tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post5029758983065964168..comments2024-03-15T07:23:41.562-04:00Comments on You Don't Say: What you meant to sayJohn McIntyrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559687583130468871noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-50434682247974295082010-03-03T13:31:29.993-05:002010-03-03T13:31:29.993-05:00One that's annoyed me for years:
Annual Perce...One that's annoyed me for years:<br /><br />Annual Percentage Rate (APR) = interestOl' Scrapironnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-82038714697732088202010-03-02T00:47:01.669-05:002010-03-02T00:47:01.669-05:00Being a Brit, I can't help taking you American...Being a Brit, I can't help taking you Americans (assuming that you are Americans) to task for what you've done to the language of the political spectrum. Please compare:<br /><br />In the UK:<br />Conservative = misses Mrs Thatcher<br />Socialist = someone who detests Mrs Thatcher<br />Communist = someone who wants the USSR to come back<br />Marxist = a counter-culture idealist undergrad<br />Liberal = someone with principles that are a bit too ideal to ever become reality.<br />Neocon = Fascist<br /><br />In the US:<br />Conservative = Respectably extreme right<br />Socialist = Communist<br />Communist = A traitor or enemy<br />Marxist = a non-Islamic terrorist regime<br />Liberal = Communist<br />Neocon = Extreme right and doesn't care who knows itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-67273878390523769042010-02-27T20:24:05.116-05:002010-02-27T20:24:05.116-05:00There's an L.L. Bean heiress who has started a...There's an L.L. Bean heiress who has started a small chain of lobster restaurants in Maine. She thinks "lobster claws" sounds scary, so she's calling the appendages "cuddlers." <br />http://bit.ly/1hN0tFritinancyhttp://nancyfriedman.typepad.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-1901828562549872872010-02-27T18:22:40.540-05:002010-02-27T18:22:40.540-05:00"Friendly fire" = killed by someone in h..."Friendly fire" = killed by someone in his own squad.<br /><br />Don't mean to be flippant about it. But there's nothing friendly about a shot that kills a buddy.Jed Waverlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04247031220475748127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-32199306299103738622010-02-27T13:03:34.210-05:002010-02-27T13:03:34.210-05:00"Tired and emotional" for drunk was not ..."Tired and emotional" for drunk was not invented by Private Eye, although it was much used by them. If I recall correctly, George Brown, a Labour MP who was at one time Minister for Defence, appeared on a TV interview speaking in a decidedly slurred manner. The Labour party flacks explained this the next day saying that Mr Brown had been "tired and emotional" on account of some personal matter.<br /><br />And I think it was the Daily Telegraph obit column that made famous the phrase "a lifelong [or confirmed] bachelor," usually applied to public figures or members of the aristocracy whose preference was well-known among those in the know but not talked about in public.David Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-24254516467005311172010-02-27T12:53:38.200-05:002010-02-27T12:53:38.200-05:00J.D., you beat me too it.
Although, in fairness to...J.D., you beat me too it.<br />Although, in fairness to Constantia "dropping ordinance" could be your borough council passing an ordinance banning cars from parking in areas with a lot of bars for street sweeping when it really means clearing out the drunks.Jim Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16123579939921963902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-78718676572434838782010-02-27T09:44:39.519-05:002010-02-27T09:44:39.519-05:00"Urban" also is used to describe African..."Urban" also is used to describe African-American pop music styles, such as R&B and hip-hop. (It derives in this case from the name of a radio format, such as Adult Contemporary or Modern Rock.) Its usage in that context does not have a negative connotation.<br /><br />Also, I think what Constantia means is "dropping ordnance," not "ordinance."J.D. Considinehttp://jdconsidine.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-80875409323878874062010-02-27T08:23:10.684-05:002010-02-27T08:23:10.684-05:00Romantic leads lacked spark = one of them is gay.Romantic leads lacked spark = one of them is gay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-82021712479771785142010-02-27T03:04:14.421-05:002010-02-27T03:04:14.421-05:00So many of these are a simple exercise in cynicism...So many of these are a simple exercise in cynicism, especially the euphemisms for firing people. "Reduction in force" further sanitized by being shortened to "RIF" (as in "I've been RIF'd) is quite prevalent in these times.<br /><br />I particularly liked "entrepreneur = huckster". I've known a few of those. "Con artist" would also fit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-45658606553653630102010-02-26T22:46:17.855-05:002010-02-26T22:46:17.855-05:00newsroom integration=staff cuts
visual editor=not ...newsroom integration=staff cuts<br />visual editor=not a word person<br />bankruptcy advocate=someone you don't want to do business withAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-64895213160406282692010-02-26T19:05:12.112-05:002010-02-26T19:05:12.112-05:00To serve you better = To annoy you even moreTo serve you better = To annoy you even moreAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-24931595978352816112010-02-26T17:28:47.787-05:002010-02-26T17:28:47.787-05:00really sweet = boring
sex addict = hornyreally sweet = boring<br />sex addict = hornyMissed Periodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10343265071637032284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-83516822979012103102010-02-26T17:01:49.346-05:002010-02-26T17:01:49.346-05:00Recorded live = recorded
Recorded earlier today =...Recorded live = recorded<br /><br />Recorded earlier today = happened earlier today<br /><br />Experienced = has writer's approval<br /><br />Statuesque = stacked<br /><br />Breaking news = please bear with usPatrick K. Lackeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-22348431636440310252010-02-26T16:03:15.733-05:002010-02-26T16:03:15.733-05:00I've always felt that 'Reubenesque' me...I've always felt that 'Reubenesque' meant that the person was, yes, fat, but was also considered by the speaker to be attractive.Eli Morris-Heftnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-42884152698622527332010-02-26T15:00:30.230-05:002010-02-26T15:00:30.230-05:00Reminds me of Richard Pryor's word association...Reminds me of Richard Pryor's word association interview on Saturday Night Live.<br />http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75ginterview.phtmltypingtalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09572305719782041883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-83399649091334044622010-02-26T14:20:25.397-05:002010-02-26T14:20:25.397-05:00I completely agree with Anonymous....when people s...I completely agree with Anonymous....when people say "passed" I'm always tempted to say "to where."BlogBroadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06605294163191243496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-29712963108926601852010-02-26T13:45:19.396-05:002010-02-26T13:45:19.396-05:00encore presentation = rerun
for your convenience =...encore presentation = rerun<br />for your convenience = for our convenience<br />exclusive = (practically anything)<br /><br />Real estate, of course, has an entire lexicon of special terms:<br /><br />cozy = cramped<br />elegant = cosmetic veneer applied<br />retro = out of date<br />historic = out of date and probably non-functional<br />territorial view = no view<br />fixer = ready to be condemned<br />opportunity = no one wants to buy this<br /><br />Incidentally, re: "refurbished." It's true that "refurbished" probably means "used," but the term is also used for the scenario, which is fairly common with technical gadgetry, that the item was simply returned for whatever reason. Once the package has been opened, the manufacturer cannot sell it as new, even if the device was not really ever used. I once returned a computer that was perfectly fine except that one easily-replaced memory bank (SIMM) was faulty, and the stupid customer service people wouldn't just replace that for me. So they got the entire computer back, essentially unused, and I'm sure within a day the SIMM was replaced and the item was being flogged as a "refurbished" item.mikehttp://www.mikepope.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-24406607073015137742010-02-26T13:40:27.071-05:002010-02-26T13:40:27.071-05:00Wasn't "confirmed bachelor" once use...Wasn't "confirmed bachelor" once used in social columns as a euphemism for gay?<br /><br />Then there's "feisty," which is used to refer to older women who have the temerity to still be in possession of all their faculties; sometimes used to refer to old men who are smarter than the person labeling them.<br /><br />There's also financial sleight-of-word. When politicians characterize project funding as a grant when the money comes from state "walking around money" in Pennsylvania or from federal earmarks, the word grant may not be a lie, but it doesn't tell the whole story.<br /><br />Don't forget the many readers who object to the word die, particularly in headlines. I've heard editors field those calls and try to explain why "passed" or other euphemisms aren't in headlines. The readers who call rarely seem to be satisfied by any explanation, tactful or otherwise.<br /><br />My current bugaboo is "stakeholders." The term refers to anyone who might have an opinion about some government or corporate action. For me, it conjures up visions of peasants pursuing Count Dracula and his kin.<br /><br />Barbara Phillips LongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-50514321533574339862010-02-26T13:25:16.409-05:002010-02-26T13:25:16.409-05:00Deploying ordinance = Dropping bombsDeploying ordinance = Dropping bombsConstantianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-26325790423220575672010-02-26T11:52:29.619-05:002010-02-26T11:52:29.619-05:00I really dislike the use of the word "challen...I really dislike the use of the word "challenged"--we are all challenged one way or another.<br />But I like to think of myself as a Matriarch--and I'm white.<br />I inadvertently used basketball and football players in a comparison with golfers--and was called on it as being black v. white.BlogBroadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06605294163191243496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-41532363884393070052010-02-26T11:31:20.382-05:002010-02-26T11:31:20.382-05:00Learning cottage. That is what the Fairfax County ...Learning cottage. That is what the Fairfax County (Va.) school system calls the trailers they use as classrooms at many schools. These are the same trailers you see used as field offices at construction sites.Jim Sweeneynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-74007920246944794172010-02-26T11:13:02.988-05:002010-02-26T11:13:02.988-05:00refurbished=used
the former governor of Alaska = s...refurbished=used<br />the former governor of Alaska = someone who "can see Russia from my house"<br />Sorry. I couldn't resist.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-45136760861530488442010-02-26T10:56:10.553-05:002010-02-26T10:56:10.553-05:00(an obit for a young person) died unexpectedly = s...(an obit for a young person) died unexpectedly = suicide or overdose<br /><br />someone described as a "bulldog" = pain in the ass<br /><br />a "staple" or "fixture" at some regularly scheduled event = person is always around but brings little to the table<br /><br />community activist = self-appointed person with a sense of grandeur and righteousnessJosh Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08892345807933164158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6051744883907551402.post-67947469549152447392010-02-26T10:40:34.349-05:002010-02-26T10:40:34.349-05:00"Inner city" is a euphemism itself, and ..."Inner city" is a euphemism itself, and not so accurate -- especially today, when the "inner" areas tend to be pretty desirable real estate.Bill Walshhttp://www.theslot.com/noreply@blogger.com