Things that piss you off that shouldn't

[A'Villan]

I was running a few hours late for uni today but I thought I'd be a good student and show up for what was left.

Take the bus ride there to find out that my classmates were being just as slack as me, only instead of being late they had knocked off two hours early.

On a 36 degree day I can think of better things to be doing than wasting 1-2 hours on a bus trip to a university class that's not even in session.

Add to this I was told by the administration desk that I was not permitted to attend any classes in future until a $600 fee is paid off in full.

I managed to get them to unblock my enrollment so I can attend classes, which they bloody well should, as the outstanding fee shouldn't even exist!

I still have to go through the process of proving why it was not my fault that fees were incurred and that I made reasonable attempts to do what was needed by the due deadline.

[mjmooney]

4 hours ago, il_serpente said:

This kind of decimates any argument you have for complaining about people's use of the word: 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-original-definition-of-decimate

Regarding the Incorrect Use of 'Decimate'

The word decimate is what we might delicately refer to as a problem word. It seems to invite spleen, at least on the part of a small but committed group of linguistic enthusiasts who feel that it is 

The word decimate is what we might delicately refer to as a problem word. It seems to invite spleen, at least on the part of a small but committed group of linguistic enthusiasts who feel that it is often misused. Here is a sample of comments regarding decimate that have been left by our dictionary’s users.

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As it turns out, decimate is hardly the only word in English that once had a precise single meaning dealing with Roman history; it just is the only one that people like to complain about. For those who truly believe that words which started out in English having a single meaning that pertains to ancient Rome should remain that way forever, the following list of such will come in handy:

Century: “a subdivision of the Roman legion.” 
Forum: “the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business.” 
Tribune: “a Roman official under the monarchy and the republic with the function of protecting the plebeian citizen from arbitrary action by the patrician magistrates.” 
Missiles: “Gifts thrown to the crowds by Roman emperors.” 
Actor: “In Roman law, one that conducts a legal action.” 
Legion: “the principal unit of the Roman army comprising 3000 to 6000 foot soldiers with cavalry.”

Hope that helps.

I disagree. Those examples are perfectly good use of analogies. A forum was a marketplace and an area for public debate. So using the term for a modern 'talking shop' is perfectly consistent. A century was nominally a hundred soldiers (in practice, usually eighty or so, but let's not quibble), the important root of the word being the 'cent' bit - so by extension it's perfectly reasonable to use it for a 'hundredsworth' of something else, such as years. A legion was a LOT of soldiers. I wouldn't be surprised if even the Romans used it figuratively for multiplicity. 

And so on. 

'Decimate' is different. As with 'century', the important part of the word is the number - the 'deci' (ten). So it could be used figuratively to describe - say - a business downsize where approximately 10% of the workforce get laid off. 

But to say something like "Middlesbrough were totally decimated by Aston Villa" is not evolution of meaning, it's simply nonsensical. 

[wilko154]

13 hours ago, Shropshire Lad said:

“Really??” is one that I find grating.

Difficult for me to articulate why I dislike it as people are using it in pretty much the same way as they always have done.

But I frequently hear it said in a manner like Chandler Bing would say it. As if it was some placeholder word because they couldn’t form a better reply.

Maybe it’s only to my ears that it’s annoying.

I'm guilty of this, I say it whenever I can't think of a decent reply and then instantly wonder why I've said it. It's a bad habit 

[snowychap]

5 hours ago, il_serpente said:

This kind of decimates any argument you have for complaining about people's use of the word: 

It doesn't. See Mike's post above.

It's an interesting article, though.

I like the online etymology dictionary's entry for decimate:

Quote

decimate (v.)

c. 1600, "to select by lot and put to death every tenth man," from Latin decimatus, past participle of decimare "the removal or destruction of one-tenth," from decem "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten").

The killing of one in ten, chosen by lots, from a rebellious city or a mutinous army was a punishment sometimes used by the Romans. The word has been used (loosely and unetymologically, to the irritation of pedants) since 1660s for "destroy a large but indefinite number of." Related: Decimated; decimating.

[chrisp65]

desecrated coconut

[villa4europe]

2 guys at work spent about a month having conversations, attending meetings etc trying to sort something out, they phone me up and say it now needs a contractual sounding email sent out, literally like a 3 minute explanation of the problem, i havent got a clue about it, i write the email

instant phone call "thats not how i would have put it"

write your own **** emails then!

[Stevo985]

OOhhh here's a work related one.

 

Our CFO at work is a word removed. He always asks me for data, which is fine, it's my job, but he tries to be really pally with me and then becomes a word removed when work is involved.
he's a proper "is it done yet?" guy.

Today he asked me for something at 9:45. "I need a favour... blah blah blah... can you send it now?"

I replied "no, but I'll have it to you within an hour once I'm out of this meeting"

he was fine with that.

At 10:05 he messaged me saying "Have you started it yet?"

 

It took all my self control not to reply and tell him to **** off.

[Paddywhack]

2 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

OOhhh here's a work related one.

 

Our CFO at work is a word removed. He always asks me for data, which is fine, it's my job, but he tries to be really pally with me and then becomes a word removed when work is involved.
he's a proper "is it done yet?" guy.

Today he asked me for something at 9:45. "I need a favour... blah blah blah... can you send it now?"

I replied "no, but I'll have it to you within an hour once I'm out of this meeting"

he was fine with that.

At 10:05 he messaged me saying "Have you started it yet?"

 

It took all my self control not to reply and tell him to **** off.

I would have liked this but you're currently on exactly 30,000 and it'd be a shame to change that.

Edited December 6, 2018 by Paddywhack

[AvfcRigo82]

4 minutes ago, Paddywhack said:

I would have liked this but you're currently on exactly 30,000 and it'd be a shame to change that.

You can like it now.

It's 30,001 

[Paddywhack]

4 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

You can like it now.

It's 30,001 

Back to 30,000..muahaha

[Stevo985]

This is a rollercoaster.

I'd better go and disagree with an @AvfcRigo82 post. That's usually good for 30 likes or so  

[villa4europe]

37 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

OOhhh here's a work related one.

Our CFO at work is a word removed. He always asks me for data, which is fine, it's my job, but he tries to be really pally with me and then becomes a word removed when work is involved.
he's a proper "is it done yet?" guy.

Today he asked me for something at 9:45. "I need a favour... blah blah blah... can you send it now?"

I replied "no, but I'll have it to you within an hour once I'm out of this meeting"

he was fine with that.

At 10:05 he messaged me saying "Have you started it yet?"

It took all my self control not to reply and tell him to **** off.

there is a site guy at work who calls me manny due to manana and him thinking i do everything tomorrow, he cant understand that his job is to instantly solve problems whereas my job is to take your time and play your cards right, the problem is he happily tells the management how funny the name is and also dabbles with my job and **** things up like sending quotes over the wall before looking to see if they are right or if we can build a bit of money in for ourselves etc

the idea that doing everything at 100mph is risky is completely lost on him, properly blinkered 1st idea is the best one type bloke

[Stevo985]

2 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

there is a site guy at work who calls me manny due to manana and him thinking i do everything tomorrow, he cant understand that his job is to instantly solve problems whereas my job is to take your time and play your cards right, the problem is he happily tells the management how funny the name is and also dabbles with my job and **** things up like sending quotes over the wall before looking to see if they are right or if we can build a bit of money in for ourselves etc

the idea that doing everything at 100mph is risky is completely lost on him, properly blinkered 1st idea is the best one type bloke

Our entire business is that short term thinking. Do it now.

I've been in meetings where a commodity manager has literally said something like "We can process this claim against the supplier for $50k this quarter, but if we do we'll lose their business and it will cost us $100k over the next year"

And the director has approved it. Because they're so desperate to make the numbers for the next quarter.

Everything here is the end of the world. The knock on effect is disastrous sometimes but they don't give a ****.

[mjmooney]

10 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Our entire business is that short term thinking. Do it now.

I've been in meetings where a commodity manager has literally said something like "We can process this claim against the supplier for $50k this quarter, but if we do we'll lose their business and it will cost us $100k over the next year"

And the director has approved it. Because they're so desperate to make the numbers for the next quarter.

Everything here is the end of the world. The knock on effect is disastrous sometimes but they don't give a ****.

Years ago, working at the university, they decided to change their supplier of whiteboards to save money. The NOBO ones were pricey, but high quality (I actually bought one for our kitchen over 30 years ago, have used it daily, and it still wipes clean). The cheaper ones they switched to lasted about a year before the surface wore off and they had to be replaced. I reckon they ended up paying ten times as much for the 'cheap' ones. I suggested at the time that it was a false economy, but they didn't want to know. It was all about the 'savings' this quarter. Utterly stupid. 

[Rugeley Villa]

On 04/12/2018 at 20:24, Stevo985 said:

Umbrellas.

Specifically in cities. They should be banned.

I thought you of all people would need an umbrella. 

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I thought you of all people would need an umbrella. 

Why? I don't have any hair

[chrisp65]

ella 

ella

[Rugeley Villa]

Just now, Stevo985 said:

Why? I don't have any hair

To keep your feet dry . 

[Stevo985]

5 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Years ago, working at the university, they decided to change their supplier of whiteboards to save money. The NOBO ones were pricey, but high quality (I actually bought one for our kitchen over 30 years ago, have used it daily, and it still wipes clean). The cheaper ones they switched to lasted about a year before the surface wore off and they had to be replaced. I reckon they ended up paying ten times as much for the 'cheap' ones. I suggested at the time that it was a false economy, but they didn't want to know. It was all about the 'savings' this quarter. Utterly stupid. 

That's what I call Dad economics. 

Not dads in general. MY dad.

He was a sucker for doing that. Always bought the absolute cheapest version of whatever he was buying. Fair enough we weren't exactly flush but still.

Prime example was the house phone. He'd always buy the cheapest one in Argos for like 10 quid. But they'd only last about 6 months and then break and he'd have to buy a new one.
I told him again and again if he just spent 30 quid in the first place he'd save overall but he wouldn't have it  

 

Edit: and yes you're absolutely right I imagine about the whiteboards. The annoying thing is they probably claimed the saving when they had to replace them too. The more you buy the more you save!

Edited December 6, 2018 by Stevo985

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, Rugeley Villa said:

To keep your feet dry . 

Ah yes, the ever popular foot umbrella. I have several.