Am I getting an irritable old git?

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Neil A on 01/07/2018 22:54:47:

…

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

Neil

Yeah, but – as we all know in his case – sometimes being right's just not enough…

[RobinParticipant @robin]

I was educated in Oxford by Victorians so I use an apostrophe to denote possesion. Robins' problem. Pretty bad eh? Split infinitives grate on me.

I spend an inordinate amount of time correcting peoples use of the caps key in their names and address before sending stuff out.

I think it is in my nature. Maybe it is an ape thing, like picking burrs out of the cats tail with my nimble monkey fingers.

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Quote/

. . Robins' . .

/Unquote

Plural?

Geoff – It's the heat 'you know' and hospital stay tomorrow.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Hopper on 02/07/2018 01:36:03:

"Am I getting an irritable old git?"

No. You are getting to be an irritable old git.

…

Well spotted! It's ironic that Andrew started his thread with: Of late I am getting quite irritated about some of the (I suspect younger) members of the forum. Their atrocious English just makes me wince…', writing this immediately after making a Schoolboy Howler in the title. Doubly amusing that I didn't spot it either! This is how the gods punish hubris and the belief that the young are incompetent. (A belief common in the class of elderly gentleman, like me, who are not always completely certain what day it is.)

Talking of getting an Irritable Old Git, one of them is an essential workshop tool if you lack suitable skills yourself. Perhaps the trade should start selling them? Then we could discuss the superior quality of British Irritable Old Gits compared with Oriental Irritable Old Gits…

Apologies to Andrew for pulling his leg. He was well aware of the risk, mentioning at the outset 'Now my English isn't all that brilliant, so maybe I am not the one to talk'. Me too, we are all guilty!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 02/07/2018 10:26:04

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 02/07/2018 10:15:42:

….

Me too, we are all guilty!

Dave

'Zactly. Hubris is what it is. If we can understand the post, we should just answer with as good grace as we can manage at the time.

Edited By Mick B1 on 02/07/2018 11:40:59

[VicParticipant @vic]

Posted by Mick B1 on 02/07/2018 11:40:13:

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 02/07/2018 10:15:42:

….

Me too, we are all guilty!

Dave

'Zactly. Hubris is what it is. If we can understand the post, we should just answer with as good grace as we can manage at the time.

Edited By Mick B1 on 02/07/2018 11:40:59

Agreed. Sometimes though I need to read a post two or three times to fully understand it.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Robin on 02/07/2018 09:35:55:

I was educated in Oxford by Victorians so I use an apostrophe to denote possesion.

.

… but, I hope, not exclusively !

Even Oxford's Victorians would, I believe, have accepted that "Robin's a problem" is also grammatically correct.

MichaelG.

[Brett HurtParticipant @bretthurt41827]

unless if they are dyslexia that iam at 65 years. And it sucks when you have to ask some one how to spell. And this guy has ot /www.pinterest.com/pin/61361613651553042/?lp=true

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

The two words that get to me when somebody is talking to a group is "you know". If I was a mind reader then I would probably now to what they were referring, but as I am not, I having a clue. The whole idea of somebody standing there and speaking is to impart knowledge to some of the assembled group and if we knew then the speaker need not be standing there speaking.

[Nigel BennettParticipant @nigelbennett69913]

I recall my boss, many years ago, coming out with, "Because you know, you never know, you know"

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Gentlemen,

I am highly delighted at the response to my miserable topic. I seem to have left myself wide open to ribald comments about my lack of grammar and maybe spelling. Well I don't care a fig! This is another facet of a miserable old git, they don't care who they offend.

Please feel free to use me as an Aunt Sally as long as the missiles are not too damaging!

Best wishes to all,

Andrew.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

I'm really quite proud of England's old gits. Some of my best teachers in life have been curmudgeonly old sods with a real grudge against humanity. It's not the troll under the bridge these days, it's the git in the shed!

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

I'd just like to emphasise that commas are very important:

Seems to have taken up a territory just outside our living room window.

Rod

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Hi Andrew,

If you think that you are the only "Git" out there,think again ! To judge by the bag of worms you opened up,you have serious competition, and I,m glad to see that. I was beginning to think that It was just me,but now I know that I am not alone,I feel better.

Three"Sayings" which really get up my nose are:

A You know what I mean

B I mean to say

C You know where I,m coming from

My response to these is

A No,I dont,why not tell me ?

B Then why not say what you mean ?

C No I dont,where have you been ?

There are so many more,they just go on and on————

And to listen to people "Hammering out a deal,or having a cast iron agreement,or better still another deal which has been copper fastened,makes me wonder where these people work, You know what I mean like ?

Sill,I suppose it,s better than making swarf on a warm day like this !!

[Nick HulmeParticipant @nickhulme30114]

Errors are to be made, commented upon and ultimately forgiven.

A determined effort not to learn, combined with the assumption that this is a good outlook on life is to be treated with utter contempt.

IMHO

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

I have used some US based forums over the last few years (OK Shame on me, if you must). I have a nasty suspicion that some of the more offensive mangling of the English language seem to originate "over there". The younger folk in the UK seem to ape our American cousins in speech and other things. Maybe this is where some of the worst offending words and contractions come from?

Just looked over the above, to see if I have made any obvious howlers, or shot myself in the foot yet again. Looks correct to me, but I am sure there is a split infinitive or other lurking to catch me out.

Andrew.

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Just noticed another travesty on the forum. There instead of They are. Quite a good example I have not seen that one before.

It is either the subject or my laughable errors, that are amusing people. I have never managed to get onto a fourth page of responses before.

Andrew.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I've posted this before from another forum, may be worth posting again.

"If I could just bring this to the attention of ALL members.



As we grow, we have or will have members that are not too good at spelling etc.



This can be for a variety of reasons, education, medical or even dyslexia, which I slightly suffer from, and rely heavily on my spell checker.



This is no ones fault, if everyone was the same, what state would the world be in.



Members who have these afflictions usually have to work at least twice as hard as everyone else to make up a post, and even then, it can sometimes be almost unreadable. But at least they try, which a few 'normal' people won't even do.



So please, before we dive down peoples throats over these issues, spare a thought about the person who has composed it. Either he/she couldn't or can't make it any clearer or better, or has made a genuine mistake.



Thanks"

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Well posted Jason, I have a sister that struggles with writing but she tries and can always get the point across.

[Ian Skeldon 2Participant @ianskeldon2]

I can honestly say that whenever I have asked for help or advice, I have received it without critisism of my many English language mistakes, and I am most grateful.

Long may the spirit of engineering camaraderie continue.

[pa4c pa4cParticipant @pa4cpa4c85075]

Well I would concede that we all get it wrong sometimes. My grammar is not perfect.

But "Lathing"? I think we can all agree on that one!

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Posted by pa4c pa4c on 02/07/2018 20:47:46:

Well I would concede that we all get it wrong sometimes. My grammar is not perfect.

But "Lathing"? I think we can all agree on that one!

I'm not so sure. Unlike for example milling, shaping, sawing, grinding, or planing, turning is one of the only processes which does not contain any reference to the tool involved. (All right, I will make an exception for watchmaker's turns, but they are pretty niche). if my son's school was anything to go by, it is now possible to leave without ever seeing a lathe or having heard of turning, so they will have no more idea of a turner's trade than that of a cordwainer, a currier, or a loriner.

It could be worse, given the number of country crafts fairs, rural life centres etc. that have sprung up, the only turning that many youngsters will have seen is on a pole lathe, so they may think that we should be called bodgers

Brian

[Richard MarksParticipant @richardmarks80868]

One saying that irks is " give me a bell " since when have phones had bells? why not just say call me.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

The word 'lathe' is itself a change of language over time. Strictly speaking the lathe is the stand, not the spindle. What we call a lathe began as the turns, hence Turner. It's interesting that Turns were usually worked by a bow, and another word for bow is 'lath', which term survives on crossbows. There may be a similar connection to the pole lathe, which I suspect originally referred to the bendy thin rod that drove the turns.

Possibly erudite gentlemen in the 17th century wrote to each other in Latin complaining bitterly about rough artisans corrupting the vernacular with their dreadful trade jargon. Bastard files indeed!

As to Americanisms, it's all been downhill since they hooked us on potato…

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by pa4c pa4c on 02/07/2018 20:47:46:

Well I would concede that we all get it wrong sometimes. My grammar is not perfect.

But "Lathing"? I think we can all agree on that one!

Actually, I quite like the word lathing, in relation to our hobby. But unfortunately it is already taken. It means "to cover in wooden strips" (ie laths) . Whole different thing from making swarf.

While we have our resident English experts here, should that be different from, different to, of different than?

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