Funniest snake oil theories

[jacco vermeulen]

Chicane is a word I used yesterday that I thought was well known.

I believe the word is spelled with two c's : chic-cane

(but I could be mistaken, my head is a bit curvy at times)

 

[billshurv]

When someone uses "revert" to mean, or in place of, "reply" they are not implying anything. They are using a word incorrectly, but they are not implying the correct word, they are simply using the wrong word as a synonym, which is not at all the same thing.

A standard line in emails from my off-shore colleagues is 'Any questions, please revert back to me'. But there are 1bn of them so they have numbers on their side 🙂. Maybe in 50 years that will be standard meaning for 'revert' and English will continue to mutate and change to meet the needs it's users 🙂

 

[FrankWW]

You see the same in political discourse - simple, mono-syllabic words, reducing problems and solutions to simplistic tweet-size statements. That's the way to reach most voters. Of course, the disillusionment comes afterwards when people wonder why these simple, easy to solve issues still aren't solved ;-)

Jan

It's an art form, Jan. Just for you from an expert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLak2IzIv7U

 

[billshurv]

I believe the word is spelled with two c's : chic-cane

(but I could be mistaken, my head is a bit curvy at times)

Only if that's an option in the dungeon 😛

 

[jacco vermeulen]

In/to my recollection, the contract did not mention optional.

(not intended as criticism and/or provocation, just thought it amusing to mention that several of the previous dozen and a half posts contain examples of incorrect/imprecise use of the English language)

 

[Speedskater]

My pet beef is the increasing use of 'there' to also infer 'their' and 'they're'. .......

My grandson is currently studying these homophones. He's in 3rd grade!

 

[nezbleu]

I did that to flush out the pedants 🙂

Dang! It worked.

 

[nezbleu]

A standard line in emails from my off-shore colleagues is 'Any questions, please revert back to me'. But there are 1bn of them so they have numbers on their side 🙂. Maybe in 50 years that will be standard meaning for 'revert' and English will continue to mutate and change to meet the needs it's users 🙂

I particularly like emails that say "Please make the requested changes and revert when done."

 

[mach1]

Originally posted by Nezbleu
When someone uses "revert" to mean, or in place of, "reply" they are not implying anything

Not necessarily, I am often guilty of deliberately using an incorrect word or expression to imply another word's meaning. It's called humour.

 

[mach1]

Originally posted by Pano
Chicane is a word I used yesterday that I thought was well known.

When use in an automotive sense I would have assumed the same.

 

[Michael Bean]

OK, as long as we're on this rambling diatribe, another one that bugs me is hearing someone say "Can I ax you a question?" I don't want to be axed!

Mike

 

[mach1]

Looks like a new hirsute me is finally within reach....

2 Bottle Tala Snake OIL 20 CC 100 Naturel Growing Hair Permanent Solution FOR | eBay

 

[jan.didden]

For you, Jan. I enjoyed the conclusion of this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/magazine/14FOB-onlanguage-t.html

I smiled when I read:

... for the “benefit and help of ladies, gentlewomen or any other unskillful persons.”

No way you could get away with that now!

Jan

 

[jan.didden]

It's an art form, Jan. Just for you from an expert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLak2IzIv7U

Great talk! BTW Boris is a man to watch - could be next UK PM.

Jan

 

[billshurv]

Great talk! BTW Boris is a man to watch - could be next UK PM.

Jan

He certainly thinks he will be!

 

[jacco vermeulen]

Adolf Johnson ? Wouldn't be the first time for him to change name.

(maybe Boris' true love lies with Adam Sutler, not Winston Churchill)

 

[SY]

I am reminded of a friend who attended a back yard get together. There was a barbecue, and as she was getting herself a hot dog some guy at the condiment table asked "Where's the mustard at?". Sue replied "It's in front of the preposition."

Oldie:

"Two freshmen girls are moving into their dorm room together. One of them's from Georgia, one of them's from Connecticut. The girl from Connecticut's helping her mother put up curtains. Girl from Georgia turns to them and says, "Hi. Where y'all from?" Girl from Connecticut says, "We're from a place where we know not to end a sentence with a preposition." The girl from Georgia says, "Oh, beg my pardon. Where y'all from...c**t?"

 

[billshurv]

Metronome CD8 S integrated CD player Measurements | Stereophile.com

A $10k CD player. Highly recommended even though it takes 90 minutes to work properly!

Measurements prompted John Atkinson to say

Nevertheless, its measured performance suggests that the Metronome player is sub-optimally engineered

 

[jan.didden]

JA is OK.

 

[billshurv]

I personally like JA. He has a hard road to tread as he can't admit half his writers are cloth-eared nits. But he does seem to be getting more honest when something doesn't measure well!