Things that Just Peeve Me

Over the years, I've been amassing a list of little things that just get me.  Some of them are social, like lack of courtesy, and people's inability to make change or give directions.  Some are mis-uses of the English language and other reflections of the deterioriating government-run "eddy-kay-shun" system.  

Here's my list so far, starting with mis-use of the language:

6AM in the Morning

"Alot" as one word. "Noone" as one word. "Awhile" as one word.  The latter is correct as one word when used as an adverb: "awhile later," but not an adjective or noun: "after awhile... " is wrong; it's "after a while."

Alright vs all right

Ampi-theater

And/Or... "or" suffices, even per Black's Law Dictionary.

"Axing" someone  ("I axed him if he my baby daddy.")

As it were...

Assessorize or assessories

"Ates:"
Cohabitate
Conversate
Orientate
Coronate

Atha-lete

ATM machine

Artha-ritis

As it were...

On a daily basis vs "every day"

Between (or "to") you and I
or "for my wife and I"

Birthing or birthed

To "career" something

The event that "changed history."  History is already established; you can only change the present.) Something CAN change the COURSE of history as it becomes the future.

Closure... every bad event must have it.
Comfortability (comfort)

Compare Apples to Oranges/Apples
(you can compare anything to anything)

Confusing "cement" with "concrete."  Cement is the powder, concrete is the hard stuff.

Conventional Wisdom (oxymoron)

Conversate with...

Coronate (= to crown)

Could care less (vs couldn't)

"Council" for "consul"

I "credentialed" him.

"One Criteria"
or "these criterias"

The item was curated there

"These" Data, datum, datums

Differentiating

Dis-orientated

Dissociate vs Disassociate

Dissect pronounced "die-sect" instead of "dis-sect"

"Diversity" in every political document

Dove vs Dived

Drownded

Drunk vs Drunken Driver

DV Video

DVD Disk or CD Disk

Essentric for eccentric

Ek-setera

Electrocute to mean "shocked."  Electrocution means death by electric shock.

ER Room

Expresso vs Espresso

Extra words thrown in to sound scientific or authoritative.  E.g:
Thunderstorm Event,  or Cleaning System for "detergent"

Extreme - overused. When everything is "extreme," nothing is.

Everyday vs Every Day (adjective vs adverb)

"Flexible Standards" - Bill Clinton

Floundering vs Foundering

Flustrating or Fluster-ating vs frustrating

From the Git-go or get-go

For the Chilllldren!

Gay Pride is an oxymoron... if you had pride, you wouldn't need a parade!

Giving 110%

GPS System

Grow the business

Hanged vs Hung

He's a masseuse (masseur)

He's good people, or...
an animal that "thinks he's people"

The Heeeealllling! After every bad event.

Healthy vs Healthful

Homo-ge-ne-ous vs Homogenous

Hot Water Heater

I so don't understand.  Or  That's so not me.

"If you will..."
trying to sound hoity-toity & just wasting words

In about 15 minutes from now.  From when else?

Incidences, meaning "incidents"

Including-in

Inherit as a transitive verb, as in "he inherited his children."  Though, I guess, if you can say "He disinherited them," maybe it's ok!

IQ Quotient

IRA Account

Irregardless

Its vs It's or vice-versa

It's about... or I'm all about...

The car "Jaguar" pronounced as "jag-wire"

"Journal" as a verb ("I journaled that.")

"Judy-ism" pronunciation of "Judaism"

Something is key (as opposed to "the" key)

Laxadaisical

Lay vs Lie

Legitimatize or Legiti-mate (for legitimize)

Less vs Fewer

A Light-Year is the same length of time as an Earth year.  Light year is a measure of distance, as is a parsec (viz: Star Wars "I made the Kessel run in only 8 parsecs)

Lighten-ing-Fast

Like vs As

Lit vs Lighted

"Love Ya," instead of "I Love You"
or "God Bless," as another "no risk" salutation,
instead of "God bless YOU."

Media is the plural, some use it as singular
as in "use this media."

Methodology, when meaning "method."
"Methodology" means "study of methods."

Miss-cheevie-ous

Moment in Time

Mo-mento

More Complete - A thing is either complete or it's not,
there are no degrees of completeness, such as
"partially complete."

Most or More Unique - Unique means "one of a kind"
so it's a binary state with no degrees.

Mysteriousness (for mystery)

New & Improved (can't be both)

"Newmonic" instead of mnemonic
No-brainer

Not Hardly

Nu-cu-lar (Pres Bush is the most recent mis-user)

Adding "-ology" to sound scientific, e.g. Propology, and switchology (which actually could exist as a subset of ergonomics).

The Original Crowd (Dr. Pepper commercial)

Pastored or pastoring

Per-cu-lating instead of percolating

Phenomena is the plural, some use it as singular.
What's next, "phenomenases?"

Physical meaning "fiscal"

PIN Number - PIN is "Personal ID Number"

"Plus" "ultra" or now, "X-" or Ex-" or "Extreme" 
When everything's "Ultra" or "Extreme," that becomes the new standard and nothing is "extreme."  These are Worthless words when used to imply improvements not present. Sort of like "new & improved" (can't be both!)

Pocketfuls (actually appeared in Newsweek!) Should be "pockets full."

Possessive for plural, such as use of " ' " for plural (e.g. sign's),

Power of Attorneys vs Powers of Attorney

Point in Time

Possessive as plural

Presently, meaning right now...
should be "at present." 
"Presently" really means "soon."

Principal when meaning principle, or vice-versa.

PSA Announcement

Pun-dint vs Pundit

RAM memory

He or it is The Real Deal

Rec-reate = having fun

Root cause - redundant

SAM missile

Same Difference

"Set" to mean "sit"

"Sheriff" when they mean "Deputy..." there's one sheriff, many deputies.

Singularly, to mean singly

"Situation" or "event," e.g. "a rain situation or "this war event"

"Special" person... everyone's special, one way or another!

Spoonfuls versus Spoonsful

Strateegery

The submersible ship submersed.

Subsiderary

Sum total

They "summited" the mountain

System... now everything's gotta be a system or "engineered." The latter
is especially funny, as it implies something is made
cheaper than it needs to be.

Tenet pronounced as "tenant"

Time period

The car attained too much excessive speed.  Is there a correct amount of excessive speed?

Two Thousand AND Two

Utilization or utilize vs use or use

VA Administration

Valuating vs Evaluating

VIN number

Visa-versa

Vortice as singular of vortices
should be "vortex"

To "watchdog" something

Way, shape or form

What-everrrr!

What-Have-You

Whoo-ing, instead of just applauding

Win-Win or lose-lose situation


************

Plural for possessive, as in Vons grocery and mens room.
Or, vice-versa: "Take down the sign's."

Made-up verbs, such as: to Dialog, to Partner, to Recreate (meaning have fun) to Journal, and to Bonus or to Medal someone, to "summit" a mountain


*************

Style or Fashion:

Music everywhere, esp. outdoors and too-loud in restaurants

Backwards Hats (except on welders & baseball catchers)

Sideways or 45 Degree Hats on anyone not a puppet or over age or IQ of 2

Pure-bred Animals, esp. if offspring bred to Parents

"Profession" Names: 
Archer, Brewer, Chandler, Fisher, Fletcher, Harper, Hunter, Mason, Parker, Piper, Porter, Sawyer, Tanner, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler

Official Cheer o' the Masses... Used to be "yay," then "Oww!" now it's "Whooo!" even for distinguished speakers during their speeches. 
Silence or polite applause was more respectful & appropriate.

*****************

Political Propaganda:

Fear o' the Week (e.g. Global Warming) and Boogeyman o' the Week... and always: "the Chillllldren!"

Diverrrrrsityyyy

The Clintons (except maybe Socks (tm), whom they gave away, or  Chelsea, whom they should)

"Prophylaxis," which is really mass killing, even genocide.

Media:

"That's Next..." really isn't...  commercials are really
"next"

Too-Loud and unceasing background music during shows and commercials... and in restaurants, even stores and restrooms for that matter.

Blasting Commercials, esp. with some high-voiced guy yelling - More points off if he starts by yelling "Listen Up!" Or "Hey San Diego" or whatever city you're in.

Habits or Trends:

E-Potatoes who won't write a real email or answer questions in yours to the. They only
re-forward forwarded email, esp. those from or about angels, stories of bad luck if one doesn't continue the stup forwarding, and very esp. they leave the entire address history of every poor schlub who's received the email up to this point.

Fears ruling one's life, e.g.:  Exiting the interstate prior to the exit nearest one's destination to be sure not to miss it, or 'cause of traffic "complexity." 

Leaf Blowers:
a) Make too much noise too early and for too long; 
b) Blow YOUR shit onto MY property or car.

Smoking & other "enslaving" habits

Wasting food, esp. by throwing it away on the "expiration date."

Playing the car radio to the exclusion of safety or in a way which over-excites one (road rage)

Displaced anger (unfairly targeting someone when the real basis of anger is elswhere)

Ending an argument prematurely by just leaving, to get the last word, weak as it might be.

Overuse of "God bless America" at end of speeches.

Women with a high TFI (Thigh Friction Index) - some approach 100%.

"Rough" music behind traffic reports & other insignificant events... to keep you excited about the unexciting.  All seem to have a "boom-chick, boom-chick" beat.

During a radio interview, a professor at Penn State used a lot of the "he be, she be, we be... " forms, as well as "they" for the possessive, as in "they houses" and "they jobs."  Feh! 

He only used correct English when imitating a white intellectual... in a derogatory way.  Of course, he was a guest on PBS radio!  I'll have to see what he teaches... OK, guess what.  He's "Michael Eric Dyson Professor of African American Studies" aka the "Hip-Hop Intellectual."  Talk about an oxymoron!

There's more from him at:  http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2005/05/02

Other gems I heard this week include "flustrated" and two funny ones:  "They are leap years ahead of the competition," and "Some people just can't fathom diving for a living." 

In the "leap years" vein, I still occasionally hear people say someone is "light years ahead" in terms of time, rather than of distance.  Last time I checked, a light year was a long distance, but it's still 365 days long.

What bugs YOU?