saw a sign that said 'Deer Xing', I was asking people for weeks what a xing was

Hmmm. 'Xmas' annoys me. There's no cross/trans rationale there. Though 'Jesus X' is a pretty cool name I guess.

ExOffender

ExOffender wrote:

Hmmm. 'Xmas' annoys me. There's no cross/trans rationale there.

Why, I always celebrate transmas at home with the family.

Happy Transmas!

*adele*

he he he,anyway back on topic!!!

Adam

ExOffender wrote:

Hmmm. 'Xmas' annoys me. There's no cross/trans rationale there. Though 'Jesus X' is a pretty cool name I guess.

It's a promotion...

"Xmas! Taking the Christ out of Christmas!"

Le Rack

"Inconceivable!"
"You say that alot. I do not think it means what you think it means!"
The Princess Bride quote! Brilliant film!

Victor

"X" = Greek "Ch" = christ

Juliet Lewis proclaimed something was an outcry the other day on the Dave Fanning Show, she meant outrage.

embee

My brother and cousin were having a pretty blazing row. Drink had been taken on both sides. My cousin likes to think he's quite the intellectual and frequently peppers his conversations with long words. He turned to my brother and decided to tell him that the row they were having was a pivotal moment in their relationship, but ... poor mite, got confused somewhere along the line and said :

"I hope you realise something tonight, this is a congenial moment in our relationship".

Congenial?

Congenial - Having the same tastes, habits, or temperament; sympathetic.
Of a pleasant disposition; friendly and sociable: a congenial host.
Suited to one's needs or nature; agreeable: congenial surroundings.

Perhaps not the best of words to use in a heated row. Fool.

Capt'n Midnight

Revert. I'm tired of getting emails where the person uses that word to mean "reply", if it continues they may find their mailboxes reverted to a previous state , like one before they sent the mail.

Piste

For years I thought Approximately meant exactly. I used be like 'Wow, how can they know the EXACT amount of lightyears from X to Y???'

arbeitsscheuer

This is, without doubt, the most pedantic and anal thread I have ever seen on boards. Just pathetic.

Seriously, haven't you got bigger things to worry about in your life than this sh*t? Surely you don't spend your days brooding over whether or not to attack somebody for using "your" instead of "you're"?!

I mean, how sad are you people? :rolleyes:

Adam

troll tbh. :rolleyes:

NotMe

SebtheBum wrote:

This is, without doubt, the most pedantic and anal thread I have ever seen on boards. Just pathetic.

Seriously, haven't you got bigger things to worry about in your life than this sh*t? Surely you don't spend your days brooding over whether or not to attack somebody for using "your" instead of "you're"?!

I mean, how sad are you people? :rolleyes:

Surely you don't spend your whole life worrying about what other people are posting on boards. Because naturally everything you post about is the most important thing in your life. :rolleyes:

pickarooney

ExOffender wrote:

I never see the word 'gelid' without having to remind myself it means 'hot', not 'cold and viscuous' (I think it's the 'gel' bit that does that).
Anybody else have any words they used for years before discovering they didn't mean what they thought it meant?

How annoyed are you going to be when you now go look up 'gelid' and finally it actually does mean cold?

I used to think 'torpid' meant powerful and destructive (probably something to do with tornadoes).

'fulsome' as in 'a fulsome apology' is almost always used to mean complete and unequivocal when in fact it's anythign but.

ExOffender

SebtheBum wrote:

This is, without doubt, the most pedantic and anal thread I have ever seen on boards. Just pathetic.

Still felt the need to post, though, eh?

Seriously, haven't you got bigger things to worry about in your life than this sh*t?

Yes. Don't you have bigger things to worry about in your life than whether or not I've got bigger things to worry about than this ****?

Surely you don't spend your days brooding over whether or not to attack somebody for using "your" instead of "you're"?!

Your rhetorical interrogation is once again right on the money! No I do not 'spend my days brooding' over that. Surely you don't spend your days brooding over what I spend my days brooding over? Loser!

I mean, how sad are you people? :rolleyes:

I am very sad. People who can't see when their cooler-than-thou attitude clashes horribly with their desperate need to tell everyone how much cooler they are fill me with great sadness.

And gelid? **** me with the dirty end of a broken ****ty stick, I've once again been lied to! Note to self: trust your instincts.

arbeitsscheuer

ExOffender wrote:

Still felt the need to post, though, eh?

Figured I'd point out the benality of the thread. I apologise for bursting your bubble of pointlessness.
What can I say - pedantry irritates me. :rolleyes:

ExOffender wrote:

Don't you have bigger things to worry about in your life than whether or not I've got bigger things to worry about than this ****?

Your argument is fatally flawed - it can essentially be used in any argument, and theoretically go on forever: If I was bored enough (and believe me, I'm gettin there) I could simply retort by saying, "Don't you have bigger things to worry about in your life than whether or not I have bigger things to worry about than whether or not I have bigger things to worry about than this sh*t?!"
I could, but I won't.

Bri

*yawn*

The Sweeper

The "Yore grammahr suxors" thread is something of a pillar of boards.ie in its later years.

Indeed, it could even merit a gathering card.

The basic fact of the matter is this: if you're remotely literate, having to read the neanderthal scratchings of those who are substantially illiterate is irritating.

Kinda like vaginal thrush - nobody wants to think about it, but if it has your attention, you just have to scratch...

iguana

SebtheBum wrote:

Figured I'd point out the benality of the thread. I apologise for bursting your bubble of pointlessness.

Have you read what would probably be the majority of threads on boards? Particularly in After Hours? I wouldn't advise it or you might have to spend the rest of your life bursting the bubble of their pointlessness.

I hate it if you say something like "He gave it to Tim and me." And someone corrects you by saying "He gave it to Tim and I." Yet the first way is right.

ExOffender

SebtheBum wrote:

Your argument is fatally flawed

No it's not.

it can essentially be used in any argument

No it can't. Try inserting it into a free will/determinism debate and watch how far it goes. What I am doing is pointing out the hypocrisy of your stance. It can only apply when someone is criticising behaviour in which they themselves are engaging. Like you are.

I could simply retort by saying, "Don't you have bigger things to worry about in your life than whether or not I have bigger things to worry about than whether or not I have bigger things to worry about than this sh*t?!"

You could, but you'd sound like a complete idiot and you wouldn't get a reply. Don't like the topic? Ignore it. What do you imagine you're achieving? Do you think we don't know that this stuff is trivial? We enjoy it - what's it to you?
If you're bored, maybe you should just **** off instead of irritating other people.

StupidLikeAFox

I used to think that people got shot by machetes

Stench Blossoms

Its not a word more a sayin but i get really pissed off when people use the phrase "immaculate conception" as in mary got pregnant being a virgin. IT'S WRONG! Immaculate conception means being born without sin. Mary was the only person who didnt need to be baptish because she was pure.

rant over

ExOffender

orla wrote:

Its not a word more a sayin but i get really pissed off when people use the phrase "immaculate conception" as in mary got pregnant being a virgin. IT'S WRONG! Immaculate conception means being born without sin. Mary was the only person who didnt need to be baptish because she was pure.

rant over

Um... conception is not birth. Mary is (and in various reported 'miracles' has identified herself as) 'the Immaculate Conception'. How Catholics see it is that Jesus had to be PURE PURE PURE, so she herself had to be born sin-free. Which meant no ridin', basically. Jesus is also an Immaculate Conception. So technically both are right.

Stench Blossoms

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

takin from here:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Immaculate_Conception_and_Assum.asp