Referees going through callisthenics on the pitch before matches and then failing miserably to be in position to make crucial decisions when it really matters.
Gary Waddock constantly referred to his squad or team as 'This group', or 'The group'. He sounded like an out of touch 70's DJ.
That's quite ironic as 70's DJ's were quite keen on 'touching' allegedly !!
@Chris said:
The standard usage of decimate is correct despite it once meaning to reduce by a tenth. Would you have the same reservations about, say, egregious to mean very bad?
Fair!
I was not as familiar with the etymology of "egregious" as "decimate". Now that I have somewhat further educated myself, I stand (with far less objective justification than I thought) by my objection to the use of a word with so obvious ("december, decade, decimetre, etc. ad infinitum) and specific a historical meaning in the broader sense in which it commonly sees light of day. It just doesn't to me mean what the user wants it to mean.
I accept that word meaning is capable of change over time and have no principled objection to that fact. I just hate this particular one - there are other, better words, that could be used. So there.
If I was looking for a way to demonstrate that words cannot evolve to take on a different meaning from their root @HCblue , I really don’t think I would have chosen December to show that words with Dec at the front must still be related to “ten”!
Footballers covering their mouths in conversation.....
This is an underrated one. It screams narcissism. "Even now, the lipreaders are being hired to decipher this classified information."
It's common to pretty much all sports now, isn't it. Baseball is the best, with players gathered round the pitcher's mound all talking into their masks.
What December no longer is is the tenth month - it’s just a month.
Just as decimate no longer means kill off a tenth of a population - it’s just kill off a significant number.
Yep that’s the point @mooneyman .
Where once December was the tenth month, the word remained even when it no longer meant that literally. Decimate used to mean reduce by 10% but over time that meaning has changed and now just means reduce by a lot.
Comments
Referees going through callisthenics on the pitch before matches and then failing miserably to be in position to make crucial decisions when it really matters.
“Go for drinks” rather than a drink.
Starting a sentence with Look or Listen.
Who goes for just one?!
Footballers covering their mouths in conversation.....
Gary Waddock constantly referred to his squad or team as 'This group', or 'The group'. He sounded like an out of touch 70's DJ.
That's quite ironic as 70's DJ's were quite keen on 'touching' allegedly !!
In the Dr Who episode 'The Sound of Drums', The Master uses it correctly.
Sorry, really do need to get out more.
Amusing @peterparrotface as Bayo does just that. I'll let you tell him!??
Fair!
I was not as familiar with the etymology of "egregious" as "decimate". Now that I have somewhat further educated myself, I stand (with far less objective justification than I thought) by my objection to the use of a word with so obvious ("december, decade, decimetre, etc. ad infinitum) and specific a historical meaning in the broader sense in which it commonly sees light of day. It just doesn't to me mean what the user wants it to mean.
I accept that word meaning is capable of change over time and have no principled objection to that fact. I just hate this particular one - there are other, better words, that could be used. So there.
It’s just a different language isn’t it? I don’t get frustrated with Bulgarians for using Bulgarian grammar and spelling.
My favourite Americanism is saying “I’ll do the...” when ordering.
"Can I get the ... " (when ordering) does it for me!
Surely no-one says "May I have" these days?
Probably only those who refer to themselves or others as "one".
I do, also my kids. Thought it was good manners?
It's not bad manners to say "Can I have" though. It's the "May I" that seems outdated.
The boys in blue still say "may I have your name Sir/Madam"
‘Can I have,’ and ‘may I have,’ mean different things tho.
If I was looking for a way to demonstrate that words cannot evolve to take on a different meaning from their root @HCblue , I really don’t think I would have chosen December to show that words with Dec at the front must still be related to “ten”!
December still means the same thing tho. We’ve just added a couple of months.
Tell you what really gets me.... is other people telling other people how to talk all the time
Exactly right. It still means month ten - it just isn’t! It is exactly true to its historical antecedents.
I have begun encou> @bigred87 said:
This is an underrated one. It screams narcissism. "Even now, the lipreaders are being hired to decipher this classified information."
It's common to pretty much all sports now, isn't it. Baseball is the best, with players gathered round the pitcher's mound all talking into their masks.
What December no longer is is the tenth month - it’s just a month.
Just as decimate no longer means kill off a tenth of a population - it’s just kill off a significant number.
There didn't used to be January and February in the calendar of Romulus, which made December the tenth month.
4 dots instead of 3 is really going to tickle a few people here.
Dark arts I would like to add to this list of shitty commentator adjectives. Its called cheating
Yep that’s the point @mooneyman .
Where once December was the tenth month, the word remained even when it no longer meant that literally. Decimate used to mean reduce by 10% but over time that meaning has changed and now just means reduce by a lot.
Obviously a touchy subject, this.
I'm going to try to annoy less grammar pedants.
Fewer!
This is the one that always feels off to me.
Your/you're, should have/of, their/there/they're, loose/lose, all really leap out.
But "more or less" is a well known phrase and makes sense. It's not "more or fewer".
(I know the reasons etc - just strikes me as less intuitive than the others)