Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[Phileas]

What's a "normal" person ?

Perhaps I should have said a 'real' person.

[mercia]

isn't "our hearts go out .... " or "my heart goes out ..." expressing genuine sympathetic feeling ? - I'm sure it is
I think a prime minister (for example) is expected to speak on behalf of others [i.e. the nation], not just himself (if its the word "our" you object to)

[Phileas]

The expression is hackneyed and formulaic-hence meaningless. To me, its use has the opposite effect of that intended, i.e. it makes me question the sincerity of the speaker.

[mangerton]

The expression is hackneyed and formulaic-hence meaningless. To me, its use has the opposite effect of that intended, i.e. it makes me question the sincerity of the speaker.

Yes, quite. Similarly, any use of the word "clear", when spoken by a politician. "Let me be perfectly clear". "We've made it perfectly clear". "Clearly....."

That said, I always question the sincerity of any politician, of whatever party.

[mercia]

fair enough Phileas. Not sure this is worth going on and on about, but if I could put you in the hypothetical position of being prime minister and having to express some sort of collective sympathy in the wake of, let's say a fatal train crash, what would be your choice of words ? Unfair I suppose to put you on the spot, but I guess that's what happens in real life.

[teamsaint]

(I think we have been here before ?)

"UK Plc"

(along with "Team GB" or "Team" anything........with the possible exception of our saintly comrade ?)

Nice to be a" possible" exception....cheers.

Team GB .AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH

anyway, been thinking about changing my user name.
Any( polite) thoughts?

[Pabmusic]

Nice to be a" possible" exception....cheers.

Team GB .AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH

anyway, been thinking about changing my user name.
Any( polite) thoughts?

It seems this nice-sounding one is taken:

http://tscpassion.e-monsite.com

[Anna]

fair enough Phileas. Not sure this is worth going on and on about, but if I could put you in the hypothetical position of being prime minister and having to express some sort of collective sympathy in the wake of, let's say a fatal train crash, what would be your choice of words ? Unfair I suppose to put you on the spot, but I guess that's what happens in real life.

I think an old-fashioned "We send our condolences to those affected" would be adequate? Or does that sound cold?

[Phileas]

the hypothetical position of being prime minister and having to express some sort of collective sympathy in the wake of, let's say a fatal train crash, what would be your choice of words ? Unfair I suppose to put you on the spot, but I guess that's what happens in real life.

But I'm not the prime minister and never could be. I'm completely unsuited to that role. I would expect a prime minister to have compassion and I'm sure most of them do, probably more than I do generally.

I find the expression rather mawkish and wish they could think of something else or say nothing - personally, I don't require them to say anything at all.

And another thing...

Often, someone in charge of something is interviewed and after being asked their first question they say "Before I answer that, I'd first like to say that my heart goes out to...".

[teamsaint]

It seems this nice-sounding one is taken:

http://tscpassion.e-monsite.com

I am sorely , sorely tempted to "borrow" that, Pabs. Great spot.

(would go nicely with my modest French heritage, Mush !)

[cloughie]

A reminder: this thread is "Phrases/Words that set your teeth on edge" not Pedants' Corner.

Are you being deliberately pedantic regarding the drift away from the topic?

[Serial_Apologist]

Irrevocable is a word that often seems to be pronounced incorrectly - as this morning on the radio. I always put the stress on the second syllable - irrevocable, irrevocably - whereas it is often the third syllable that gets the emphasis, which to me sounds clunky.

I suppose it's understandable: saying irrevocable does leave rather a lot of syllables after the one stressed in my version.

[cloughie]

Irrevocable is a word that often seems to be pronounced incorrectly - as this morning on the radio. I always put the stress on the second syllable - irrevocable, irrevocably - whereas it is often the third syllable that gets the emphasis, which to me sounds clunky.

I suppose it's understandable: saying irrevocable does leave rather a lot of syllables after the one stressed in my version.

Also homage - is it pronounced 'homidge' or 'homarge'?

[jean]

I believe the French word has been re-imported along with its pronunciation and means something slightly different from the naturalised version.

[edit] Urban Dictionary says:

Hommage n. a word used in the entertainment industry to mean a respectful reference or tribute to someone or something else in the industry; for example, a remake film might make an hommage to the original.

The word is pronounced "oe-MAZH". Originally the word was one and the same as homage (pronounced "OM-ij" or "HOM-ij"), but filmmakers started thinking this word ("homage") was borrowed from French (which it is not), and wanted to sound sophisticated or more accurate, so they started pronouncing it as though it were French. When the people tasked with writing things down realized you couldn't spell the sound "oe-MAZH" as "homage", they wisely decided to use the French version of the word ("hommage"), and thus filmmakers avoided scathing ridicule for not knowing how to pronounce an honest English word.

[french frank]

"for example, a remake film might make an hommage to the original"

A curious association of ideas ...

"filmmakers started thinking this word ("homage") was borrowed from French (which it is not)"

Where does it come from?

[In danger of pedantry again]