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People who use "your" (i.e. not mine) when they mean "you're" (i.e. you are), and people who use "Real" when they mean "Really" (e.g. "Real clever" or "Real good idea" should be "Really clever, really good idea,etc) Keeps us on our toes, doesn't it?!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7016 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Joe Rees, yours reminds me of that beer commercial, the one set in an East Coast tavern, all the locals come in with the greeting "hiya dowin?" it gets passed all around the bar, they get to a guy from Texas I believe, who goes into a long story about his day. Funny as hell.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
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James, regarding your query about the use of rarely/seldom, I think this part of the great Sentence Adverb debate that has been raging among academics since the sixties.
The debate is at its most fierce (pistols at dawn) when arguing the use of the adverb ‘hopefully.’ The traditional view holds that ‘hopefully’ must ONLY be used as a routine adverb meaning ‘in a hopeful manner’ (Needing a drink, he looked hopefully at the barman) and MUST NOT be used to mean ‘it is hoped that’. (Hopefully I’ll get it finished today).
It seems (Fowlers) the use of the word ‘rarely’ is sometimes contested when used unaccompanied. So, it would be perfectly all right to say: “He rarely if ever goes out” or “He rarely or never goes out” but is unacceptable (to some) to be used in the form “He rarely goes out”. Here, “He seldom goes out” would be preferable.
Most people don’t care as long as both parties understand each other.
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Like others, I really dislike ‘Think outside the box,’ it’s irritation quotient is right up there with ‘quotient’, ‘I’ll just run this idea up flagpole to see who salutes’ and all the other pseud’s corner, management seminar jargon.
‘Very unique’ – unique is an absolute, you can’t qualify it.
My Mum used to scream “DIFFERENT FROM – SIMILAR TO” at the radio if anyone broadcast the trigger phrase ‘different to.’ I still cringe when I hear it.
Our English teacher used to twist our ears if we used the word ‘got’. I’m getting over it! Isn’t it is amazing, the things about which we get annoyed? Hope you noticed I avoided finishing that sentence with a preposition – another crime for which our ears would suffer.
-------------------- Arthur Vanson Bucks Signs Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England arthur@buckssigns.co.uk -------------------- Posts: 805 | From: Chesham, Bucks, England | Registered: Mar 2002
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"St.Marie Graphics. Hey, is your Daddy there? Yes he is. Is this concerning a job? Yeah, honey. Lemme have him. I'm not your honey, and he does exactly what I tell him to do. How can I help you?" (Actually he does:^)
If they hang up, then they don't need us. All the loggers and truckers who know me NEVER call me "honey, sweetie, darlin' or any OTHer stupid, endearing name. Our business clients like architects or generals know better by this time.
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There are a few folks around here who will phone you up, and once they get beyond the introductory pleasantries, they will start by saying: 'hey listen (pause) ...' I ussually reply with: 'hey,(pause) do I have a choice?'
How about 'No biggie' (as in 'it is no big deal')
Or..
'it's a piece of cake' referring to a simple task. I don't see the correlation between confectionary and work, unless you are a baker.
-------------------- "Are we having fun yet?" Peter Schuttinga DZines Sign Studio 1617 Millstream rd Victoria BC V9B-6G4 Posts: 521 | From: Victoria BC | Registered: Mar 2002
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Mike, ain’t ain’t a word, ain’t ain’t (rural), or ain’t bain’t a word ain’t bain’t (rural rural (as in Lenny casual casual))
British place and County names; there were couple of USAF air bases nearby, one being High Wycombe; we couldn’t believe how many syllables the Americans could squeeze out of those two words! Then they get all shy about the second ~i~ in aluminium and ~ive on the end of alternative.
Keep those stories coming; please, if it isn't too much trouble. (Don't think that assertive training course is working too well)
-------------------- Arthur Vanson Bucks Signs Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England arthur@buckssigns.co.uk -------------------- Posts: 805 | From: Chesham, Bucks, England | Registered: Mar 2002
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Two phrases we like to overuse around the shop are:
"I heard that" & "Oooh, dat ain't right"
Just try it sometime. After anyone in your shop says anything, interject either of these two phrases. They fit almost anywhere! We get two or three people going on this while some poor shmo is trying to tell a serious story and before you know it....He's mad and we're all laughing hysterically!
-------------------- Rob McCauley
Production Manager Archway Graphic Designs a Division of Sign Express, Inc. www.signexpress.tv Little Rock, Ar 501.224.0227 --- The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down. ;-) Posts: 53 | From: Little Rock, Ar | Registered: Feb 2002
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Comes after either an exceptionally lengthy and convoluted set of instructions or almost nothing. I had a boss one time who told me "Take the freeway down to where the old Shell building used to be. Ya can't miss it."
1) in L.A. it's all freeways. Not just "THE Freeway" I asked "Which one?" and he laughed and muttered "Which one - ha ha"
2) the old Shell Building had been demolished 30 years prior. Where might it have been? - long before freeway days, btw.
3) On my way home I took a wrong turn and inadvertently found the damn correct address - he was right - I couldn't miss it if I'd tried. I hate him.
Posts: 1859 | From: / | Registered: Nov 1998
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.......when someone says: "All ya gotta do........" whatever comes after that is probably gonna be much more complex..............on a positive note I believe the "impossible" usually only takes another 10 minutes.
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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I do a lot of computer work these days. When loading Windows XP there is a line of copy during the installation process that says "you've probably gotten used to ..." I don't know if it's grammatically correct or not, but it it seems all wrong to me every time I see it. To me it should read "you have probably become used to ..." or "you're probably used to ..."
From such trivial things do mighty conflicts arise (unquote - side of the Trivial Pursuit game packaging)
DF
-------------------- David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Services Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com Trying out a new tag: "Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth Peter Ustinov Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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Most sayings only make me laugh at their insanity or lack of grammmatical correctness, but when someone says "Sorry but" they might as well leave the first word off.Then there is the all to often heard from one's own offspring "I just..." or "I only..."followed by some excuse. Or to capitalize on both "But I just..." JUST? What do you know about justness? The scary part is when I hear myself using these same lame lines! Who hasn't been on board an airplane to hear the stewardess anounce "We'll be in flight momentarily." or "We'll be in the Isle serving drinks momentarily." Is that based on a first come first serve? You'll have to be quick because afterall you only have a moment. How about "free gift" Aren't all gifts supposed to be free? Or even better ""Free" gift" Who hasn't grown tired of the ambiance of "ambiance"and all the other tired, overworked words, especially those of the supposedly more colorful variety? Sincerely, Stephanie (Jim's wife)
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Here are a few words/phrases that are due for retirement:
And I'm all like... Imagineering As if! Proactive Facilitate Newbie ...Not! Synergize 24-7 Multi-Tasking The prefixes NEO, CYBER, EURO, POWER, TECHNO, VIRTUAL, ULTRA You the man! Take it to the next level Paradigm Actualize What..EVER! Done deal Way cool Per se To die for
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Heres one that really bugs the crap outa me. When people call a tattoo a "tat". I didnt sit in a chair for two hours and get my shoulder drilled with a needle to get a "tat". A "tat" is what "Tweety" saw!
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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I hate it when I accidentally cause pain to myself as in smashing a finger, accidentally bumping my toe into a sofa leg, etc., all the time screaming and cussing and someone asks, "Are you OK?" Am I OK??!! I'm screaming like a baboon and there's blood gushing out of my body!! How "OK" do you think I am?! I'm just peachy.
There are two newscasters here in town who say a couple words that just drive me up a wall. One says "wheapons" (with an "h") instead of weapons. The other says, "pro-gress" as in "pronoun" when he says the word progress.
How 'bout, "you misspelled a word on your sign, hee, hee". Yeah, I've never heard that one before, bonehead.
OK, I'm done.
-------------------- John Cordova Gitano Design Studio Albuquerque, NM Posts: 268 | From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3503 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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