Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[french frank]

I do not like the expression "passive aggressiveness", meaning keeping schtum rather than lashing out, verbally or otherwise. What is wrong with walking away to prevent worse? Is not space and time for cooling off preferable to escalation with no end in view? It is what wife-beaters were once advised to do in family counselling, but then "passive aggression" was made a label for cowardice. To me this amounts to emotional blackmail and even a come-on - I wear my passive-aggressive badge with pride.

I don't like it because I keep having to look it up to check what it means. I suppose I don't really understand it and that makes it hard to remember.

[smittims]

I didn't think 'passive-aggressive ' meant that. I thought it meant hurting someone mentally or psychologically by appearing to be innocent while scheming behind their back. An example is Mia Farrow's character in Woody Allen's film 'Husbands and Wives'.

[gradus]

On Peston last night a conversation with someone in the Houses of Parliament was shown on screen as taking place at 'Westminister'.
Often heard when I was growing up in London, I wondered if it is becoming common usage, a bit like 'haitch'.

[Sir Velo]

I wondered if it is becoming common usage, a bit like 'haitch'.

And "train station"

[Roger Webb]

.... I wondered if it is becoming common usage, a bit like 'haitch'.

Haitch seems to be spreading like a sore, my personal bête noire is the increasingly common use of 'around' when the user means 'about'. 'around' and 'about' may have a common usage, ie. 'I wrapped my coat about/around my shoulders' or 'I'll meet you about/around 1 o'clock' but used in place of 'concerning the matter of' it can surely only be 'about it' But we increasingly hear 'The rules around Covid' or 'problems around immigration'. Try this one on people 'This book is around Charles Dickens', they'll look at you a bit strangely, but it's the same mistake as the previous two!

[Pulcinella]

And "train station"

I know we've had this before, but I don't see the problem.
The type of station represents the mode of transport, surely, not what it travels on.

Bus station, where buses go/stop.
Train station, where trains go/stop.

The railway (if that's what you'd prefer) goes through the station (or might terminate there).
The train station is a station along the railway at which the trains stop/terminate.
The bus station is a station (as part of the town or city's road network) where buses stop/terminate.
We'd never call it a road/street station would we?

[Sir Velo]

Haitch seems to be spreading like a sore, .

You have to ask whether English is still being taught at schools. I increasingly hear "everythink" and "anythink" ,as acceptable pronunciation even among professionals. We have a young placement student working with us who quite proudly boasted to me that he has yet to write an essay after 2 years at university!

[Pulcinella]

You have to ask whether English is still being taught at schools. I increasingly hear "everythink" and "anythink" ,as acceptable pronunciation even among professionals. We have a young placement student working with us who quite proudly boasted to me that he has yet to write an essay after 2 years at university!

If he had written that it would probably be:

Boasting proudly, he told me that....

Fronted adverbials is what it's all about these days, innit?

[Sir Velo]

I know we've had this before, but I don't see the problem.
The type of station represents the mode of transport, surely, not what it travels on.

Bus station, where buses go/stop.
Train station, where trains go/stop.

The railway (if that's what you'd prefer) goes through the station (or might terminate there).
The train station is a station along the railway at which the trains stop/terminate.
The bus station is a station (as part of the town or city's road network) where buses stop/terminate.
We'd never call it a road/street station would we?

It goes back to the days when we travelled by rail. You purchase a railcard, not a train card.

Do we say "I'm going to the plane port to catch a flight" or the "boat port" to board a ship?

Sorry, Pulci, "train station" is an abomination!

[Pulcinella]

It goes back to the days when we travelled by rail. You purchase a railcard, not a train card.

Do we say "I'm going to the plane port to catch a flight" or the "boat port" to board a ship?

Sorry, Pulci, "train station" is an abomination!

I'll agree that most of them are!

[Roger Webb]

You have to ask whether English is still being taught at schools.

Do you have to ask?....if it is, it's a completely different species from that taught to us!

[Pulcinella]

Do you have to ask?....if it is, it's a completely different species from that taught to us!

Well, yesterday's lesson at primary school (Year 5) was FANBOYS:

The seven most common coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so—the first letters of which spell out the memorable acronym FANBOYS.

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

And todays's was I SAW A WASBUB, for subordinating conjunctions:

If
Since
As
When
Although
While
After
Before
Until
Because

I'm not sure that that's the way I got to know them.

[LMcD]

On Peston last night a conversation with someone in the Houses of Parliament was shown on screen as taking place at 'Westminister'.
Often heard when I was growing up in London, I wondered if it is becoming common usage, a bit like 'haitch'.

Probably getting it muddled up with the excellent TV series starring Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds, all of whom have sadly passed on.

[french frank]

Bus station, where buses go/stop.
Train station, where trains go/stop.

I don't remember that there was such a thing as a 'bus station' in the sense it has now: somewhere where passengers go to start their journey. The depot was where the buses were parked overnight. Bristol's 'bus station' in the sense of the general terminus for buses, with waiting room, cafés, information, ticket office, opened in 2006. Before that "the station" meant the railway station.

[Roger Webb]

I don't remember that there was such a thing as a 'bus station' in the sense it has now: somewhere where passengers go to start their journey. The depot was where the buses were parked overnight. Bristol's 'bus station' in the sense of the general terminus for buses, with waiting room, cafés, information, ticket office, opened in 2006. Before that "the station" meant the railway station.

Where is this bus station that opened in 2006? Surely the bus station was on the bit of the extension of Lower Park Row that curved to the right after passing the hospital and just before the Stokes Croft roundabout - or is it now a Wetherspoons?!