Election Year or Fear!

[swaledale]

I'm also informed by younger relatives that vaping is cool. Doesn't mean to say I have to do it. Each to their own ��

Except rA didn't say he was told it was cool, but acceptable! But of course one can choose to speak as one wishes! My mangling of the language tends to be due my fat fingers not hitting the keys in the right order and not being able to type as fast as I can think!! Plus I do lower myself so that some of those who are less literate on here don't feel intimidated.

[Andy_Faber]

Often there is little difference between the (far) right and "football lads", IMO. Yes, there are also centrists and left leaners (Swale for one) who butcher our language but not, in my experience, in the numbers of those from the right.

Americanisms. With you there. "From the get go" and "bla, bla, bla... if you will" and many more are annoying to say the least.

Ones that have crept into English are things like "A thought you might like..." "A don't agree" instead of I and as I said earlier "Are house, are country". Language pedant? Guilty as charged, m'lud.

On your editing lark, I'll PM you with a slightly personal question, the answer to which may, or may not, help and editor friend of mine over here. If you find it too intrusive then, "sorry, I don't wish to answer" would be an acceptable reply.

Happy to answer (later when I can do it justice) but I won’t be much help

[ramAnag]

I'm also informed by younger relatives that vaping is cool. Doesn't mean to say I have to do it. Each to their own 😄

Not entirely comparable in so much as one is behavioural and the other is a figure of speech. By ‘younger relatives’ I was referring to children and their spouses who, in the business world, find ‘reaching out’ quite a commonplace expression whereas I thought it sounded like begging.

Fortunately I have no (much) younger relatives who think vaping is remotely cool, but I suppose that seeing as my eldest grandchild is only 14 this is something that may still have to be faced. At the same age I think I was probably smoking 5-10 fags a day so it seems the grandkids have more sense.

[SithHappens]

I'm also informed by younger relatives that vaping is cool. Doesn't mean to say I have to do it. Each to their own 😄

I'm sure when they grow up they will look back and think, nah it was about as cool using dog **** as hair gel, and just as attractive

[Geoff Parkstone]

..... fat fingers not hitting the keys in the right order and not being able to type as fast as I can think!!

I didn't realize you were that slow at typing 😄

[swaledale]

I didn't realize you were that slow at typing ��

Faster than your thinking it seems!

[Andy_Faber]

Plus I do lower myself so that some of those who are less literate on here don't feel intimidated.

…which comment just adds arrogance to the list of unpleasant things about you

[Andy_Faber]

May I "lean in"?

You've just made me feel slightly ill. One of the best things about my departing the 9 to 5 was leaving such phrases behind.

One fairly senior colleague of mine started to misuse the word 'erstwhile' to mean something like 'an upstanding one of the boys, nudge nudge wink wink he's on our side lads' rather than 'former', and it spread in a few weeks through the senior management team and, much to my amusement, in meetings with outside concerns

[Andy_Faber]

Agree totally about butchery of both the English language and style of pronunciation (the latter seemingly linked to our diversity / sub cultures)

Careful, you'll upset someone. But try impressing a PE client when your colleague inserts 'init' at random into the convesation

Not all about subcultures though, our local pub was graced on sunday with three chaps in hi-viz gear, one of which used the F word (I wasn't counting but the bar staff did) over 70 times, and he only had one pint!

[MadAmster]

Careful, you'll upset someone. But try impressing a PE client when your colleague inserts 'init' at random into the convesation

Not all about subcultures though, our local pub was graced on sunday with three chaps in hi-viz gear, one of which used the F word (I wasn't counting but the bar staff did) over 70 times, and he only had one pint!

IMO, the F word has lost its power to shock except those who simply can't wait to be "offended" by the slightest thing. It's extremely common in its use here in NL from junior schools and upwards. Hardly a talk show goes by or a radio programme without at least one person using it as a verb or noun or pronoun or adjective. You'll hear it in every UK school playground. Every pub, although one didn't used to 40 years ago. Time to stop being offended by its use. As was said in a previous conversation, language evolves...