Annoyances

I've never heard any Brits pronounce it like that except as a joke (usually a stereotypical representation of someone from the uneducated underclass). The usual pronunciation in my experience when that is done is more (DON QUICKS OAT).A few years ago I went to see some friends who had just bought a new house. It's a big house with a paddock at the back. I asked if they'd be getting a horse or something to keep the grass down and Tracy (with a dead straight face) replied "No, but I am thinking of getting a donkey. If I do I'm going to call him Oti." I was several beers the worse for wear at this point so I fell for it and said "Oti - what a strange name". Her reply was, of course:"Surely you've heard of Donkey Oti before?" ...and "skillet" is (SKILL et), not (skill-AY) after the English get through with it. Oh wait... Of course, any Englishman will tell you the correct pronunciation of "skillet" is "frying pan".

---

Oops! Wrong Planet

That's not English (or Brits) its just Spanish ignorant fools. A lot of English are in this boat I guess but I've never heard anyone pronounce in Don Quicks ut.What amuses me (rather than annoys me) is people who pronounce Byron's Don Juan as if it were the Spanish (Don H-won), as opposed to the correct pronounciation of Don Jew-on. We use both, depending on context. Don't ask me what that context is, its just whatever seems right at the time. For examplt Fillet o'fish is almost universally pronounced fill-AY unless one is mocking the northerners.As to the Aluminium, as far as I am aware Aluminum was the original name for it wasn't it? Oh wait, a websiteI'd respond with a post about my pet peeves, but it would take far far far too long. Just for fun though I'll do one, people that rearend somebody and refuse to accept that they were at fault no matter how patiently it is explained to them.

Modulous writes:

quote:

---

I'd respond with a post about my pet peeves, but it would take far far far too long. Just for fun though I'll do one, people that rearend somebody and refuse to accept that they were at fault no matter how patiently it is explained to them.

---

Then you will love this one.Three years ago I was rearended at a stop light; my subcompact car was utterly destroyed, sandwiched between the rearender and a large truck. My knee was badly torn, and my neck herniated in two spots: waking up strapped to a board as it slides into an ambulance is a novel sensation.Last year, my knee was surgically repaired; in two weeks I go to surgery for a two-level C-spine fusion with hardware caging--I've worked furiously at physical therapy with medications and traction for the past three years to avoid it, but no go.Her defense? At 19, never seriously ill in her life, with no history of fainting, and on no medications: "I passed out just before I hit you." Ah, her insurer declared, the emergency doctrine--we won't even pay for your car.No apology, of course. Whenever our paths cross during legal proceedings, she delivers the same self-righteous glare. When my attorney first asked me what I wanted, I said, "I want her 19 year old neck."This message has been edited by Omnivorous, 08-08-2005 09:53 PM

What the hell is the emergency doctrine?? My God! Any insurer in the UK would pay out for that, and then raise the hell out of the 19 year olds premiums since she is now a huge insurance risk.OK, I just looked up the emergency doctrine, whilst it has some sense and purpose, it still wouldn't hold water in your situation in the UK. She would still be held liable, no question.Gargh! I can't believe that shit was pulled on you, *shakes fists*you see??? You get me started on this, and....GARGH!! It's totally mad, how can anyone claim they aren't liable when....nyeeahI'm going to bed, everytime I get a glimpse at US financial law it drives me insane. *cue steam pouring out of ears*

I doubt you would ever be allowed to drive again in the UK.I know someone who passed out a few times in their teenage years (he's now 47) and the doctors could never find out why. As a result he was unable to get a Driving Licence. I don't know if he'd be able to now - he gave up trying many years ago.

---

Oops! Wrong Planet

Modulous:

quote:

---

Gargh! I can't believe that shit was pulled on you, *shakes fists*

---

The funny thing is that I thought my knee was only bruised; the neck injuries didn't exhibit clear symptoms for some weeks--it takes time for the corpus polposus (I think I got that right) to extrude from the intervertebral space far enough to impinge on the nerve roots and/or spinal cord.I've never been litigious, and if they had simply offered me a check for my car, I would have signed a release.We are due in court in November; we are confident the emergency doctrine defense will not be allowed. The young lady in question has been deposed by my attorney (who could perhaps falsify the notion that sharks cannot evolve into mammals, or vice versa), and she was caught out in multiple contradictions.No doubt I'll get a handsome settlement, my attorney will buy a new boat, and the young lady (who is still driving), will pay higher insurance premiums until she one day kills someone.Is this a great country or what?

I wholeheartedly and emphatically concur with your succinct summation of this particular phenomenon. It is exceptionally unfortunate when superfluous verbosity is incorporated into a person’s conversational and/or literary repertoire, for no discernible purpose other than the maintenance of a faade of intellectual credibility.In other words, I agree. It’s annoying when people use a lot of big words just to look smart! Not something I’ve dealt with myself, but my Dad once ended up in that situation. So he just refused to talk to anyone in India and demanded to be put through to someone in Australia. (sigh) I guess that is the sad truth. I wish they would at least refrain from calling during the time period when most people in the world tend to be cooking/eating dinner. Yeah, any kind of customer service job is a great way to see the dark side of human behaviour. I’ve spent a lot of time in such jobs, and I’d say one of the things I hate most are those people who have a (very undeserved) elitist attitude, and any rules, requirements or restrictions that everyone else must abide by, are somehow beneath them and should not apply to them. Often, it’s not from the people you’d expect. I used to be a security guard in a major library, and I recognised very senior executives from major companies, who I’d have thought would be quite arrogant, would actually come in very cooperative and happy to abide by the rules. Then some scruffy unemployed git would come in and kick up an angry fuss over some minor rule, as though it was cutting into their valuable time. Some people just need to get a life. Even worse are those who read and send text messages while driving. I personally wouldn’t have believed that anybody could be so outrageously stupid, but I read about an accident recently that was caused by exactly that! Well, I have to say in defenCe of Aussies, that we do pronounce Don Quixote in the right way. Oh, and that’s Aussie with a z sound, not s.But on to other mattersHeard an interesting new word on TV last night, dangerousness. That sounded a bit questionable to me, even though it was a documentary, and was used by medical and legal professionals. It certainly annoyed me.I was also reminded of another classic pet peeve when I was confronted with it this morning, and that is people who fart on crowded trains or buses. Those who do so in elevators should probably be included here too.

---

On the 7th day, God was arrested.

quote:

---

1. Anyone that talks on their cell phone while driving.

---

Illegal without a headset - 1000 fine plus points on license (12=no license).

quote:

---

2.People that do not use turn signals.

---

Driving without due care and attention - Fine plus points on license.

quote:

---

6. Ok, I have one more. It's the over use by the media of the word allegedly. It literally drives me up the friggen wall () when I hear some news anchor say something like..."Joe Blow was arrested today for allegedly molesting a small kitten, two puppies, and a gerbil". Bull shit! He was arrested because there was sufficient evidence to support the allegations. Whether or not he did it has yet to be determined. I once listened to an NPR story about a murder and in a 3 minute segment they used the word something like 23 times. It was awful. Someone is not arrested for allegedly committing a crimethey are arrested for committing the crime, and a trial ensues that will then determine their guilt or innocence.

​

Look, if John Doe is arrested for a murder and as a TV anchor I say Today, John Doe was arrested for the murder of Jane Doe, I have done nothing wrong. John Doe WAS arrested for the murdersorry Johnno slander there.

---

I know what you are say BUT under english law it would be libel not to use alleged.

Never encountered that either, it's always been DON key HO tee.How americans always say POO-SHOW for peugeot cracks me up.I can however forgive BI-CESTER (It's actually "BISS-TER").This message has been edited by Charles Knight, 09-Aug-2005 05:12 AMThis message has been edited by Charles Knight, 09-Aug-2005 05:17 AM

How do you pronounce "Worcester"?

How can you be sure it is Byron's Don Juan they are talking about rather than Tirso de Molina's or Moliere's?TTFN,WK

Actually there are times when the rearended are in fact at fault, and it is just as ridiculous when they deny their own culpability.I was in a car (I wasn't driving) that was moving along a rather important street during a heavy snow fall. Visibility was good enough, but the streets were extremely slick.Some lady pulled out of a parking lot onto the street ahead and then stopped, or nearly stopped, right in front of us. Of course we hit her.Her defense before everyone, including stunned and exasperated police was that our car had to be at fault because we rearended her. She could not have been expected to accelerate onto the street, and indeed should have been expected to stop once she entered the street because of the icy conditions.Cases like this also occur at sites where roads merge onto highways and people slowdown or stop, rather than accelerate into traffic. Sometimes the timid are as dangerous as the aggressive.

---

holmes
"...what a fool believes he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.."(D. Bros)

Query: Does this elitizing of vocabularization promulgate, mitigate, or instigate socio-professional advancement?

quote:

---

I’ve spent a lot of time in such jobs, and I’d say one of the things I hate most are those people who have a (very undeserved) elitist attitude, and any rules, requirements or restrictions that everyone else must abide by, are somehow beneath them and should not apply to them.

---

Oh yes, those are fun, always. The rules apply to everyone else, but not them. Lots of those in the US.I just thought of another pet peeve. The tendency for younger people to insert the word "like" every couple of words during conversation.Example: "She was, like, driving and talking to her boyfriend, and, like, got pulled over by a cop, and then she like, ran into a ditch!"

quote:

---

Illegal without a headset - 1000 fine plus points on license (12=no license).

---

FYI, it doesn't matter if people have a headset on or not. The research tends to show that talking on a phone while driving significantly takes one's attention off the road the same, regardless of how you do it (handheld phone or headset)