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Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:17 pm
by ScooterSissy
Two of my favorite "redundants" have already been mentioned:
"ATM Machine" - ATM stands for "automatic teller machine". You don't need to find an "automatic teller machine machine"
and
"Hot water heater" - the device heats cold, or even warm, water. Hot water doesn't need to be heated. It's a "Water heater"
Since I'm a professional geek, I'll add
"NIC Card". These are the "network interface cards" (these days they're usually actually built in) that let your computer connect to a network. Much like ATM machines, you don't need a network interface card card
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:20 pm
by G26ster
Redneck_Buddha wrote:
You mean, "Howston" Street?
"Howston" is correct. Two different people with two different names and pronounciation.
Houston Street (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a major east-west thoroughfare in downtown Manhattan, running crosstown across the full width of the island of Manhattan, from Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (FDR Drive) and East River Park on the East River to Pier 40 and West Street on the Hudson River.
Despite the spelling, "Houston" is pronounced "HOUSE-ton", and is therefore not pronounced like the city of Houston, Texas.[2] The street was named for William Houstoun, whereas the city was named for Sam Houston.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:21 pm
by G26ster
G26ster wrote:Redneck_Buddha wrote:
You mean, "Howston" Street?
"House-ton" is correct. Two different people with two different names and pronounciation.
Houston Street (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a major east-west thoroughfare in downtown Manhattan, running crosstown across the full width of the island of Manhattan, from Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (FDR Drive) and East River Park on the East River to Pier 40 and West Street on the Hudson River.
Despite the spelling, "Houston" is pronounced "HOUSE-ton", and is therefore not pronounced like the city of Houston, Texas.[2] The street was named for William Houstoun, whereas the city was named for Sam Houston.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:24 pm
by Redneck_Buddha
G26ster wrote:Redneck_Buddha wrote:
You mean, "Howston" Street?
"Howston" is correct. Two different people with two different names and pronounciation.
Houston Street (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a major east-west thoroughfare in downtown Manhattan, running crosstown across the full width of the island of Manhattan, from Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (FDR Drive) and East River Park on the East River to Pier 40 and West Street on the Hudson River.
Despite the spelling, "Houston" is pronounced "HOUSE-ton", and is therefore not pronounced like the city of Houston, Texas.[2] The street was named for William Houstoun, whereas the city was named for Sam Houston.
Ha! I thought they were doing that from spite 'cause the Rockets beat the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:29 pm
by The Annoyed Man
Redneck_Buddha wrote:G26ster wrote:Redneck_Buddha wrote:
You mean, "Howston" Street?
"Howston" is correct. Two different people with two different names and pronounciation.
Houston Street (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a major east-west thoroughfare in downtown Manhattan, running crosstown across the full width of the island of Manhattan, from Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive (FDR Drive) and East River Park on the East River to Pier 40 and West Street on the Hudson River.
Despite the spelling, "Houston" is pronounced "HOUSE-ton", and is therefore not pronounced like the city of Houston, Texas.[2] The street was named for William Houstoun, whereas the city was named for Sam Houston.
Ha! I thought they were doing that from spite 'cause the Rockets beat the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals.
Nah. It was pronounced "Howston" when I lived there in the 1st half of the 1970s.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:45 pm
by jimlongley
It's still pronounced Howston, but what always bothered me about that is that they refer to the geographical area south of there as "Soho" implying, to me, that the proper pronunciation would me "hoeston."
One of my oldest pet peeves has been "ax" as in "I will ax him." which is really "ask"
And lately I have been seeing a lot of TV talking heads pronouncing terminal 'd's as 't's, as in "A Plano man was murdert tonight."
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:51 pm
by Piney
howdy wrote:The phrase "no problem" when I say thank you to a waiter. Chick-fil-a instructs workers to say "my pleasure". I like that.
I know there is too much apathy around here but I don't care...
+1 on "No Problem". I cant stand it when someone tells me that-- waiter, cashier, etc. I cringe and expect the word "dude" to follow LOL I've talked with my workers about saying "my pleasure" or somthing similar when told thank you for providing a service.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:33 pm
by LikesShinyThings
Piney wrote:howdy wrote:The phrase "no problem" when I say thank you to a waiter. Chick-fil-a instructs workers to say "my pleasure". I like that.
I know there is too much apathy around here but I don't care...
+1 on "No Problem". I cant stand it when someone tells me that-- waiter, cashier, etc. I cringe and expect the word "dude" to follow LOL I've talked with my workers about saying "my pleasure" or somthing similar when told thank you for providing a service.
I'm always good with a "You're welcome", but what do I know? I'm just remembering the manners I was taught as a young'un.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:37 pm
by gigag04
The Annoyed Man wrote:gigag04 wrote:Irregardless
For the win! I hate that one even more than "orientated."
My wife, the Latin major with a near perfect SAT score, is so easily annoyed by both, I find ways to slip them in on a weekly basis.
I also like to turn translate into transliterate if I really want to make her bonkers.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:56 pm
by ddstuder
I don't get it!
Please advice!
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:51 am
by Pawpaw
AndyC wrote:One I've recently found is "I axed her..."
I thought they put you in prison for that!
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:22 am
by fickman
G26ster wrote:Add: Hot water heater
I re-reversed on this phrase about ten years ago. When you think about it, this phrase is accurate. It's precisely why they're so inefficient. . . (unless you go tankless) - you actually have a giant vat of hot water that continues to get heated indefinitely.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:48 am
by ELB
Redneck_Buddha wrote: ...
You mean, "Howston" Street?
A little bunny trail here: In southern Indiana there is the town of Houston, locally pronounced "Howston." I used to drive through it on the way to Boy Scout summer camp, 35 years ago. There were more people in the cemetary than in the town. The town still shows on the map, but doesn't look like it has gotten any bigger.
More generally, when you get into the pronuciation of English words, with all the various national and regional accents, it is a wonder anyone understands each other.
I was stationed on a NATO airbase with eleven or twelve nationalities all using English as the official language, and it was quite an experience. Written communication was often uintelligible.
Re: Word use that drives you up the wall!
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:59 am
by O6nop
fickman wrote:G26ster wrote:Add: Hot water heater
I re-reversed on this phrase about ten years ago. When you think about it, this phrase is accurate. It's precisely why they're so inefficient. . . (unless you go tankless) - you actually have a giant vat of hot water that continues to get heated indefinitely.
I respectfully disagree. Since "hot" is a relative term, anything but the desired or designated temperature should be considered "cooler" water. Inefficientas they may be, the water heater elements turn on only when there is a demand to heat the water to the pre-designated temperature. As the hot water is used, cooler water replaces it so it needs to be heated. Also, if the water remains in contact with the ambient temperatures for a period of time it cools to below the designated temperature so that water is relatively cooler than the desired temperature. It may come to pass, however, that the elements are required to heat the water to beyond the designated temperature so that it can maintain an average temperature in reference to the designated temperature via hysteresis, but that is such a small percentage of the time invested by the water heater that it could not realistically be considered a hot water heater.