quote:

Originally posted by Norton:

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Where are you at? An ignorant backformation.

Or the even more annoying MT variation: Where you at?

Right, so much better is the proper, "Where you are?" Or more colloquially, "Whur yar?"

Lost Sheep

I'm sure this one is already here but considering we have nine pages of posts in this thread, I'll just repeat it. It grates my nerves when someone writes L-O-O-S-E-R or L-O-O-S-E when he means to write L-O-S-E-R or L-O-S-E, respectively. I see this in these pages so often, as well as in may other places on the web...

quote:

Originally posted by Lost Sheep:

quote:

Originally posted by Norton:

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Where are you at? An ignorant backformation.

Or the even more annoying MT variation: Where you at?

Right, so much better is the proper, "Where you are?" Or more colloquially, "Whur yar?"

Lost Sheep

Linguistically, a "backformation" is morphologically the derivation of a shorter term by dropping the affix from a longer term.

E.g. edit/editor, credit/creditor, act/actor.

"Where are you at?" is a dangling preposition where no preposition is required.

But then you're comparing prescriptive and descriptive grammars -- which is sociolinguistics and not morphology.

Hi OXO. Thanks for the explanation. (I guess.) Seems you know your way around the English language.
Brice

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Hi OXO. Thanks for the explanation. (I guess.) Seems you know your way around the English language.
Brice

Yeah, and it drives people around the bend sometimes.

OXO,

explain this one to me.

What is the correct usage for "I have more than/I have over...forty years experience loading big bore ammunition. And why?

Rich

Hi all,

I may have missed it. If already posted, here again. One of my favorite irritants is "these (those) ones."

Stephen

How about "Ja well no fine," or " Just now!"

My goodness sakes! I started this thread in February of 2007. Perhaps this is my five minties of glory. So, allow me to make anotehr contribution:

Decimate

Commonly used to infer near total annihalation. Fact:

Dates to the Romans. If a company, battalion, etc. under performed, they were lined up and every tenth man was made to step forward to be killed. Hence, decimated.

Thanks to all who have contributed. The thread may continue as long as English is our language.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
My goodness sakes! I started this thread in February of 2007. Perhaps this is my five minties of glory. So, allow me to make anotehr contribution:

Decimate

Commonly used to infer near total annihalation. Fact:

Dates to the Romans. If a company, battalion, etc. under performed, they were lined up and every tenth man was made to step forward to be killed. Hence, decimated.

Thanks to all who have contributed. The thread may continue as long as English is our language.

minties - m-i-n-u-t-e-s,

anotehr - a-n-o-t-h-e-r, there you are, just helping.

My spelling skills exceed my keyboard abilities by a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
My spelling skills exceed my keyboard abilities by a lot.

MMMmmmmmnnh! Judging by the evidence.......

Scriptus,
That goes for your horse, too.
Brice

Brice, thanks, you have a good and warm Christmas while we will just laze about and perspire.

Hi again, Scriptus. I didn't notice your location. I wish I was (were?) there, despite the heat. Best Christmas wishes to you and your family. I enjoyed our little interchange.
Brice

Jeezus! I can't believe I am the only one here that is absolutely sick of the constant abuse of the word "extreme." (Note the period inside of the parenthesis.) If you are so unfortunate as to watch any of the "hunting" shows on cable, surely you know what I mean. They use "extreme" to describe anything they like or want to sell.
The hunting industry/shows aren't the only guilty parties. Every single industry in modern America seems obligated to insert the term somewhere in their literature.

The only other word that I can think of that may be more abused in our culture is "hero."
In my mind, the term hero should be reserved for those gallant souls that do something brave in combat.

And I ain't no freakin hero, but I have been in combat. And maybe that's why I feel that way.

SemperFiHunter

How about "eco-friendly" whatever, golf courses which are fact green deserts wasting millions of litres of water, "eco friendly" housing developments. Yeah right, everything bulldozed and replaced with concrete! I know houses have to be built, but to bulldust the ivy-league mob. Must be "extreme" advertising.

quote:

Originally posted by rymx:
Calling a shotgun a "SHOTTIE".

I agree. I also detest Remmy, Winnie, Leupy, etc. Say or write what is meant and leave out the little cuties. No baby talk, please. When I encounter a Remmy, etc. I immediately move on. Nothing to be learned there.

Stephen

This one was created by some gun writer, and I thought it amusing:

Remchester

To add to Lord Frith's irritation:

Roy in place of Weatherby

These little euphamisms, diminutives and substitutes can be attempts to create the impression that one is a member of some inner circle. Pitiful.

Regarding "shottie" or "shottygun", I think Hemingway or Ruark used the word. Perhaps it was an adaptation used by the camp boys or trackers of the time. Of course, that doesn't necessarily render it less irritating.

quote:

Brice
Regarding "shottie" or "shottygun", I think Hemingway or Ruark used the word. Perhaps it was an adaptation used by the camp boys or trackers of the time. Of course, that doesn't necessarily render it less irritating.

Well, if Hemingway actually USED the word(s) himself, that would give an imprimatur to it. But if he only used it to in his literature to enrich the atmosphere of his writings (for which he was rightfully famous), then the words' status as affectations (and justifiably irritating) is intact.

Lost Sheep

Tactical is still at the top of my list.

Flat black, brown, green, or "desert tan" are right up there.

Rich

Very unique.

Unique is unique. No adverbs allowed.

"Totally Awesome."

Rich

So, nobody would consider this "totally awesome" thread "very unique" at all?

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
Tactical is still at the top of my list.

Flat black, brown, green, or "desert tan" are right up there.

Rich

"desert tan" fried to a frazzle?

"Platform" when referring to a firearm model.

Tattle tale or tattle tail? Hare up the ass or hair up the ass? It's buck naked, not butt naked.

I like "tactical." The local latte shop is marketing "tactical espresso."

quote:

Originally posted by Rothke:
Tattle tale or tattle tail? Hare up the ass or hair up the ass? It's buck naked, not butt naked.

Is it not "tittle tattle?"

I used to think it was "all tolled" as in the sum of the toll. But it's "all told" as in the balance the teller gives you.

"All tolled" may be correct. Tolling is a legal term that refers to the passage of a period of time, as in tolling the days remaining until the termination of.........
I might not be exactly correct on this, but I think it's close. I'm not a lawyer. (About the only one in the family who is not.)

No, "all tolled" is incorrect, unless you're referring to a convey crossing a bridge.

Lately it's been "clips," "bullets," and "semi-automatic guns."

quote:

Originally posted by Rothke:
No, "all tolled" is incorrect, unless you're referring to a convey crossing a bridge.

Lately it's been "clips," "bullets," and "semi-automatic guns."

... or the church bells in Rome when a new Pope is elected.

quote:

Originally posted by Oddbod:
"Platform" when referring to a firearm model.

I, too, dislike that misnomer. Sometimes, however, it almost seems appropriate, when the item is less a weapon than a platform for display or demoonstration of all sorts of performances and nonperformances of "tacticool" accessories, usually sufficient to increase the weight from that of an original M16 to that of an original M1928 (Thompson).

Specie for species. I must be getting old. I just realized that I posted this mini-rant previously. It apparently had no effect, because I just encountered it again here on AR. The singular of species is species! I think specie means to gold or some other type of valuable material used for trading.

Specie; coin money as distinguished from bullion or paper money'
Species; any of the taxonomic groups into which a genus is divided, etc.

Thanks Scriptus.
I knew I could count on you to flesh it out.
Brice

PPssstt! Don't tell anyone, but I gots a book called a, wait for it, a "dictionary." Makes me look clever.

Yeh, I got some, too. Just too lazy to go look.
Brice