What word isn’t included in your own vocabulary?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around words that participants dislike or refuse to use, exploring personal feelings and cultural implications surrounding specific terms. The scope includes informal expressions, language usage, and personal anecdotes related to vocabulary preferences.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a strong aversion to the word "coincidence," suggesting a belief in underlying reasons for events.
  • Others share similar sentiments about "coincidence," indicating a shared dislike.
  • One participant dislikes the word "word" itself, stating a long-standing aversion.
  • A participant refuses to use the English term "courgette," preferring foreign language alternatives without providing a reason.
  • Another participant expresses a dislike for the word "is," suggesting a philosophical stance on existence.
  • Multiple participants criticize the use of "like" in casual speech, describing it as annoying and contagious.
  • Some participants note the increasing acceptance of the word "suck" in various contexts, discussing its evolving connotations.
  • A participant recounts a personal rule against using "can't," emphasizing a positive mindset in challenging situations.
  • Concerns are raised about the misuse of "literally" and "ultimate" among younger speakers, highlighting a perceived decline in language precision.
  • One participant humorously mentions a word they cannot use because it is not in their vocabulary.
  • A participant expresses frustration with the word "free" in marketing contexts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share personal dislikes for specific words, but there is no consensus on the reasons behind these aversions or the implications of language use. Multiple competing views remain regarding the appropriateness and impact of certain words.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reflect personal experiences and cultural observations, which may not be universally applicable. The conversation includes subjective interpretations of language that depend on individual perspectives.

drizzle
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and by that I mean the word you don’t believe in or hate to accept it





For me, it’ll be [coincidence]

I believe there is a reason behind everything:rolleyes:


What about you?!
 
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What a coincidence! That's mine, too! :-p
 
turbo-1 said:
What a coincidence! That's mine, too! :-p

nice one turbo-1:biggrin:
 
I don't like the word word.I never have liked the word word and I never will like the word word.I quite like it though.
 
drizzle said:
For me, it’ll be [coincidence]

I believe there is a reason behind everything:rolleyes:

You say you believe there's a reason behind everything, yet you fail to provide the reason you hate the word, "coincidence"?

What's up with that? Why keep us in suspense?


For me, it's "courgette". I absolutely refuse to use the English word for that vegetable. I'll often refer to it in some foreign language, but never in English.

I don't believe there's a reason behind everything, so I won't elaborate on why I hate "courgette".
 
I don't believe in "is". No matter how quickly I try to think about or look at something, it always was.

When I was in college, for reasons that I'm sure no one here could understand, including me, Tsu banned use of the words "derivative" and "integral" while she was in the room. She pointed out the other day that in light of recent economic events, she hates the word "derivative" more than ever.
 
Using the word 'like' in the wrong like context, like a, like, idiot. Its contageous. Anyone around you saying it causes you to start saying it without realizing it. AUGHHH it's so bad. If you are guilty of this, you suck in life.
 
Yes, there's a word that drives me absolutely bananas every time I hear it or see it. It's ..., well for sanity's sake, I hesitate to say.
 
jimmysnyder said:
Yes, there's a word that drives me absolutely bananas every time I hear it or see it. It's ..., well for sanity's sake, I hesitate to say.
Ya don't say!
 
  • #10
Cyrus said:
Using the word 'like' in the wrong like context, like a, like, idiot. Its contageous. Anyone around you saying it causes you to start saying it without realizing it. AUGHHH it's so bad. If you are guilty of this, you suck in life.

It's interesting that "you know" and "like" are in some circumstances replacements for "um" or "uh". More-or-less filler words to say while you're trying to figure out what word to say next. "Like" has its own slang meaning, attempting to convey someone's actions-- for instance "He was like 'OMG!'". I suppose that's actually a specific conjugation of "to be like"-- "she'll be like 'No way!'", "They're like 'That's too small!'", etc. That's obviously distinctly different (though possibly equally annoying) than interspersing "like" throughout your speech, which is often done with "y'know" or "uhhhh", and can be quite distracting if overused.

One that used to surprise me is the increased and accepted use of "suck". "He can suck it", "this sucks", etc. I always assume that the connotation initiated with the idea of sucking in one's gut ("suck it up", for instance), which is all fine and good. But the "low-brow" connotation is of course oral sex, which I used to be surprised to see going mainstream. I personally wonder if the more "proper" use somehow softened the blow (ha-ha) and paved the way for the baser use of "suck". I've since gotten used to it, but it used to surprise me to see people use that in a more formal environment-- I always thought it akin to swearing, but it's made its way into common use along with things like slang for one's posterior, or a female dog (the auto-moderator won't let me type those, I guess).

DaveE
 
  • #11
davee123 said:
One that used to surprise me is the increased and accepted use of "suck". "He can suck it", "this sucks", etc. I always assume that the connotation initiated with the idea of sucking in one's gut ("suck it up", for instance), which is all fine and good. But the "low-brow" connotation is of course oral sex, which I used to be surprised to see going mainstream. I personally wonder if the more "proper" use somehow softened the blow (ha-ha) and paved the way for the baser use of "suck". I've since gotten used to it, but it used to surprise me to see people use that in a more formal environment-- I always thought it akin to swearing, but it's made its way into common use along with things like slang for one's posterior, or a female dog (the auto-moderator won't let me type those, I guess).

DaveE

I thought "suck" had something to do with vacuum cleaners.

If something sucks, it's kind of downheartening or lame. Example: I'm on call this weekend (they almost never call, but you still have to worry about it).

That's worse than "sucking noodles", which, while not great, is at least humorous. Example: I only had one hand free to unlock and open the door and now I've managed to lock the keys inside the door (fortunately, I can get a spare key at the desk, but this is going to be embarrassing to explain).

It's not as bad as "blows". I hate it when you hook the hose to the wrong outlet and wind up blowing dirt all over the carpet. But, then again, you were going to vacuum anyway.

It's not nearly as bad as "sucks and blows". Talk about a major waste of time. By time you're done, you have to dust as well.
 
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  • #12
I learned way back in high school not to use the word can't. It was a rule in the martial arts school that I attended for many years. If you used that word in any way, you were thrown immediately by a higher-rank student. Pretty good motivation not to use it!

The purpose behind the prohibition was to help keep you from thinking in a negative way about difficult tasks. Instead of saying "I can't...", you should instead be thinking "It's hard, but I know I can do it if I apply myself correctly..."

It really made a big difference in my life, I have to say. I tried passing the lesson on to my kids, thinking it could help them in life as well. But the ex-wife just told them, "Don't worry, can't is just a word. Go ahead and use it."
 
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  • #13
Ivan Seeking said:
I don't believe in "is". No matter how quickly I try to think about or look at something, it always was.

I suppose you hate to live the moment!:-p
 
  • #14
Cyrus said:
Using the word 'like' in the wrong like context, like a, like, idiot. Its contageous. Anyone around you saying it causes you to start saying it without realizing it. AUGHHH it's so bad. If you are guilty of this, you suck in life.

I like to use it a lot:wink:, just like here:rolleyes:, and almost like any time:biggrin:
 
  • #15
Apparently

I know people who say apparently before any statement. Apparently they think they can't say something without saying apparently. Apparently, it just sounds stupid.
 
  • #16
Do or do not, there is no try.
 
  • #17
Very few people use the word "literally" correctly - especially teens. "The game was a blow-out. We literally killed them." Yeah, right.
 
  • #18
BobG said:
You say you believe there's a reason behind everything, yet you fail to provide the reason you hate the word, "coincidence"?

What's up with that? Why keep us in suspense?

that’s clever, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you [in person] come up with this !


kind of a philosophy
 
  • #19
Well, there's that one word, but it's not in my vocabulary, so I can't use it. :-p
 
  • #20
Free.
As in buy two and get one free.

Grrrr.
 
  • #21
turbo-1 said:
Very few people use the word "literally" correctly - especially teens. "The game was a blow-out. We literally killed them." Yeah, right.
They don't get ultimate right either. "That was the ultimate dinner, Mom."
 
  • #22
jimmysnyder said:
They don't get ultimate right either. "That was the ultimate dinner, Mom."
Listeria or Botulism?Puts the "last supper" in a new light.
 
  • #23
turbo-1 said:
Puts the "last supper" in a new light.
Like this does (or was it the penultimate one?) ->
 
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  • #24
lisab said:
Do or do not, there is no try.

Ugh. Were no longer friends for posting this cliche quote. Double ughhhhhhhhhhh. It's just that bad. Triple ughhhhhh...uGHHHH!
 
  • #25
Cyrus said:
Ugh. Were no longer friends for posting this cliche quote. Double ughhhhhhhhhhh. It's just that bad. Triple ughhhhhh...uGHHHH!

:smile:

It's my favorite cliche in the world, hahahhahahah!

...and what a perfect thread to use it in...
 
  • #26
My pet annoyance is people who get lend and borrow mixed up.
 
  • #27
xxChrisxx said:
My pet annoyance is people who get lend and borrow mixed up.

Wish my mortgage company had that problem.
 
  • #28
turbo-1 said:
Very few people use the word "literally" correctly - especially teens. "The game was a blow-out. We literally killed them." Yeah, right.

That misuse has been going on since I was a child. I remember learning the definition of the word "literally" from context as "figuratively". :smile:
 
  • #29
lisab said:
:smile:

It's my favorite cliche in the world, hahahhahahah!

...and what a perfect thread to use it in...


You, Yoda, and me. May the force be with you.
 
  • #30
xxChrisxx said:
My pet annoyance is people who get lend and borrow mixed up.

Or "borrow" versus "give"...
 

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