Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[Richard Barrett]

... or just an example of sarcastic anti semitism?

So... what on earth is that supposed to mean?

[teamsaint]

"What's not to like" has taken hold, I suggest, because it is a useful, succinct expression .

[jean]

I don't think it's clear that the phrase is Yiddish in origin, but even if it were, we it wouldn't necessarily be using it sarcastically, would we?

"What's not to like" has taken hold, I suggest, because it is a useful, succinct expression .

That's all the explanation you need.

[Richard Barrett]

"What's not to like" has taken hold, I suggest, because it is a useful, succinct expression .

Indeed it can be applied to itself!

[jean]

As I did in #3472!

[Richard Tarleton]

I think there are various ways of prolonging thinking time when in the throes of answering a direct question.

So is by no means the most irritating of these...

Ach so!

I think the reason I dislike "so" is that it has an air of "I'm about to give you the correct answer to your question" about it, where "well" or "um" might be taken to indicate more modestly that you need a moment to get your thoughts in order.

Here's a list of 13 Spanish "fillers", which is what "well" and "so" are - starting your remarks with pues or es que can give you an entirely spurious air of fluency

A new irritation - the increasing use of "naked" in relation to foodstuffs.

[Richard Barrett]

As I did in #3472!

Sorry to have missed that... I should stay away from this thread really, if I got involved there'd be no end to it, I'm capable of wasting far too much energy with my teeth set on edge by such things!

I think the reason I dislike "so" is that it has an air of "I'm about to give you the correct answer to your question" about it

That may of course just be in your own mind rather than in that of the so-sayer. I used to get very tired of hearing myself say "well" at the beginning of answers.

[gurnemanz]

I don't think it's clear that the phrase is Yiddish in origin, but even if it were, we it wouldn't necessarily be using it sarcastically, would we?

That's all the explanation you need.

I've never really thought about this before. The syntax of "What's not to like" seems to be not idiomatically English, which might typically prefer a passive infinitive in such a construction. "What is not to be liked?"

[Bryn]

"What's not to like?"
Why is everybody using that mode of expression these days?

Is it a question or an answer?

... or just an example of sarcastic anti semitism?

HS

One is reminded of the title chosen for Oswald Mosley's autobiography.

[french frank]

I don't think it's clear that the phrase is Yiddish in origin, but even if it were, we it wouldn't necessarily be using it sarcastically, would we?

That's all the explanation you need.

Yes, it saves a few words, like 'any time soon' for 'in the immediate (or forseeable) future'.

Probably one reason for disliking it is is that it doesn't sound like native grammar (which, apparently, it isn't anyway). Though my theory for (me) disliking it is that it often rather blandly questions why I dislike something which I dislike without convincing me that there is any reason (for me) to like it. In other words, it's the context rather than the idiom that irritates.

[jean]

...Probably one reason for disliking it is is that it doesn't sound like native grammar (which, apparently, it isn't anyway).

...The syntax of "What's not to like" seems to be not idiomatically English, which might typically prefer a passive infinitive in such a construction. "What is not to be liked?"

This is an interesting perception - but remember that in English the passive infinitive is, like the passive continuous, a fairly recent development.

From the discussion I linked to:

The expression may be simply an example (perhaps even a humorous borderline example) of a general pattern “What’s to [verb]?” (meaning “What can/should one [verb]?” or “What is to be [verb]ed?” or “What is there to [verb]?"). Such an “… ist zu ...” pattern is quite ordinary in German (and apparently in Yiddish, which for the purposes of this discussion is essentially German, I think). Rosten gives examples “What’s to lose?”, “What’s to forgive?”, “What’s to regret?” in _Hooray for Yiddish_: he writes the Yiddish as “Vos is tzu ...”.

But then the pattern has long existed in English too, although maybe it’s less prevalent than it once was. “Was ist zu thun?” as used by Goethe seems similar to Shakespeare’s “What’s to do?”, I think.

[Stanfordian]

"What's not to like" has taken hold, I suggest, because it is a useful, succinct expression .

TV presenter Alex Polizzi on her programme 'Spectacular Spain' has been using the expression like a catch phrase and many others have been quick to copy it.

But... 'What's not to like!'

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

"What's not to like?"
Why is everybody using that mode of expression these days?

What's up with it?

[ahinton]

TV presenter Alex Polizzi on her programme 'Spectacular Spain' has been using the expression like a catch phrase and many others have been quick to copy it.

But... 'What's not to like!'

Ms Polizzi herself, perhaps...

[french frank]

What's up with it?

Up with it we will not put!