Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

**BBMmk2** · 16-10-19, 08:59

Any Americanising of the English language that has crept in.

**MrGongGong** · 16-10-19, 09:14

Originally posted by BBMmk2 View Post

Any Americanising of the English language that has crept in.

One has to be a bit careful about what "Americanisms" are really from there

Mother Tongue

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/567/56790/mother-tongue/9780141040080.html

'More than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to...' Only Bill Bryson could make a book about the English language so entertaining. With his boundless enthusiasm and restless eye for the absurd, this is his astonishing tour of English. From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation, Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use. Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.

The Top Ten: Americanisms that were originally English

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-top-ten-americanisms-that-were-originally-english-10163856.html

**BBMmk2** · 16-10-19, 09:34

Originally posted by MrGongGong View Post

One has to be a bit careful about what "Americanisms" are really from there

Mother Tongue

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/567/56790/mother-tongue/9780141040080.html

'More than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to...' Only Bill Bryson could make a book about the English language so entertaining. With his boundless enthusiasm and restless eye for the absurd, this is his astonishing tour of English. From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation, Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use. Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-10163856.html

How people say schedule. It’s pronounced with a soft sch, as opposed to the sk, harder sounding version that the Americans say. Also private or privacy.

**LezLee** · 16-10-19, 10:12

On last night's ITV 'News at Ten', the dreaded 'One pence'. Aarrgghh!

**kernelbogey** · 16-10-19, 10:39

Originally posted by LezLee View Post

On last night's ITV 'News at Ten', the dreaded 'One pence'. Aarrgghh!

Surely, the Vice President - no?

**zola** · 20-10-19, 15:14

Join me( insert name of any Radio 3 presenter ) for my

**oddoneout** · 20-10-19, 15:35

Originally posted by LezLee View Post

On last night's ITV 'News at Ten', the dreaded 'One pence'. Aarrgghh!

That's been around almost as long as the decimal currency which started it. Not heard so much now as singular pence are not much used or referred to.

**LMcD** · 23-10-19, 06:57

Originally posted by oddoneout View Post

That's been around almost as long as the decimal currency which started it. Not heard so much now as singular pence are not much used or referred to.

'Doubling down' and 'channelling', which I suspect are often trotted out because the speaker wants to be seen as au fait with whatever's au courant.

**MrGongGong** · 23-10-19, 07:08

Originally posted by LezLee View Post

On last night's ITV 'News at Ten', the dreaded 'One pence'. Aarrgghh!

What's wrong with it?

**vinteuil** · 23-10-19, 07:12

Originally posted by MrGongGong View Post

What's wrong with it?

.... I think LezLee wd prefer 'one penny', with 'pence' kept as a plural.

Personally I think we shd abolish all pennies and pence. And Pence.

.

**MrGongGong** · 23-10-19, 07:20

Originally posted by vinteuil View Post

.... I think LezLee wd prefer 'one penny', with 'pence' kept as a plural.

Personally I think we shd abolish all pennies and pence. And Pence.

.

**Bryn** · 23-10-19, 07:23

Originally posted by vinteuil View Post

.... I think LezLee wd prefer 'one penny', with 'pence' kept as a plural.

Personally I think we shd abolish all pennies and pence. And Pence.

I consider that to be right out of order.

**LMcD** · 23-10-19, 07:25

The Royal Mint's list of coins in circulation refers to 'fifty pence' and so on down to 'two pence', but 'one penny'. And who has ever heard, or played, a 'pence whistle' or 'pence serenade'?

**vinteuil** · 23-10-19, 07:43

.

... odd that it was tuppence (tuppence for your thoughts) but thrupenny (thrupenny bit)

.

**Oakapple** · 23-10-19, 08:36

Originally posted by vinteuil View Post

... odd that it was tuppence (tuppence for your thoughts) but thrupenny (thrupenny bit)

I suspect it's a regional thing. We said thruppence at school if that was the cost of something but our teachers told us to say threppence instead, for some reason.

Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

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