American English Words I Hate

[saxitoxin]

While the Americans may have bastardized a few English words, they've totally destroyed the French words they've taken for themselves. For example: foyer.

I think foy-yar is a southern peculiarity specific to the Florida panhandle and gulf coast - certainly anyone with the aristocratic drawl of an upper Georgian - Savannah and the like - accent would fall over themselves to pronounce French with affective flourish.

I've also never heard anyone in California pronounce foyer as anything other than foy-yay.

That said, realizing that 90% of Britons who have been to the U.S. have never been outside of New York City, Miami and the greater Orlando area, many of these stereotypes framed by the worldliness a white-as-paper Briton declares he's earned after spending 4 days in an amusement park often seem to be a source of humour for Americans here on the coast. Like if I went to the Tower of London and came back to announce "the British wear elaborate, crimson costumes, live in gigantic stone fortresses and keep ravens as pets."

[40kguy]

Depot, its spelled wrong!

[saxitoxin]

P.S. - word on the street is nietzsche doesn't like Britons pronouncing fajita as fa-JEE-ta.

It's:

I'd like guacamole on my fa-hee-ta.

NOT

Oi, mate, just saw a pair o' pregnant 12 year olds havin' a knife fight over a fa-jee-ta outside the council estates!

[oVo]

People who say "tuh" for the word "to" as popularized by George Bush
drives me nuts... about as much as laugh tracks on television used
to announce that a joke has occurred.

to pronounced tew or too.

[JoshyBoy]

P.S. - word on the street is nietzsche doesn't like Britons pronouncing fajita as fa-JEE-ta.

It's:

I'd like guacamole on my fa-hee-ta.

NOT

Oi, mate, just saw a pair o' pregnant 12 year olds havin' a knife fight over a fa-jee-ta outside the council estates!

I live in Britain, and I've never heard anyone seriously call it a "fa-jee-ta". The only time we do is when we are taking the piss/joking around. Lighten up, you weirdo (this is aimed at whoever needs it aimed at them).

[saxitoxin]

P.S. - word on the street is nietzsche doesn't like Britons pronouncing fajita as fa-JEE-ta.

It's:

I'd like guacamole on my fa-hee-ta.

NOT

Oi, mate, just saw a pair o' pregnant 12 year olds havin' a knife fight over a fa-jee-ta outside the council estates!

I live in Britain, and I've never heard anyone seriously call it a "fa-jee-ta". The only time we do is when we are taking the piss/joking around. Lighten up, you weirdo (this is aimed at whoever needs it aimed at them).

Right. Next you're going to claim you've never seen a pair of pregnant 12 year olds have a switchblade fight over a half-empty bottle of Strongbow.

[shieldgenerator7]

canada's cool.
happy PR day...

fajita is obviously "fa-hee-ta" to anyone who knows spanish... since I took spanish I pronouce Mexico "May-hee-ko" instead of the American "Mecks-i-ko"

[daddy1gringo]

Am elderly lady I know was going to visit her daughter and family in California. She told me they lived in San Jose and pronounced it {joe-ZAY}. I corrected her and told her that in that case you pronounce the "J" as an "H". Then I asked her when she was going to be there. She thought for a second, and then said, "In Hyune and Hyuly."

[john9blue]

People who say "tuh" for the word "to" as popularized by George Bush
drives me nuts... about as much as laugh tracks on television used
to announce that a joke has occurred.

to pronounced tew or too.

you mean like pronouncing the phrase "got to" as "gotta" or "got tuh"?

you're blaming bush for that? why am i not surprised?

[JoshyBoy]

Right. Next you're going to claim you've never seen a pair of pregnant 12 year olds have a switchblade fight over a half-empty bottle of Strongbow.

Pfffft, that's soooo last century! Also, it wouldn't be fucking Strongbow. Buckie, White Lightnin, Lambrini (£2.89 for a fucking litre?!?!?!?) etc. but not Strongbow.

Haha, on another note, "switchblade"! Haha! Showing your age, no?

"Switchblades" were the in thing in like the 80's or something. See this video for an example. Skip to 3:30 for the action.

[Symmetry]

Like if I went to the Tower of London and came back to announce "the British wear elaborate, crimson costumes, live in gigantic stone fortresses and keep ravens as pets."

But we do. Not all of us, but an important minority.

Mainly the wizards.







Like the Queen.

[JoshyBoy]

But we do. Not all of us, but an important minority.

Mainly the wizards.







Like the Queen.

Ummm... hang on... The Queen is a wizard? Surely she would be a witch?

Not that I'm doubting you, I've seen her use her magic powers. It was about 10 or 11 years ago, and she was sitting having afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace, and she made a car crash in a tunnel in France.

Fancy that.

[PLAYER57832]

Now this will be blatant trolling to some, whilst others will take it with a sense of irony.

But two words really stand out:

Deplaning
Winningest

Deplaning bothers me because it just means disembarking, but from a plane.

Winningest annoys me because it's really ugly, and I can't find an easy replacement. "Most successful" almost, but doesn't quite fit.

Normalcy comes close to be annoying, but I've learned to live with it. Normality is the equivalent in English.

uh.. try winner.
or, if you have to "greatest winner".

[BoganGod]

Fanny.

To english speakers fanny means a woman's genitals. To american's and speakers of american english, it means their ample rear ends.

Imagine the confusion when american tourists say "I've lost my fanny pack" first time I heard a seppo(aussie for american) say that, was very perplexed.

Thongs

Are worn on your feet. They are not underwear.

[Army of GOD]

Fanny.

To english speakers fanny means a woman's genitals. To american's and speakers of american english, it means their ample rear ends.

Imagine the confusion when american tourists say "I've lost my fanny pack" first time I heard a seppo(aussie for american) say that, was very perplexed.

Thongs

Are worn on your feet. They are not underwear.

In the States if you say fanny (when not referring to a fanny pack) then you're a pussy bitch who'll be made fun of. Also, if you wear a fanny pack you'll be made fun of as well. No mercy...we continued to make fun of this kid after we found out he really wore a fanny pack because it held his diabetes medicine. Yes, if there was a hell, we would have first class tickets.

[JoshyBoy]

Fanny.

To english speakers fanny means a woman's genitals. To american's and speakers of american english, it means their ample rear ends.

Imagine the confusion when american tourists say "I've lost my fanny pack" first time I heard a seppo(aussie for american) say that, was very perplexed.

Thongs

Are worn on your feet. They are not underwear.

Dear Mr. God,

As much as I agree with you and chortle heartily at the first part of your response, I must inform you that I believe that you should go and fornicate yourself in regards to "thongs". Thongs are a type of underwear. As much as I love you and the Kiwi nation, you are in the minority.

Regards,

[saxitoxin]

Imagine the confusion when american tourists say "I've lost my fanny pack" first time I heard a seppo(aussie for american) say that, was very perplexed.

The first time I heard an ocker say "fanny" I thought he was referring to one of these:



Like this:
"My sister's pom mate is quiter the fannyr. He don'tr ender all his wordsr withr an R liker us regular ockers and onlyr has 3 cars on cinder blocksr in his frontr garden. Don'tr thinkr I'll inviter himr to sis and my wedding."

Right. Next you're going to claim you've never seen a pair of pregnant 12 year olds have a switchblade fight over a half-empty bottle of Strongbow.

Pfffft, that's soooo last century! Also, it wouldn't be fucking Strongbow. Buckie, White Lightnin, Lambrini (£2.89 for a fucking litre?!?!?!?) etc. but not Strongbow.

Haha, on another note, "switchblade"! Haha! Showing your age, no?

"Switchblades" were the in thing in like the 80's or something. See this video for an example. Skip to 3:30 for the action.

Ol' Saxi will defer to your apparent expertise on matters of knife-wielding, preggo, 12 year old alcoholics.

Also, if you wear a fanny pack you'll be made fun of as well.

EXCUSE ME, ol' Saxi wears a "fanny pack" when I'm sauntering about down by El Capitan Beach. I like to wear short-shorts - because they make me feel confident about myself - and there's no room to keep my wallet if I don't wear a "fanny pack." A lot of seniors like myself wear fanny packs as we can keep all sorts of knick-knacks in there, my wallet if I want to pop over for lunch at the Crab Shack, a bottle of RU-486 in case I get lucky, extra magazines for my Cz-75 in case I run into Snakes McGraw (or in case I run out of RU-486), and a monogrammed stainless steel flask I got from JC Penney in which I keep Peach Schnapps.

[JoshyBoy]

Ol' Saxi will defer to your apparent expertise on matters of knife-wielding, preggo, 12 year old alcoholics.

Haha, I think that's both a compliment and an insult in one sentence. Umm, thanks Saxi?

[Symmetry]

I was reminded of one other one today- "healthful" instead of healthy. It just sounds inelegant. Probably another case of just what I'm used to, but it's a word that seems to have come up a lot recently, so I'm not entirely sure how new or old it is.

[Edit] First use 14th century, so pretty old, but I wonder when it came into popular use.

[Army of GOD]

Snakes McGraw (or in case I run out of RU-486)

I thought Snakes McGraw died.

Unless...he's a fucking zombie...

[saxitoxin]

Snakes McGraw (or in case I run out of RU-486)

I thought Snakes McGraw died.

Unless...he's a fucking zombie...

UM, why else would I carry a handgun to protect myself from Snakes McGraw, genius? I'm sorry we don't all have the forearm strength to swing a machete or a bat, jocko. "Oh look everyone, I'm Army of God! I can score more touchdowns in basketball than anyone else!"

[Dibbun]

British words have too many superfluous "u"s, such as honour and colour. And what the hell is aluminium? It's aluminum, people.

Normalcy sounds stupid, and it was coined by a terrible president. The correct word is normality. I also dislike tarmac, as it's a word that means nothing different than runway, and therefore should not exist.

I also hate the word blog, because I do not now, have not ever, nor shall ever give a rat's ass about any blog ever written.

I hate ginger (in the connotation of referring to a redheaded person) because I consider it derogatory.

[oVo]

People who say "tuh" for the word "to" as popularized by George Bush
drives me nuts... about as much as laugh tracks on television used
to announce that a joke has occurred.

to pronounced tew or too.

you mean like pronouncing the phrase "got to" as "gotta" or "got tuh"?

you're blaming bush for that? why am i not surprised?

It's origins might be a run over from the slang "gotta" but in GWB's public speeches
the "tuh" for "to" was in constant use. Possibly to make him "seem" like a typical
citizen and more of a commoner than his silver spoon upbringing suggests.

Success breeds repetition in political speaking, much like Clinton making a fist
with his thumb up to emphasize a point. Bush's tuh has proven to be
equally contagious.