Words/phrases I wish would go away

[yakamashii]

Christmas songs are interesting examples of changes in word usage.

Deck the halls - I put on my gay apparel and troll the ancient Yuletide carol.  I thought people used to troll when they went fishing.  And now they go fishing on the internet to annoy people instead. 

I really miss the old meaning of gay, there is no other one word that expresses happy and light-hearted and giddy and being just full of the joy of life.  However, it's gone.   :-(

Exuberant? Vivacious? Buoyant?

Sort of but not really.   We really did lose a disginct word.

Man, I simply have to disagree. Your "gay" is my "exuberant" to a tee.

For me, “exuberant” is an ephemeral emotion - “I was exuberant after my first kiss”.  Gay is... something less pronounced but often longer-lasting.  The general attitude of someone might be gay, whereas they are exuberant in the moment.

Dictionary : lighthearted and carefree.  Not sure carefree is a big component since one can have cares and still feel gay, but it's pretty good.  So not as ephemeral and energetic as exuberant.  For me it is sort of like sparkling inside.

H'mmm. I have the exact opposite sense of exuberant vs gay. "I feel pretty and witty and gay" (Maria doesn't feel that way at the end of the Story), "Don we now our gay apparel" (and doff it when the wassailing concludes, I presume), "carousels whirring to gay dancing tunes" and so on make "gay" sound transient to me, whereas "exuberant" is more like a character trait (ETA: I think "exuberant" can also be used to describe an ephemeral emotion, hence my opinion that it's a good stand-in for Retiredat63's notion of "gay.") I'll note that I've never heard this version of "gay" outside song lyrics or lines from old musicals or plays, whereas "exuberant" is all over the place IRL.

Let me ask you this: Have you seen the movie Elf? Buddy (and real-world people like him) are what I'm thinking when I suggest that "gay" maps to "exuberant."

Interesting how our interpretations differ. Guess that's what makes the world go 'round.

[John Galt incarnate!]

Interesting how our interpretations differ. Guess that's what makes the world go 'round.

"Variety is the spice of life."

[John Galt incarnate!]

"Donir" is today's entry in the file of misspelled words.

Someone misspelled "donor."

[Morning Glory]

DH puts the extra R in sherbet (pronounces it "sherbert") and it drives me nuts. He also insists that his way is the only correct way. I looked it up and it's a common regional variation, but we still got into an argument.

[sui generis]

That's how I feel when I hear people add an extra i to mischievous. I think the vast majority of people pronounce it miss-CHEE-vee-us and I'm not sure how that got started. Frankly I wish we could just officially change the spelling so at least it would make sense.

[zolotiyeruki]

That's how I feel when I hear people add an extra i to mischievous. I think the vast majority of people pronounce it miss-CHEE-vee-us and I'm not sure how that got started. Frankly I wish we could just officially change the spelling so at least it would make sense.

Growing up, I mispronounced it all the time.  I was rather disappointed when I learned that it didn't have the extra "i."  To me, the extra "i" makes it sound similar to "devious," and makes the word that much more delicious.

[sui generis]

That's how I feel when I hear people add an extra i to mischievous. I think the vast majority of people pronounce it miss-CHEE-vee-us and I'm not sure how that got started. Frankly I wish we could just officially change the spelling so at least it would make sense.

Growing up, I mispronounced it all the time.  I was rather disappointed when I learned that it didn't have the extra "i."  To me, the extra "i" makes it sound similar to "devious," and makes the word that much more delicious.

TBH, same here.  I prefer that pronunciation, but feel obligated not to pronounce it that way.  If I ran the world, I'd just wave my pinky and it would be "michievious" in all the dictionaries right now.

[marble_faun]

To me, the older sense of gay has a connotation of being freewheeling and almost a little drunk on delight with life.  There are particular times to be gay (like the holidays, when people are "merry and gay" and wear "gay apparel" or when you have just fallen in love, like Maria from West Side Story). "Gay" is a kind of heightened state, apart from normal existence.

[RetiredAt63]

To me, the older sense of gay has a connotation of being freewheeling and almost a little drunk on delight with life.  There are particular times to be gay (like the holidays, when people are "merry and gay" and wear "gay apparel" or when you have just fallen in love, like Maria from West Side Story). "Gay" is a kind of heightened state, apart from normal existence.

Maria, and Nellie Forbush (South Pacific)

[John Galt incarnate!]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.




!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

[John Galt incarnate!]

Growing up, I mispronounced [mischievous] all the time. 

Mea culpa!





!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!

[nereo]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

[meghan88]

"Needs done" or any variant of that pattern.  "These dogs need walked."  "The grass needs mowed."

Awful.

I searched back to 2018 for the quote above, as I wanted to make sure I wasn't bringing this up for the first time.  "Needs cleaned" is, to me, like nails on a chalkboard.  Something may need cleaning, or it may need to be cleaned, but nothing on this planet should ever, ever "needs cleaned".  I first heard it in Southwestern Ontario and I think it's also a thing in the Midwest?

[Bloop Bloop Reloaded]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

[RetiredAt63]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

Accents are so variable, let's not go there.

However, since we are there fo a moment, I just want to say that Canadians do not pronounce "about" like "aboot".  The only time we say "aboot" is when we are saying "a boot".

[iluvzbeach]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

[Kris]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Non-Americans would pronounce these words as “NYEW-clear, NYEW, re-NYEW.”

I can understand how the flat “oo” would be irritating.

[RetiredAt63]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

[nereo]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

As an American who closely observed Canadians, I’d say this is generally true from British Columbia through Ontario. The maritimes  get particularly unique with their regional dialects, with parts of Newfoundland and Labrador so different that they took a fair bit of effort to understand.

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California. Which is more “correct” will never be established.
The overwhelming majority of Canadians live west of the maritimes.

[Travis]

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California.

There's a WWII movie called Monument Men where a group of art experts become soldiers to preserve Europe's art/monuments/history towards the end of the war. Matt Damon plays a soldier who amongst his group is the only one with even the slightest experience in French. It's a running joke that every time he opens his mouth the French person asks "where did you learn to speak French?" He says "Ottawa." The French person laughs and says "let's just stick with English."

[Bloop Bloop Reloaded]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

Believe it or not, my greeting to all clients and opponents is "g'day mate" or "g'day (name)". It's a very widespread greeting and not one that is only associated with really broad Australian English!

[Morning Glory]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

Believe it or not, my greeting to all clients and opponents is "g'day mate" or "g'day (name)". It's a very widespread greeting and not one that is only associated with really broad Australian English!

I've caught myself using some northern midwest regional expressions lately, such as "I s'pose" to indicate the need to leave. The other morning it was below zero out so I got out my "big coat".

[RetiredAt63]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

As an American who closely observed Canadians, I’d say this is generally true from British Columbia through Ontario. The maritimes  get particularly unique with their regional dialects, with parts of Newfoundland and Labrador so different that they took a fair bit of effort to understand.

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California. Which is more “correct” will never be established.
The overwhelming majority of Canadians live west of the maritimes.

Newfoundland only joined Confederation in 1949, they had gone their own way linguistically for a long time.

I find that where regions differ is a bit of accent but more vocabulary.  I only know what a slough is because my Dad grew up in Alberta.

And Quebec French and joual, Quebec is the Newfoundland of the French language.

[ysette9]

Maths.

That's my new most hated word.

Oh, I feel like you are going to get some pushback on that one! I used to be skeptical, too, until a British friend pointed out that mathematics is plural so why not the shortened version?

It is plural in French also “les maths”.

[ysette9]

Sorry for that prior comment being so out of context. I hadn’t looked down to see how far up the thread my phone popped me in when I clicked on the subject.

Way back on grammar, I did only grammar for four years in grades 5-8 in a sub-par Christian school. Then I did only writing in a public high school, so I am one of the few of my age who seems to know some grammar.
Nothing made it stick and made sense though like learning a foreign language. That helped me understand English a lot better.

And I struggle to listen to and understand Canadian French. It is like you take your two fingers and pinch the end of your nose and then speak. But I have to remind myself that this is how American English sounds to the British...

[slackmax]

I was watching the apology from the general who was directing the recent vaccine rollout. He apologized for not having completely learned the "cadence" of something or other. Really? But you got the melody right, right?

 How pretentious.

I looked it up, and "cadence'" is a new business buzzword, apparently.     

[Freedomin5]

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California.

There's a WWII movie called Monument Men where a group of art experts become soldiers to preserve Europe's art/monuments/history towards the end of the war. Matt Damon plays a soldier who amongst his group is the only one with even the slightest experience in French. It's a running joke that every time he opens his mouth the French person asks "where did you learn to speak French?" He says "Ottawa." The French person laughs and says "let's just stick with English."

I grew up in Ontario learning French from a Quebecois teacher. Top of my class. Was selected to represent the school at conferences held in French. Visited Paris the year after I graduated high school, walked into a McDonald’s to order a hamburger and fries, and was told in French-accented English by the cashier, “Speak English. I do not understand your French.”

[ysette9]

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California.

There's a WWII movie called Monument Men where a group of art experts become soldiers to preserve Europe's art/monuments/history towards the end of the war. Matt Damon plays a soldier who amongst his group is the only one with even the slightest experience in French. It's a running joke that every time he opens his mouth the French person asks "where did you learn to speak French?" He says "Ottawa." The French person laughs and says "let's just stick with English."

I grew up in Ontario learning French from a Quebecois teacher. Top of my class. Was selected to represent the school at conferences held in French. Visited Paris the year after I graduated high school, walked into a McDonald’s to order a hamburger and fries, and was told in French-accented English by the cashier, “Speak English. I do not understand your French.”

Ouch

[MoseyingAlong]

I was watching the apology from the general who was directing the recent vaccine rollout. He apologized for not having completely learned the "cadence" of something or other. Really? But you got the melody right, right?

 How pretentious.

I looked it up, and "cadence'" is a new business buzzword, apparently.    Barfo !

It may be new as a business buzzword but it is not new to the military.
Every soldier/airman/etc. learns to march in cadence.
Every operation has (had?) a cadence. (In the late 90s, the operational cadence was something we discussed. Don't have more recent experience.)

I doubt it was pretentious at all for an old general to use it. Maybe hold off on the snap judgment?

[slackmax]

I was watching the apology from the general who was directing the recent vaccine rollout. He apologized for not having completely learned the "cadence" of something or other. Really? But you got the melody right, right?

 How pretentious.

I looked it up, and "cadence'" is a new business buzzword, apparently.    Barfo !

It may be new as a business buzzword but it is not new to the military.
Every soldier/airman/etc. learns to march in cadence.
Every operation has (had?) a cadence. (In the late 90s, the operational cadence was something we discussed. Don't have more recent experience.)

I doubt it was pretentious at all for an old general to use it. Maybe hold off on the snap judgment?

You bring new acumen to the discussion. "Cadence" as he used it,  sounds less pretentious now.       

[Kris]

There is also the francophone debate about the French spoken by eight million Québécois. It’s certainly not the French spoken by Parisians, much as the English spoken in Ireland is different from how it is spoken in California.

There's a WWII movie called Monument Men where a group of art experts become soldiers to preserve Europe's art/monuments/history towards the end of the war. Matt Damon plays a soldier who amongst his group is the only one with even the slightest experience in French. It's a running joke that every time he opens his mouth the French person asks "where did you learn to speak French?" He says "Ottawa." The French person laughs and says "let's just stick with English."

I grew up in Ontario learning French from a Quebecois teacher. Top of my class. Was selected to represent the school at conferences held in French. Visited Paris the year after I graduated high school, walked into a McDonald’s to order a hamburger and fries, and was told in French-accented English by the cashier, “Speak English. I do not understand your French.”

As a non-French person who is bilingual (in a former life I was a tenured French professor, and I have been mistaken for French or Swiss by French natives) I want to chime in and say this is not just French snobbery. I adore listening to Quebecois French. Love the accent, love the expressions, etc. But it is the one “type” of French that I still sometimes have trouble understanding. French spoken by Belgians, Parisians, people from the Midi, Camerounais, Sénégalais, Rwandais, Marocains, Algériens... no problem at all. Québécois? Sometimes it almost breaks my brain if they are speaking quickly.

[Chaplin]

As a non-French person who is bilingual (in a former life I was a tenured French professor, and I have been mistaken for French or Swiss by French natives) I want to chime in and say this is not just French snobbery. I adore listening to Quebecois French. Love the accent, love the expressions, etc. But it is the one “type” of French that I still sometimes have trouble understanding. French spoken by Belgians, Parisians, people from the Midi, Camerounais, Sénégalais, Rwandais, Marocains, Algériens... no problem at all. Québécois? Sometimes it almost breaks my brain if they are speaking quickly.

I get mistaken for Swiss too when I speak French. I did French-immersion in Ontario, Grade 5 in France, a semester of Engineering school in France, and then worked in Quebec. Now, it's my grammar slips that give me away as an anglo, not my accent, even if they can't place it.

[calimom]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

[Paul der Krake]

I grew up in Ontario learning French from a Quebecois teacher. Top of my class. Was selected to represent the school at conferences held in French. Visited Paris the year after I graduated high school, walked into a McDonald’s to order a hamburger and fries, and was told in French-accented English by the cashier, “Speak English. I do not understand your French.”

I don't think any French person would ever tell a Quebec native to speak English, unless they wanted to be a dick. It's hard to understand, but come on.

That being said, a French company would never in a million years put one in any sort of job that requires public speaking. The audience would think it's a joke.

[RetiredAt63]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

I've actually never heard anyone say redux, but I always assumed it was re-ducks.  Roux, on the other hand, is borrowed from French and is "roo".

Re Quebec French, TV French was fine and Provincial meetings were fine, but French I tried to listen to on the bus was completely unintelligible.  Too fast and too much joual (slang).

Stupid auto carrot thinks joual should be jovial.  ;-(

[Freedomin5]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

I've actually never heard anyone say redux, but I always assumed it was re-ducks.  Roux, on the other hand, is borrowed from French and is "roo".

Re Quebec French, TV French was fine and Provincial meetings were fine, but French I tried to listen to on the bus was completely unintelligible.  Too fast and too much joual (slang).

Stupid auto carrot thinks joual should be jovial.  ;-(

And I like that your autocorrect thinks it should be called “auto carrot”. 😂

[ministashy]

My current pet peeve:  'vegan leather'.  Just admit you're selling plastic, for crying out loud.

[Morning Glory]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

I just found out last year that the second p in apoptosis is supposed to be silent. I've had it wrong in my head for decades, but it's not a word that one pronounces out loud very often. I knew the p in ptosis was silent, so it makes sense.

[yakamashii]

This is not a 'mistake' but it annoys me how Americans pronounce a flat "oo" sound in nuclear, new, renew, etc

I’m perplexed at this one...how would you pronounce them? Genuinely curious.

Canadians have regional accents but not big ones - we basically speak CBC English. CBC radio and later TV was a unifying linguistic force across the country. Nuclear does not have a flat "oo" but not quite as pronounced as "nwey".  Maybe "new"?

Bloop bloop is an Aussie, although as a high income lawyer I doubt g'day mate is part of his regular vocabulary.   ;-)

I'm bugged in the opposite direction (don't like hearing "nyews," "renyewal," etc.), mostly because Japan decided to adopt British pronunciation for many loan words with that sound (ニュース、リニューアルなど). If I were King of the World, I'd change all the yoos to oos.

[Bloop Bloop Reloaded]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

I just found out last year that the second p in apoptosis is supposed to be silent. I've had it wrong in my head for decades, but it's not a word that one pronounces out loud very often. I knew the p in ptosis was silent, so it makes sense.

I didn't know this either. That said, the rules for the 'pt' formation from Greek are not uniformly applied.

[Morning Glory]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

The pronunciation of "redux" used to perplex me until I heard a college English professor say it correctly as "re-ducks". I'd originally thought it was "re-do". It's not a word used much in regular conversation, which is likely a good thing as it would sound pretentious and be overused. But I'm glad it's there.

I just found out last year that the second p in apoptosis is supposed to be silent. I've had it wrong in my head for decades, but it's not a word that one pronounces out loud very often. I knew the p in ptosis was silent, so it makes sense.

I didn't know this either. That said, the rules for the 'pt' formation from Greek are not uniformly applied.

Oh yes, I took classical Greek in college and I think they pronounce the p. It's been a long time though.

The p in ileopsoas is silent, I knew that one.

[RetiredAt63]

I've heard biologists (including me) pronounce both Ps in apoptosis.  However the p in pterygota and apterygota, as well as psoas,  is definitely silent.

[nereo]

I've heard biologists (including me) pronounce both Ps in apoptosis.  However the p in pterygota and apterygota, as well as psoas,  is definitely silent.

Speaking of which... this was the gift my mother gave to my toddler-daughter for Christmas:

[RetiredAt63]

I've heard biologists (including me) pronounce both Ps in apoptosis.  However the p in pterygota and apterygota, as well as psoas,  is definitely silent.

Speaking of which... this was the gift my mother gave to my toddler-daughter for Christmas:

Oooh, I think we adults need that book too.  Your mother gives her grand-daughter good presents.

ETA I just put it on hold at the library.  I probably need it almost as much as your daughter!  And the drawings look fun.  ;-)

[Morning Glory]

I've heard biologists (including me) pronounce both Ps in apoptosis.  However the p in pterygota and apterygota, as well as psoas,  is definitely silent.

Speaking of which... this was the gift my mother gave to my toddler-daughter for Christmas:

Oooh, I think we adults need that book too.  Your mother gives her grand-daughter good presents.

ETA I just put it on hold at the library.  I probably need it almost as much as your daughter!  And the drawings look fun.  ;-)

I gave that to my niece

[BlueHouse]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

Is it possible they meant "redux" instead of "redo"?  Because I've heard people pronounce redux like that.

[John Galt incarnate!]

"Redue," a misspelling of "redo," is today's entry in the file of misspellings.

I think “redue” should be our new term for when you renew a library book (or similar)
“ your book is now redue on January 12th”

Is it possible they meant "redux" instead of "redo"?  Because I've heard people pronounce redux like that.

No.

In the context in which the poster incorrectly posted  "redue" the only logical  construction is that they misspelled "redo."

[shelivesthedream]

I've heard biologists (including me) pronounce both Ps in apoptosis.  However the p in pterygota and apterygota, as well as psoas,  is definitely silent.

Speaking of which... this was the gift my mother gave to my toddler-daughter for Christmas:

Added to my wishlist, and I also was recommended No Reading Allowed: The WORST Read-Aloud Book Ever, the preview of which made me collapse with laughter! Thank you!

[Travis]

Suddenly I'm reminded about my own French lessons. "Just don't pronounce half the letters. They're all silent."

[nereo]

Suddenly I'm reminded about my own French lessons. "Just don't pronounce half the letters. They're all silent."

Sounds similar to what one of my French teachers liked to say: “There’s a rule for it, but there are so many exceptions that there’s no point learning the rule” Um.... ok...?