Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[cloughie]

Part of a threesome? Green/Amber/Rudd; Rudd & Amber, and back to Green - etc etc.

Sounds like the lights of Balham, gateway to the South!

[Serial_Apologist]

Sounds like the lights of Balham, gateway to the South!

[teamsaint]

Webinar

I “ attended” one last week at work.

Which I thought was rather 21st century of me.

[Richard Tarleton]

I “ attended” one last week at work.

Which I thought was rather 21st century of me.

Is that another name for a video conference?

[teamsaint]

Is that another name for a video conference?

Well the ones I have attended are more of a lecture-style presentation, with an online demo of the system we are learning about. So more of a lecture than a conference in my case.

[kernelbogey]

Webinar

I expect that the thing itself is clever and no doubt useful.

I just think that the person who coined the name should spend some time in a webitentiary.

[Serial_Apologist]

I expect that the thing itself is clever and no doubt useful.

I just think that the person who coined the name should spend some time in a webitentiary.

Have to admit, I'd never heard the term before.

[Beef Oven!]

'Back in the day'

[teamsaint]

'Back in the day'

I think you need to sit down and have a cup of monkey tea.

[Dave2002]

In a hotel, or car hire office etc. “What was the name?” or “ What was your name?”

Prompts one to think of alternative answers “I used to be Fred, but now I’m called King Kong”.

[Stanfordian]

"I get it!"

[Pulcinella]

In a hotel, or car hire office etc. “What was the name?” or “ What was your name?”

Prompts one to think of alternative answers “I used to be Fred, but now I’m called King Kong”.

I guess it means 'What was the name you made the booking/reservation in?', but even there 'is' is more natural I would have thought.
And in terms of being asked if I've made a reservation when a restaurant is mostly empty, this now doesn't annoy me, as I realise it's their way of crossing you off their list of those that have done, so there is indeed a reason for the question.

[Pabmusic]

In a hotel, or car hire office etc. “What was the name?” or “ What was your name?”

Prompts one to think of alternative answers “I used to be Fred, but now I’m called King Kong”.

I agree. I suppose it's a garbled version of "What did you say your name was?" But even that might better be "What did you say your name is?"

[Dave2002]

I agree. I suppose it's a garbled version of "What did you say your name was?" But even that might better be "What did you say your name is?"

Except I probably never did say ... maybe filled in a computer booking form.

Perhaps "was is the new is" or even "was was was but now was is is"!

[jean]

I agree. I suppose it's a garbled version of "What did you say your name was?"...

Not garbled I would say, but elliptical.

As your version makes clear, the speaker is, consciously or unconsciously, politely taking the blame for forgetting the other's name, even though it is quite likely that the other never revealed it in the first place.