Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[amateur51]

A phrase that sets my teeth on edge, and that we've heard way too much of from certain quarters recently:- "Israeli aggression", when the phrase should really be "Israeli defence."

Are you saying there's no aggression from Israel, Mr Pee?

[MrGongGong]

Are you saying there's no aggression from Israel, Mr Pee?

Don't feed him

[mercia]

Oh mercia, isn't that just normal usage? I really can't see anything exceptionable about that... "About" can be used like that, surely?

sounds rather colloquial to me

has an air of "I don't really care if this number is completely wrong" about it

probably just me

[Nick Armstrong]

Are you saying there's no aggression from Israel, Mr Pee?

Yes, sounded like a typical pee-smelling cat among the pigeons, best allowed to slink away... The middle-east conflict is certainly de trop on this thread!!

PS There's even a troll in his avatar pic nowadays

[Nick Armstrong]

sounds rather colloquial to me

has an air of "I don't really care if this number is completely wrong" about it

probably just me

I see what you mean... but is it any worse than "approximately"?

"I'll be there about 5 o'clock" is suitable though, I think ?

[mercia]

"I'll be there about 5 o'clock" is suitable though, I think ?

oh yes of course, I guess it's the difference between informal speech to one's mates and trying to convey statistical information

[apologies if you are a/the BBC website writer - nothing personal]

[vinteuil]

somebody on the BBC news sites keeps using the word about when approximately would be better [in my opinion]

"But according to the NAO, between 2004 and 2011 about 2,300 avoidance schemes were disclosed to the tax authorities, with more than 100 new schemes emerging in each of the past four years."

I don't find 'about' particularly offensive here; personally, I think I would have said : "between 2004 and 2011 some 2,300 avoidance schemes were disclosed" - would you find that use of 'some' too colloquial?

[Nick Armstrong]

oh yes of course, I guess it's the difference between informal speech to one's mates and trying to convey statistical information

[apologies if you are a/the BBC website writer - nothing personal]

no I'm not... I can see that rather tighter wording is desirable in the specific context you mentioned originally

[Mr Pee]

PS There's even a troll in his avatar pic nowadays

It's not a troll, it's a baby goblin.

Here's another one: "Going on a journey" as in "Since I started the Masterchef journey" or the "X-Factor Journey".

[Nick Armstrong]

If it looks like a troll and talks like a troll, it's probably a troll. I'm putting it down as a troll.

(with apologies to Messrs Enfield & Whitehouse)

[ahinton]

I don't find 'about' particularly offensive here; personally, I think I would have said : "between 2004 and 2011 some 2,300 avoidance schemes were disclosed" - would you find that use of 'some' too colloquial?

Were this to be taken to its illogical conclusion, one could perhaps argue that Israel has fired about x number of missiles into Gaza, Hamas has fired approximately y number of missiles in the opposite direction and the specific trajectories of some further z number of missiles are either uncertain or cannot be accounted for; I don't suppose that it would please Mr Pee, though - having said which, were it also to set his teeth on edge, that would presumably have the effect of restoring them to their customary position, which some might argue would perhaps be a pity...

[Mr Pee]

If it looks like a troll and talks like a troll, it's probably a troll. I'm putting it down as a troll.

(with apologies to Messrs Enfield & Whitehouse)

A Nibelung?

[vinteuil]

If it looks like a troll and talks like a troll, it's probably a troll. I'm putting it down as a troll.

(with apologies to Messrs Enfield & Whitehouse)

looks to me like a quare troll. D'you think it's a quare troll? I'm putting it down as a quare troll...

[ahinton]

looks to me like a quare troll. D'you think it's a quare troll? I'm putting it down as a quare troll...

It might just be a pee-troll - and the price of peetroll is quite outrageous these days...

[Nick Armstrong]

looks to me like a quare troll. D'you think it's a quare troll? I'm putting it down as a quare troll...

We'd better ask Bunny...

(Great sketches those, aren't they? Variable programme overall, but they do those old boys so well.... )