Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[antongould]

I noticed when listening to a recent Sunday Breakfast that Martin Handley said ‘cen-tenn-ary’ - is this not an Americanism, or have I been pronouncing ‘cen-teen-ary’ wrong all these years?

If you listen to Mrs Alker you will get the correct pronunciation Rumpole ………

[gurnemanz]

Today's programme changes on Channel 5 are being explained by a power outage. What on earth was wrong with "power cut"? - it's much shorter, doesn't take away valuable time. How long before our entire language becomes Americanised?

I sympathise and don't use outage myself, (maybe getting towards my dotage) but I am also happy to accept oddoneout's points (oddoneoutage?). I think it might be the hybrid combination of the Anglo-Saxon 'out' and the French suffix -age that offends somewhat. However, there are other such hybrids which don't seem to offend - footage, breakage etc

Maybe scope for more: 'cabbage', a group of taxis? 'fromage', a person's origins? 'farage' being at distance? Enough of this verbiage .....

[Serial_Apologist]

I sympathise and don't use outage myself, (maybe getting towards my dotage) but I am also happy to accept oddoneout's points (oddoneoutage?). I think it might be the hybrid combination of the Anglo-Saxon 'out' and the French suffix -age that offends somewhat. However, there are other such hybrids which don't seem to offend - footage, breakage etc

Maybe scope for more: 'cabbage', a group of taxis? 'fromage', a person's origins? 'farage' being at distance? Enough of this verbiage .....

Thing is - speaking in my dowage - footage and breakage aren't replacements for other words, are they?? Outage is.

[kernelbogey]

Outage is common parlance in the chemical industry, for when a plant stops running - and therfore there is no more output...

[cloughie]

Is an Armitage an anthology of his poetry?
If so what is an Armitage Shanks?

[gradus]

Is an Armitage an anthology of his poetry?
If so what is an Armitage Shanks?

A term used in Sewerage.

[kernelbogey]

A local estate agent's boards indicating the sale of a property now say 'I'm taken'.

[Bryn]

A local estate agent's boards indicating the sale of a property now say 'I'm taken'.

Where to?

[Pulcinella]

Where to?

The cleaner's (by the estate agent's fees), perhaps?

[french frank]

"Eclectic mix" = varied selection. I won't specify where I've just read it (too predictable - of me carping and the source of which I carp )

[Serial_Apologist]

A local estate agent's boards indicating the sale of a property now say 'I'm taken'.

I'm rather taken by that. Or very taken, in cool contemporary speak.

[Serial_Apologist]

"Eclectic mix" = varied selection. I won't specify where I've just read it (too predictable - of me carping and the source of which I carp )

Radio Times, I shouldn't mind betting!

[kernelbogey]

"Eclectic mix"

Doubtless immersive, too.

[Serial_Apologist]

MANSPLAINING

A term I only came across recently in connection with Tess and Rishi's first televised discussion for the Tory leadership. It was explained next day as describing the way some men try to dominate women in arguments by interrupting and talking over them, and as thus is a term I find sexist given that women are equally prone to this selfsame strategy for dealing with disagreement, as was clearly evidenced on this morning's Jeremy Vine on CH5, in which all participants - the presenter and three panellists - were women.

[ahinton]

MANSPLAINING

A term I only came across recently in connection with Tess and Rishi's first televised discussion for the Tory leadership. It was explained next day as describing the way some men try to dominate women in arguments by interrupting and talking over them, and as thus is a term I find sexist given that women are equally prone to this selfsame strategy for dealing with disagreement, as was clearly evidenced on this morning's Jeremy Vine on CH5, in which all participants - the presenter and three panellists - were women.

It's a silly term whose only realistic definition is of a male carpenter at work...