Plan9

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

FuglyStick

Now you're thinking outside the box. The paradigm is bourgeois.

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AZIZ! LIGHT!

Jetée

-> <=> <-
[Oxford's Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases - TFP Thread]

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Baraka_Guru

Improper uses of:

• "in fact"
• "actually"
• "to tell you the truth"
• "to be honest"
• "honestly"
• etc.

What better way to point out the idea that you might be insincere otherwise? ("Actually," I admit I'm guilty of this myself. But I also admit being a lazy thinker.)

When in doubt, just drop it.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Plan9

This thread reminds me of Orwell's point in 1984 about Newspeak.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Jetée

Commenting on the above, for some reason, I notice many North Americans take these phrases when presented to them in conversations as the opposite of what they were to meant to convey, as if the person just used the caveat token of speech, just to insult you / belittle your point, and get away with it, scot-free.

This is why I hate sarcasm so, and have learned to barely recognize it any more; if we can't say what we mean, what's the point in saying anything at all?

B_G, while the choice few phrases above seem like they would be alright openers to a sentence, although many get annoyed by the fact they seem to be quite insincere, I'll add that I think the closer of ", no offense." would also fit into your listing.

__________________
As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Baraka_Guru

Good point. This one tends to read as: "I probably offended you---at least I think I probably did----but I really don't want you to be----and if you are, I don't want you to call me on it or otherwise do anything about it."

That said, I think probably should be added to this thread. It's a highly used weasel word. This is another one I'm guilty of.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

uncle phil

anyone want the two threads merged?

__________________
"We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done."
- Robert S. McNamara
-----------------------------------------
"We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches...
We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles."
- Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message"
-----------------------------------------
never wrestle with a pig.
you both get dirty;
the pig likes it.

Plan9

Anybody know any moderators?

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

uncle phil

i knew one once...

__________________
"We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done."
- Robert S. McNamara
-----------------------------------------
"We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches...
We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles."
- Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message"
-----------------------------------------
never wrestle with a pig.
you both get dirty;
the pig likes it.

Baraka_Guru

"I thought you were my friend!"

I hope this phrase exists solely in the lands that beam to use through the television. Regardless, it is a weak phrase, both in terms of television writing and in real-life usage.

If a so-called friend of yours decides to stick a knife in your back, at least have the backbone to turn around and say something other than this passive-aggressive phrase.

The following substitutes will do:

• "No friend of mine would so such a thing."
• "I'm disappointed. You have lost my trust."
• "How dare you betray me!"
• "You are no friend of mine."
• "I do say your idea of friendship leaves something to be desired."
• "Fuck off, and suck a bag of dicks."

However, if you are being severely passo-agresso, and are just saying such a phrase as a part of your day-to-day manipulation of your friends, then perhaps these substitutes will suffice:

• "It's all about me! Don't you want to be my friend?"
• "I don't care if you're only human; make mistakes on your own next time. Don't you want to be my friend?"
• "Just give me what I want. Don't you want to be my friend?"
• "Independence and personal responsibility are for loners. Don't you still want to be my friend?"

Finally, the best solution for avoiding this phrase is to not be a teenage girl.

...or a television writer.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Plan9

Television? Seriously? But I love tropes and idioms.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Baraka_Guru

I love poutine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to have it for every meal.

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Plan9

"Hey, what's that stuff we used to eat back in the day?"

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Baraka_Guru

"It was to die for...."

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Plan9

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Jetée

I was savng this for the silly questions thread, but I guess it makes sense to ask it here, now, in which the word has been uttered, and seen to be relevant; what is a 'trope', exactly?

I can infer how it is used, and what it may relate to (trite sayings, tired scenarios) but I still get lost trying to pin down an exact meaning and context to it (answers.com was no help).

Original basis for question arose after reading this: Is "avoiding tropes" the same thing as telling fresh stories? (involves television)

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Pearl Trade

If someone starts out a sentence "no offense, but..." you know someone's about to be offended.

My list:
seriously
whatever
literally

__________________

Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.
Give me convenience or give me death!

Plan9

Jetee, check the "Endless hours..." link above. It's all about TV tropes and idioms and probably includes a better definition and examples than I can fit in a post.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Walt

"How come?" makes me want to smash things.

__________________
Calmer than you are...

Pearl Trade

Have you ever heard anyone say "why come?" before? I have, it's a terrible combination of words.

__________________

Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.
Give me convenience or give me death!

Leto

++good

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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr

http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I

Plan9

Seriously. Everybody is bitching about slang. I love slang. Slang is what adds flavor to our conversations. And that's doubleplusgood.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

ring

Even, Refudiate?

Martian

The obvious answer to this is 'because I feel so much more relaxed after I do.'

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Walt

I've never heard it and hope I never do.

-----

In general:

Let me "axe" you a question.
Calling wheels "rims".
"Thats hot"

For my Army brethren:

"Hooah"
"Most ricky-tic"
"It would beeeeehooooooove you to....."
"Disseminate"
"High speed"
Any cadence that begins with "C-130 rolling down the strip".
"Because the FM says so!"
"whiskey tango foxtrot, over."
"Ate up" See also; "tore up from the floor up"
"Your fourth point of contact"
"Pop smoke"
"In accordance with AR 670-1..."

__________________
Calmer than you are...

ring

Heavens to Betsy,
Come hell or high water,
I'm going to paint the town red.
...or, I may end up fiddling while Rome burns;
Dilly-dallying, is my Achilles Heel.

Plan9

I don't even know what that means. Never heard it.

Nothing like having to reference this one in a counseling. It makes both parties look like a bitch.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

ring

Urban Dictionary: ricky tick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

uncle phil

we used "ricky tic" a lot in 'nam...

still use it once in a while...

__________________
"We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done."
- Robert S. McNamara
-----------------------------------------
"We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches...
We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles."
- Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message"
-----------------------------------------
never wrestle with a pig.
you both get dirty;
the pig likes it.

ring

Like a 'bug-out' thing?

uncle phil

like, kinda...

__________________
"We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done."
- Robert S. McNamara
-----------------------------------------
"We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches...
We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles."
- Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message"
-----------------------------------------
never wrestle with a pig.
you both get dirty;
the pig likes it.

ring

like a get the hitch out of your get-along, pronto, like.

Plan9

Is that like "de-assing the area?"

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

FuglyStick

"That's (insert amount of time) that I'll never get back"

...

Someone thought this was witty once. It's not.
Hint people: You don't get ANY time back, whether it was well spent or not. The phrase is ignorant.

__________________
AZIZ! LIGHT!

uncle phil

like, yeah...

__________________
"We were wrong, terribly wrong. (We) should not have tried to fight a guerrilla war with conventional military tactics against a foe willing to absorb enormous casualties...in a country lacking the fundamental political stability necessary to conduct effective military and pacification operations. It could not be done and it was not done."
- Robert S. McNamara
-----------------------------------------
"We will take our napalm and flame throwers out of the land that scarcely knows the use of matches...
We will leave you your small joys and smaller troubles."
- Eugene McCarthy in "Vietnam Message"
-----------------------------------------
never wrestle with a pig.
you both get dirty;
the pig likes it.

Xerxys

hunnychile

"Cool beans." Used a lot in California. It makes no sense and I find it beyond idiotic sounding.

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"I need compassion, understanding and chocolate." - NJB

ring

If you hit the roof after blowing your top, or gasket,
I will be one of the meek, inheriting the task of picking up the pieces
of chips that fell off your shoulders.

The decision to sink or swim, may depend upon the light at the end of the tunnel,
making a good first impression.

ObieX

"Ya know what I'm sayin'???"

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We Must Dissent.