Words/phrases I wish would go away

[sui generis]

Here's another one I hate: "Let's put a pin in that" when someone doesn't want to lose an off topic thread, but is not ready to address it in that moment.  I don't know how widespread its usage is, actually.  But Ezra Klein, one of my favorite interviewers/podcast hosts, waaaayyyy overuses this expression and it's the one thing I cringe about when I listen.  I really hope it doesn't spread any further.

[nereo]

I don't know if this one has been spoken of yet, but the term 'Heavy Lift' makes me want to die.

At work it is only ever used just prior to a task being dumped by upper management onto not-upper managment: "Oh, I don't  know, Jim. That progress reports sounds like it will be an extremely heavy lift for me right now. Do you think you could handle it?"

This is, of course, followed up by the classic "But, if you're too busy, I guess I can still handle it" immediately followed by a pregnant, expectant pause.

Basically, all business speak drives me insane because it seems to be universally used to only sound smarter than the people around you, or to somehow differentiate yourself: "Our widget development team is really doing a lot of upskilling this year to improve our interdepartmental efficiency."

Sounds like your widget team is deep diving into picking the low hanging hyperlocal fruit to leverage and align synergies.  A value added growth-hack big data approach to strategic viral disrupting might help them pivot into a better paradigm shift going forward.

This goes here…
https://youtu.be/GyV_UG60dD4

[GreenSheep]

Here's another one I hate: "Let's put a pin in that" when someone doesn't want to lose an off topic thread, but is not ready to address it in that moment.  I don't know how widespread its usage is, actually.  But Ezra Klein, one of my favorite interviewers/podcast hosts, waaaayyyy overuses this expression and it's the one thing I cringe about when I listen.  I really hope it doesn't spread any further.

Ugh, yes, file that under "Overused Podcast Phrases," along with "Let's camp out here for a moment" (the opposite of "Let's put a pin in that," I suppose) and "It's almost time to land this plane."

[GreenSheep]

This doesn't quite fit the subject of this thread, but it's something people here would probably appreciate... "defiantly" in place of "definitely." Always in writing, because apparently people do know the difference when speaking. As in, "Yes, we are defiantly going to mow the lawn this weekend." The visual makes me laugh every time, regardless of the topic.

[Hall11235]

I don't know if this one has been spoken of yet, but the term 'Heavy Lift' makes me want to die.

At work it is only ever used just prior to a task being dumped by upper management onto not-upper managment: "Oh, I don't  know, Jim. That progress reports sounds like it will be an extremely heavy lift for me right now. Do you think you could handle it?"

This is, of course, followed up by the classic "But, if you're too busy, I guess I can still handle it" immediately followed by a pregnant, expectant pause.

Basically, all business speak drives me insane because it seems to be universally used to only sound smarter than the people around you, or to somehow differentiate yourself: "Our widget development team is really doing a lot of upskilling this year to improve our interdepartmental efficiency."

Sounds like your widget team is deep diving into picking the low hanging hyperlocal fruit to leverage and align synergies.  A value added growth-hack big data approach to strategic viral disrupting might help them pivot into a better paradigm shift going forward.

[zolotiyeruki]

This doesn't quite fit the subject of this thread, but it's something people here would probably appreciate... "defiantly" in place of "definitely." Always in writing, because apparently people do know the difference when speaking. As in, "Yes, we are defiantly going to mow the lawn this weekend." The visual makes me laugh every time, regardless of the topic.

Heh, now I'm imagining one of my kids refusing to get on the computer, and instead marching out the door in a huff to go mow the lawn.


Hey, a dad can dream, right? :P

[teen persuasion]

This doesn't quite fit the subject of this thread, but it's something people here would probably appreciate... "defiantly" in place of "definitely." Always in writing, because apparently people do know the difference when speaking. As in, "Yes, we are defiantly going to mow the lawn this weekend." The visual makes me laugh every time, regardless of the topic.

In a similar vein, I keep tripping over "tax differed" in place of "tax deferred", all over Bogleheads.  For some reason that one grates on me, more than it should (I agree that defiantly is amusing).  My knee-jerk impulse is to correct them, but no one else mentions it, so I let it go.  Yet, ROTH in place of Roth nearly always provokes multiple BH pleas to fix it - it's someone's name, not an acronym.

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

Don't know whether this has been mentioned but...

Are YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?

The answer is NO. Does that mean you're going to physically assault me or call me a "fag" ?

 'Murican football bores me to tears (soccer too actually). I would very honestly rather watch the grass grow. :p

[ObviouslyNotAGolfer]

"rate of speed"

Speed IS a rate! STFU!

I also hate it when people tell me, "I'm not materialistic." Really? OK but you are stupid (and a d1ck).  (I'm thinking about a couple of people I know personally, not anyone here!) Nothing wrong with not being materialistic--I have been trying all year to get rid of junk (my dead parents' junk specifically) and I hate hoarding. Still, the whole "I'm not materialistic" thing seems to be just another form of bragging.

[GreenSheep]

"rate of speed"

Speed IS a rate! STFU!

I also hate it when people tell me, "I'm not materialistic." Really? OK but you are stupid (and a d1ck).  (I'm thinking about a couple of people I know personally, not anyone here!) Nothing wrong with not being materialistic--I have been trying all year to get rid of junk (my dead parents' junk specifically) and I hate hoarding. Still, the whole "I'm not materialistic" thing seems to be just another form of bragging.

Ha, just like, "I hate drama," always said by those who are constantly inviting drama into their lives and trying to spread it to others.

[GreenSheep]

Argh, I just got an email from a company I used to work for (somehow I'm still on their email list), in which they used the phrase "think thoughtfully." Should I also "look visually" and "speak vocally"? I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart. (Also, this reminds me of, "I'm just speaking out loud." Is there any other way to speak...?"

[Dicey]

Argh, I just got an email from a company I used to work for (somehow I'm still on their email list), in which they used the phrase "think thoughtfully." Should I also "look visually" and "speak vocally"? I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart. (Also, this reminds me of, "I'm just speaking out loud." Is there any other way to speak...?"

This reminds me of one of my accounts from my working days. Their dba was "Interior Flooring, Inc.", which always made me laugh. Yeah, good thing they delineated it from Exterior Flooring. They were great people and one of my best accounts,  but damn, that dba cracked me up.

[Dollar Slice]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

[RetiredAt63]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

[Kris]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

[RetiredAt63]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

Would he be willing to share his secrets?  Sometimes I do the splurge and buy tenderloin, since steaks that are supposed to be tender end up not being that tender. 

Of course if his secret requires a grill I am out of luck, because I can't have one in the apartment and in October they close the public ones.

[Kris]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

Would he be willing to share his secrets?  Sometimes I do the splurge and buy tenderloin, since steaks that are supposed to be tender end up not being that tender. 

Of course if his secret requires a grill I am out of luck, because I can't have one in the apartment and in October they close the public ones.

He generally sous vides the steak and then gives it a quick pan sear on both sides at the end. Delectable.

[Morning Glory]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

Would he be willing to share his secrets?  Sometimes I do the splurge and buy tenderloin, since steaks that are supposed to be tender end up not being that tender. 

Of course if his secret requires a grill I am out of luck, because I can't have one in the apartment and in October they close the public ones.

He generally sous vides the steak and then gives it a quick pan sear on both sides at the end. Delectable.

I don't know if I would like my meat that soft. I've tried beef tongue and I didn't like it because it was too mushy. I don't really like lunch meat, or most ground beef dishes, for the same reason. Meat that doesn't need chewing just seems weird.

[RetiredAt63]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

Would he be willing to share his secrets?  Sometimes I do the splurge and buy tenderloin, since steaks that are supposed to be tender end up not being that tender. 

Of course if his secret requires a grill I am out of luck, because I can't have one in the apartment and in October they close the public ones.

He generally sous vides the steak and then gives it a quick pan sear on both sides at the end. Delectable.

Sous vide - I've head great things about it.  One more appliance for the small kitchen, oops - nope.

[Kris]

I swear people only succeed in making themselves seem dumber when they try to seem smart.

I remember seeing some professional foodie/chef type doing a restaurant review describe a good, tender steak as "fork and knife tender" and I still wonder sometimes what he eats steaks with normally, when they're not tender enough for the fork and knife treatment. Imagining him at the dinner table at home with a hacksaw, slicing off bites of ribeye. "It's good, honey, it's just not quite fork and knife tender."

I heard something similar a long time ago, so not quite sure of the details, but I think it was a butter knife - and butter knives have no sharp edges.  Or just fork tender, no knives involved.  Because anything can be cut if the cutting tool is sharp and strong enough.  If the hacksaw won't do it, we can haul out the chainsaw.

Yes, that is the point: regular table/butter knife, not steak knife. My husband, who is an amazing cook, makes steak so tender there is no need to use a steak knife. When we were first together, I had a set of steak knives, and he did not. When merging our stuff, he wanted to get rid of them because we “didn’t need them.” (Which is absolutely true, but I still like using them.) To this day, whenever he makes steak, he gives me the stink-eye and makes a big (joking ) deal out of being offended by my choice of cutlery.

Would he be willing to share his secrets?  Sometimes I do the splurge and buy tenderloin, since steaks that are supposed to be tender end up not being that tender. 

Of course if his secret requires a grill I am out of luck, because I can't have one in the apartment and in October they close the public ones.

He generally sous vides the steak and then gives it a quick pan sear on both sides at the end. Delectable.

Sous vide - I've head great things about it.  One more appliance for the small kitchen, oops - nope.

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

[Dollar Slice]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

Damn, and I thought *my* kitchen was small! ;-)

I pretty much have a total moratorium on kitchen appliances. I've switched to using a hand mixer instead of my stand mixer because it's just too much of a pain to carry my stand mixer in from the next room when I want to use it. It's like a 20% chance I'll throw my back out every time.

[RetiredAt63]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

So it turns any pot into a sous vide unit?  How does the food get into the bag?  That must mean another piece of equipment?

[nereo]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

So it turns any pot into a sous vide unit?  How does the food get into the bag?  That must mean another piece of equipment?

They make special vacuum-seal bags and machines (that are roughly the size of a 3-hole punch) - but I’ve had equally good results just using freezer-style zip-lock bags. Or you can use silicone stasher bags.  Plus, used carefully either are reusable.

[Kris]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

So it turns any pot into a sous vide unit?  How does the food get into the bag?  That must mean another piece of equipment?

They make special vacuum-seal bags and machines (that are roughly the size of a 3-hole punch) - but I’ve had equally good results just using freezer-style zip-lock bags. Or you can use silicone stasher bags.  Plus, used carefully either are reusable.

Yes, exactly this.

[nereo]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

So it turns any pot into a sous vide unit?  How does the food get into the bag?  That must mean another piece of equipment?

They make special vacuum-seal bags and machines (that are roughly the size of a 3-hole punch) - but I’ve had equally good results just using freezer-style zip-lock bags. Or you can use silicone stasher bags.  Plus, used carefully either are reusable.

Yes, exactly this.

For the minimalist kitchen, one doesn’t even need a sous vide device or vacuum bags. Sous vide cooking has been around for centuries, long before these gadgets*.

Just take your largest pot and a good thermometer. Fill the pot with water and heat until it reaches your target temperature (e.g. 130°F), then turn the burner way down low. Add the food inside a zip top bag and check back every 5-10 minutes - if the water temp has dropped, turn the burner up. If it’s warmer turn it down (or off). Repeat for an hour or so.

* cooks have been gently cooking meats immersed in hot liquid (“sous vide”) going back to at least the ancient romans. Instead of plastic bags used livestock intestines, and to keep the temperature constant they used truly massive pots and a lot of skill.

[Kris]

We have a very small kitchen, as well. Ours is about the size of a paper towel tube.

We use it at least once a week, though.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-joule-sous-vide/?catalogId=79&sku=3592319&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Electrics%20%3E%20Sous%20Vide&region_id=765030&cm_ite=3592319&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOf5phRl688Mf7NkiC2QGNhlncWI4pNmyTl_3bawhQ0IrOUjXosZs9xoC98MQAvD_BwE

So it turns any pot into a sous vide unit?  How does the food get into the bag?  That must mean another piece of equipment?

They make special vacuum-seal bags and machines (that are roughly the size of a 3-hole punch) - but I’ve had equally good results just using freezer-style zip-lock bags. Or you can use silicone stasher bags.  Plus, used carefully either are reusable.

Yes, exactly this.

For the minimalist kitchen, one doesn’t even need a sous vide device or vacuum bags. Sous vide cooking has been around for centuries, long before these gadgets*.

Just take your largest pot and a good thermometer. Fill the pot with water and heat until it reaches your target temperature (e.g. 130°F), then turn the burner way down low. Add the food inside a zip top bag and check back every 5-10 minutes - if the water temp has dropped, turn the burner up. If it’s warmer turn it down (or off). Repeat for an hour or so.

* cooks have been gently cooking meats immersed in hot liquid (“sous vide”) going back to at least the ancient romans. Instead of plastic bags used livestock intestines, and to keep the temperature constant they used truly massive pots and a lot of skill.

This is very true. Of course, having a gadget makes it easier, but it is definitely possible to do it low-tech.

[GuitarStv]

Maybe I'm crazy, but the idea of cooking food in a plastic bag doesn't sit right with me.

[Kris]

Maybe I'm crazy, but the idea of cooking food in a plastic bag doesn't sit right with me.

There's nothing that says you need to use plastic.

https://kitchensnitches.com/can-you-cook-sous-vide-without-plastic-bags/

[dougules]

Maybe I'm crazy, but the idea of cooking food in a plastic bag doesn't sit right with me.

There's nothing that says you need to use plastic.

https://kitchensnitches.com/can-you-cook-sous-vide-without-plastic-bags/

I didn't see livestock intestines on there. 

[nereo]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

People are still dying in large numbers and I’ve got multiple high-risk people in my family. Stop affixing a label on me as if I’m the unreasonable one. Our daycare keeps shutting down due to positive tests and we’ve burned through all our vacation and sick leave without ever actually getting a day off.

[RetiredAt63]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

People are still dying in large numbers and I’ve got multiple high-risk people in my family. Stop affixing a label on me as if I’m the unreasonable one. Our daycare keeps shutting down due to positive tests and we’ve burned through all our vacation and sick leave without ever actually getting a day off.

That's a new one.  I'm reminded of Judge Judy's line "Beauty fades, dumb is forever".  Of course, these days dumb is until you get sick and/or die.

Seriously, if someone said that to me, I would give a great big smile and say"Yup, I like being healthy".  Or  "I don't want to give it to my granddaughter".  For you "Yup, I'm trying not to kill my grandparents". 

It's like negging - "You are such a Insert word meant to be hurtful/negative here" meant to get you to change your behaviour.  You could always tell them they sound like a 14 year old boy.

Sorry to be so militant, but I am just so over people who still don't get it.  I haven't had my hair cut in 18+ months because I am vulnerable, simply because I have managed to live this long already.

[Uturn]

Seamless migration.

I just had a scoping call with a customer for a massive security transformation project.  One of the requirements is seamless implementation, not a single user can be adversely affected.  Um, no.  That is just not possible.  Or at least I have never seen it.  However, I've only been doing IT since 95. 

Let's go ahead and throw "giving 110%" in hear.  That's not possible either.

[Dollar Slice]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

I'm really grateful that my friends have been so nice about this. The friend I hang out with most in indoor situations (I only do everyone's-fully-vaccinated indoor stuff, but still wear a mask because of my personal medical issues) thanked me for the reminder that it's still important to wear a mask indoors, and he always wears one when we're together.

Even if someone does have a debilitating phobia or some kind of crippling anxiety, that's not something we should be mocking. That's really hard to live with, and they deserve sympathy and help.

[zolotiyeruki]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

People are still dying in large numbers and I’ve got multiple high-risk people in my family. Stop affixing a label on me as if I’m the unreasonable one. Our daycare keeps shutting down due to positive tests and we’ve burned through all our vacation and sick leave without ever actually getting a day off.

Is there another term you'd prefer people use when referring to someone who has a higher level of concern regarding Covid risks, and takes more steps to mitigate that risk?  I'm sort of middle-of-the-road on the scale of "how concerned are you?", and the phrase "Covid cautious" seems pretty matter-of-fact and non-judgmental to me, particularly when you compare it to all the vitriolic "deniers"/"paranoids"/"reckless"/"fascist"/whatever epithets we see thrown about.

[DadJokes]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

I'm really grateful that my friends have been so nice about this. The friend I hang out with most in indoor situations (I only do everyone's-fully-vaccinated indoor stuff, but still wear a mask because of my personal medical issues) thanked me for the reminder that it's still important to wear a mask indoors, and he always wears one when we're together.

Even if someone does have a debilitating phobia or some kind of crippling anxiety, that's not something we should be mocking. That's really hard to live with, and they deserve sympathy and help.

This upcoming rant is outside the scope of this thread, but...

Practically the only reason we still have to wear masks is because of the anti-vaxxers. Yes, there are people who medically can't get the vaccine, but if everyone who could get the vaccine got it, then the virus would be killing a lot less people. Vaccinated people are less likely to contract covid, less likely to spread it, and less likely to be hospitalized by it.

I'm not going to let the anti-vaxxers inconvenience my life any more than I absolutely have to. I'm going to wear a mask where I am legally and contractually required to, but nowhere else at this point.

[sui generis]

Use of the word bemused as if it is some cuter synonym of amused. In this book I'm reading, the author has used it twice in the last few pages and it's clear by the subsequent dialogue that the person is not bemused, they are amused.

I feel like so few people use it in a way that could even possibly be correct (I do see it used sometimes where it's ambiguous) that I actually keep looking the word up every year or two to see if the accepted definition has changed just because at some point I guess I expect Merriam Webster and Oxford to just give in to the weight of popular usage. So far though, no. These people are still just wrong.

[slackmax]

Efficacious. puke.

[frugalnacho]

We were at a picnic when visiting friends out of state and my son asked some boys if they wanted to play cornhole and they looked completely bewildered. I guess they don't call it that everywhere...(it's the game where you throw beanbags at a board with a hole in it, in case it's called something different where you are). Much amusement followed, on the part of the adults.

I literally never heard of this until my 30s and have never actually seen it in the wild, only on TV.

I also hadn't heard of it until my 30s when I moved to the South. It's fairly popular down here.

I always thought it was a sexual act before I traveled to the south and Midwest and found out it was a popular family friendly game. Weren't Beavis and Butt-Head always making jokes about cornholes or cornholing someone? I managed to keep a straight face when someone told me there'd be Cornhole at a place we were going, but inside I was shocked and worried!

Yes, to clarify my earlier post. I had never heard of cornhole the wholesome picnic game until my 30s, before then, I only understood it to be a sexual reference, thanks to Beavis and Butthead.

You know,  I think the game might have been named after the Beavis and butthead reference??? I certainly was well into adulthood when I first heard the game called that,  now that you mention it.

A quick etymology search doesn't seem to clarify which came first, the sexual meaning or the game meaning. The game is very old, but seems to have had a bunch of different names. Then somehow "cornhole" took over as the game name.

Why? Who fucking knows? Maybe it was dirty farm humour that tethered the name to the very old game for some strange reason, maybe they're unrelated.

Definitely curious.

The bean bags are filled with dry corn kernels and are then thrown through a hole.  Hence cornhole. I've also heard it referred to as bean bag toss, but cornhole is far more common.

[youngwildandfree]

Phrases I’d like to go away:
Covid cautious

Said twice about us this weekend because we are following basic CDC guidelines (basically wearing masks indoors in group settings). There frequently a subtle condescending message to it, like someone with a debilitating phobia.

People are still dying in large numbers and I’ve got multiple high-risk people in my family. Stop affixing a label on me as if I’m the unreasonable one. Our daycare keeps shutting down due to positive tests and we’ve burned through all our vacation and sick leave without ever actually getting a day off.

Is there another term you'd prefer people use when referring to someone who has a higher level of concern regarding Covid risks, and takes more steps to mitigate that risk?  I'm sort of middle-of-the-road on the scale of "how concerned are you?", and the phrase "Covid cautious" seems pretty matter-of-fact and non-judgmental to me, particularly when you compare it to all the vitriolic "deniers"/"paranoids"/"reckless"/"fascist"/whatever epithets we see thrown about.

I'm curious about this as well. I have used the term COVID cautious to refer to my friends and myself on occasion. Examples "I'm more COVID cautious this week because I'm going to see my immune compromised relative", "we plan to keep this gathering to 10 people because X person is COVID cautious and we want them to be comfortable" or "I am wearing a mask at this event because I'm COVID cautious due to the current local hospital strain". I've never thought of it as a negative term. Is there a better way to talk about this?

[Morning Glory]

I've had multiple people who I don't know well ask me where my child's hair color came from, since it's different than mine and my husband's. The first couple times I actually explained how that color runs in our families, but then I realized how rude this question really is.  Maybe they don't realize it's rude? Just stop already.

[DadJokes]

I've had multiple people who I don't know well ask me where my child's hair color came from, since it's different than mine and my husband's. The first couple times I actually explained how that color runs in our families, but then I realized how rude this question really is.  Maybe they don't realize it's rude? Just stop already.

Meh, we get the same question, and I don't really take offence. Two brunette parents with a blond child is odd. I just explain that I was blond as a child, but it changed over the course of my life.

It doesn't come across as rude to me. No one is insinuating that our child is adopted or conceived via an extramarital affair. Aside from hair color, he looks exactly like me. If anything, there might be some debate as to whether or not he's actually my wife's child and not just an exact clone of me.

I don't think we should consider questions like that as rude. People asking genuine questions is a good thing. We shouldn't be afraid of offending people when we ask about things.

[Metalcat]

I've had multiple people who I don't know well ask me where my child's hair color came from, since it's different than mine and my husband's. The first couple times I actually explained how that color runs in our families, but then I realized how rude this question really is.  Maybe they don't realize it's rude? Just stop already.

Can you explain to me why it's rude? I can imagine some reasons, but I'm so used to people asking this of me and my mom since we look identical except that she's olive with dark eyes and a full afro of thick dark curly hair, and I'm ultra fair, blue eyed, and have fine, strawberry blonde hair. It's never occured to me to find the question rude, so I'm genuinely curious.

[GreenSheep]

Another one to file under "Making oneself seem dumber by attempting to seem smarter...'

I've been seeing a lot of use of the word "hue" when "color" would do just fine. I knew it didn't seem right, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why until I found this article:

https://color-wheel-artist.com/hue/

Another reason to refrain from using a word unless you're sure you know its meaning. :-) Maybe this is overly picky, but you know... words... they mean things. If we start getting too sloppy with them, we'll just have a jumble of general terms without anything for specifics.

[GuitarStv]

Another one to file under "Making oneself seem dumber by attempting to seem smarter...'

I've been seeing a lot of use of the word "hue" when "color" would do just fine. I knew it didn't seem right, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why until I found this article:

https://color-wheel-artist.com/hue/

Another reason to refrain from using a word unless you're sure you know its meaning. :-) Maybe this is overly picky, but you know... words... they mean things. If we start getting too sloppy with them, we'll just have a jumble of general terms without anything for specifics.

I think hue are just being picky.

[Morning Glory]

I've had multiple people who I don't know well ask me where my child's hair color came from, since it's different than mine and my husband's. The first couple times I actually explained how that color runs in our families, but then I realized how rude this question really is.  Maybe they don't realize it's rude? Just stop already.

Can you explain to me why it's rude? I can imagine some reasons, but I'm so used to people asking this of me and my mom since we look identical except that she's olive with dark eyes and a full afro of thick dark curly hair, and I'm ultra fair, blue eyed, and have fine, strawberry blonde hair. It's never occured to me to find the question rude, so I'm genuinely curious.

I suppose I just don't know how to answer. Explain my family history?  Give them a genetics lesson? Say it was the milkman?

[Metalcat]

I've had multiple people who I don't know well ask me where my child's hair color came from, since it's different than mine and my husband's. The first couple times I actually explained how that color runs in our families, but then I realized how rude this question really is.  Maybe they don't realize it's rude? Just stop already.

Can you explain to me why it's rude? I can imagine some reasons, but I'm so used to people asking this of me and my mom since we look identical except that she's olive with dark eyes and a full afro of thick dark curly hair, and I'm ultra fair, blue eyed, and have fine, strawberry blonde hair. It's never occured to me to find the question rude, so I'm genuinely curious.

I suppose I just don't know how to answer. Explain my family history?  Give them a genetics lesson? Say it was the milkman?

My mom says "my father was fair", which is true, but it comes more from my own father, but she prefers to pretend that I'm 100% from her genes, unless I'm pissing her off, in which case I'm "exactly like my father".

People never really care much when they ask stupid throw away questions like that. It's not even really a question, it's more of a comment "oh hey! Your kid is a totally different colour" but stated more as a question, I guess to seem more polite.

Most of the time they don't care about your answer, so you can say whatever you want. You could just shrug and say "genetics" and that would suffice.

[GreenSheep]

People never really care much when they ask stupid throw away questions like that. It's not even really a question, it's more of a comment "oh hey! Your kid is a totally different colour" but stated more as a question, I guess to seem more polite.

Most of the time they don't care about your answer, so you can say whatever you want. You could just shrug and say "genetics" and that would suffice.

I think people often ask a question because they want you to ask it back to them so they get to answer, because they find their own answer immensely interesting.

[Metalcat]

People never really care much when they ask stupid throw away questions like that. It's not even really a question, it's more of a comment "oh hey! Your kid is a totally different colour" but stated more as a question, I guess to seem more polite.

Most of the time they don't care about your answer, so you can say whatever you want. You could just shrug and say "genetics" and that would suffice.

I think people often ask a question because they want you to ask it back to them so they get to answer, because they find their own answer immensely interesting.

Sometimes, yeah, sometimes they're just not thinking much about it.

[nessness]

My manager is always asking me to "craft an email", especially when it's an email to higher-ups. What's wrong with "write an email"? Or just "email"?

[GuitarStv]

My manager is always asking me to "craft an email", especially when it's an email to higher-ups. What's wrong with "write an email"? Or just "email"?

In my experience, writing an email designed for higher ups in the company typically involves a fair amount of crafting - the language you use needs to be carefully selected, the information you give depends based upon which person in upper management is destined to see it and what you know about them and how they react to people who bring them bad news, etc.

Email to co-worker on the project - "This project is fucked - everyone quit or jumped ship!  There are only the two of us left on this doomed project, and we've got work for 14!"

Email to project lead - "The impact of recent personnel changes is going to cause us to miss key targets.  While I appreciate your apparent confidence in the two of us, we will need to hire more people."

Email to department head - "The team is operating at peak productivity and efficiency.  The initial budget and forecasting called for 14 resources over a 46 week period based on our story point estimates.  Given that only two resources are currently allocated to the task, it seems unlikely that we'll be able to achieve our current milestones and schedule."

etc.