Your pet peeve, technical or otherwise.

[harerod]

m3vu, let me guess, you tell your body weight in stone, pound, and ounce? 

Regarding the U.S.American aversion against metric: They use thermometers to measure Fahrenheit...

In general aviation there is a distinct usage of length measurement units. The unit changes with the type of length (e.g. feet for altitude, meters for visibility, knots for speed, nautical miles for distance traveled). A beautiful arrangement, which has led to some rather tragic accidents. Being a German engineer rooted in SI, I really enjoyed flying seventy year-old crates which gave IAS in mph. And don't get me started on inches of mercury for pressure. Makes you feel like at the doctor's.

[james_s]

for me,its when a video made by an american,uses weight measurments in lbs(pounds) and talks of speed in kilometers per hour,maybe in old school but in the uk we use miles per hour for speed and kilograms for weight,why the hell is this so common for yank documentries to do this?,it sends hy head in a spin and benifits no one,anyone else pissed off with this too?

Are you sure it isn't a Canadian? They use kilometers to measure distance, Celsius to measure temperature and kilograms to measure the weight of food in the grocery store but most of them still use pounds to measure a person's weight.

I typically use miles to measure distance, pounds to measure weight and measure temperature in Fahrenheit but I know metric too and can work in that when it makes sense to do so. I've driven foreign cars all my life so most of my tools are metric. I use Celsius when dealing in scientific matters but prefer Fahrenheit when referring to ambient temperature due to the greater resolution.

People who live near the US-Canada border tend to be more familiar with both measurement systems and mix and match depending on context and who they're dealing with. Neither country is particularly pure in one system or another, they both use a mix to some degree.

[IDEngineer]

How about "I am wanting" instead of "I want?"

That reminds me of this gem: "The truck needs repaired". Or "The house needs painted". Instead of "The trust needs to be repaired" or "The house needs to be painted".

I hear this a lot and it drives me crazy. In this case words are missing, instead of needless words or letters or syllables added, but the effect is the same: The speaker has labeled themselves as illiterate.

Nothing, though, beats this one guy I heard speaking to an audience. He was a genuinely nice guy with whom I'd spoken prior to his addressing the assembled masses. I got this impression that he was in over his head a bit, but who am I to judge? I was running the sound system so I mic'd him up and brought up his fader when he started to speak. He covered one topic for a bit, then alerted his audience that the topic was changing by using the word "segue". Except that he pronounced it "see-gew". I nearly died, I felt so bad for the guy. A ripple ran through the audience and that was it. He kept speaking but it didn't matter, the entire tone of the gathering had changed and not in his favor.

[Cubdriver]

How about "I am wanting" instead of "I want?"

That reminds me of this gem: "The truck needs repaired". Or "The house needs painted". Instead of "The trust needs to be repaired" or "The house needs to be painted".

I hear this a lot and it drives me crazy. In this case words are missing, instead of needless words or letters or syllables added, but the effect is the same: The speaker has labeled themselves as illiterate.

Nothing, though, beats this one guy I heard speaking to an audience. He was a genuinely nice guy with whom I'd spoken prior to his addressing the assembled masses. I got this impression that he was in over his head a bit, but who am I to judge? I was running the sound system so I mic'd him up and brought up his fader when he started to speak. He covered one topic for a bit, then alerted his audience that the topic was changing by using the word "segue". Except that he pronounced it "see-gew". I nearly died, I felt so bad for the guy. A ripple ran through the audience and that was it. He kept speaking but it didn't matter, the entire tone of the gathering had changed and not in his favor.

That seems to be a mid-Atlantic/central US trait - I've heard it a lot from people I know from Pennsylvania and Ohio.  It grates on me a bit, too.  "The truck needs repair" or "The truck needs to be repaired"  Pick a tense!!!  Another I've heard from that region is "That should be suffice".  No, either it should be sufficient, or it should suffice.

-Pat

[radar_macgyver]

Here's a new neologism (heh) that I came across on the BBC: de-arrested. WTF is wrong with "released" in this context?

[TimFox]

Growing up in Minnesota, everyone around me (friends and family) would ask "Are you coming with?"  I did not learn that was incorrect English until German class in high school, where we were not allowed to translate "Kommen Sie mit?" as anything but "Are you coming along?"

[IDEngineer]

Growing up in Minnesota, everyone around me (friends and family) would ask "Are you coming with?"

I had never heard that until I met my high school sweetheart and her family. Drove me crazy for a while.

I married her anyway.    41 years later we're still going strong, and I must confess I utter that phrase myself once in a while. 

[SilverSolder]

Growing up in Minnesota, everyone around me (friends and family) would ask "Are you coming with?"  I did not learn that was incorrect English until German class in high school, where we were not allowed to translate "Kommen Sie mit?" as anything but "Are you coming along?"

"Are you coming with?"  -  sounds like a direct translation from a Scandinavian language.  Any Scandinavians in Minnesota?

[TimFox]

Ja, sure, yabetcha!

[harerod]

Growing up in Minnesota, everyone around me (friends and family) would ask "Are you coming with?"  I did not learn that was incorrect English until German class in high school, where we were not allowed to translate "Kommen Sie mit?" as anything but "Are you coming along?"

Ah, Lübke English in the wild...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbke_English

[SpacedCowboy]

"Are you coming with?"  -  sounds like a direct translation from a Scandinavian language.  Any Scandinavians in Minnesota?

Usually shortened to just "Coming with?" or "Come with ?" in Northern England. There's a rise towards the end of the phrase to indicate a question rather than a statement.

[Circlotron]

New pet peeve.
When a couple says “we” are pregnant…

[vk6zgo]

for me,its when a video made by an american,uses weight measurments in lbs(pounds) and talks of speed in kilometers per hour,maybe in old school but in the uk we use miles per hour for speed and kilograms for weight,why the hell is this so common for yank documentries to do this?,it sends hy head in a spin and benifits no one,anyone else pissed off with this too?

But it's you who are weird!
Why on earth would you use speed in mph?

What I sorely hate is the "re-Imperialisation by stealth" that has occurred in Oz.

We have people who would have been far too young to have been taught Imperial measures  saying "About an inch", or whatever.

Another one is the propensity to sell beer in "Pints".

"Pints" as a beer measure had disppeared into the distant mists of history, well before I came of drinking age, with the Aussie standard drink sizes being variously, the "Glass", "Middy", "Pot", Schooner, etc.
All of these were defined in Imperial measures, but with Metrification, were redefined in Metric terms.

Everything was fine for a while, until a few places started selling "Pints" to snotty little "trendoids" who liked to pretend they were in London.
Unfortunately, it took off & spread like a Pandemic, till you are battling to get a Middy or Schooner anywhere!

To add insult to injury, some of the "Pints" are the wimply little US version, not the full hairy chested Brit one!

Yet another, when we Metricated, many of us were happy to say goodbye to Whitworth, UNF, BSF & BA threads, but go into any big Hardware store today, & you will find most of the shelf full of Whitworth & UNF bolts & nuts with Metric a poor cousin.
India produces an avalanche of good quality, but cheap, Imperial screws, & for most home hardware type jobs it doesn't matter, so the shops are just maximising their profit.

It still makes me go "Aaarrrrgggghhhh!", though.    

[IDEngineer]

It still makes me go "Aaarrrrgggghhhh!", though.    

Which makes you sound like a proper pirate, while you're having a drink! 

[Bassman59]

Here's a new neologism (heh) that I came across on the BBC: de-arrested. WTF is wrong with "released" in this context?

Next time I get on an airplane, I'm going to "plane" the plane. If they can call it "deplaning" when getting off, I can call it "planing" when I get on!

Then there's "disembark." You embark when you get onto the boat, and you disembark when you get off the boat. How about simply barking when you get off the boat?

Next, there's "disenfranchise." When you give someone the right to vote, they get the franchise. They are enfranchised. So why is it disenfranchised and not defranchised?

[Bassman59]

"Pre-existing" is not redundant in its normal usage:  it means something that existed before a given point in time.
A "pre-existing condition" is one that existed before the start of ones insurance coverage or similar event.
An "existing condition" is one that was true at that point in time.
A subtle distinction, but one that is important to the insurance industry.

But the airline industry has this oddball term "preboarding," defined as "getting on board the plane first," but if you take it literally it means "get on the plane before getting on the plane."

[Bassman59]

How about "I am wanting" instead of "I want?"

That reminds me of this gem: "The truck needs repaired". Or "The house needs painted". Instead of "The trust needs to be repaired" or "The house needs to be painted".

In Texas, there's a defense for the use of lethal force: "He needed killin'." Which is slightly better than "He needs killed," but, you know, Texas.

[TimFox]

Transcript of Texas criminal trial:
(Defendant)  "He needed killin'"
(Judge)  "I don't want you killin' nobody who don't need killin'"
(Defendant) "I hear you"
(Judge) "Well, there ya go..."

[harerod]

(Judge, glares at audience) "Y'all got that? Good. Nah gid outta me courthouse."

[Labrat101]

Guilty until proven innocent..
Or  innocent before proven guilty !
🤔

[IDEngineer]

Then there's "disembark." You embark when you get onto the boat, and you disembark when you get off the boat. How about simply barking when you get off the boat?

Debark?
Unbark?
Disbark?

[PlainName]

Guilty until proven innocent..

'unless'

[james_s]

New pet peeve.
When a couple says “we” are pregnant…

I've noticed that too and I also thought it was weird. If the break up is it still "we" or does it suddenly become "she"? Only one individual becomes pregnant, that's just biology.

[IDEngineer]

Having been down that road, after my wife had extreme difficulty getting pregnant, I understand this use of "we" and believe me, it feels appropriate.

I think most couples who say "we" are trying to acknowledge the role of the Dad in the experience, and that's a very positive thing, so I give them a pass on this particular technicality. Our son is our "science project", maximum IVF technology, ICSI, the whole package. I swear after mixing meds, and giving my wife injections at all hours of the day and night for weeks, and running the ultrasound machine when the Docs/Techs couldn't figure it out, I have a minor degree in Assisted Reproductive Technology. While my involvement pales in comparison to what my wife went through, I was very much involved and we spoke of "we" and "us".

The one I don't understand is when the British press speaks of a woman "falling pregnant" or "fell pregnant". What's that reference mean?!?

[james_s]

It's always weird to me when I hear of people going to great lengths trying to get pregnant. The vast majority of my friends who have kids weren't really trying. Either they were indifferent and not really trying not to, or they were actively trying not to and it happened anyway. There is only one I can think of who went to lengths to make it happen and he ended up with severely autistic twins. Whatever the case, raising children definitely does not fit my lifestyle, I'll leave it for those who really want to do so.

That actually brings up another peeve, every once in a while my partner and I have encountered someone pressuring us to have kids. We have clearly stated that we are NOT interested in doing that but a few people don't seem to take no for an answer. It was only after I passed 40 and could legitimately say I was too old to be comfortable starting a family that it started to ease up. Having witnessed the results of a few people who never wanted kids, ended up with them and are horrible parents who seem to view their offspring as an inconvenience, I cannot understand why anyone would take issue with someone recognizing ahead of time that they are not well suited to be a parent and choosing not to. With something like 10 billion people on the planet it's not as if we are facing a shortage and need everyone to chip in and reproduce.