When did X become Y?

I agree with train station, it always grates. I'm so pleased I'm not the only one! What about play dates?! An Americanism? Changing the subject slightly, pronunciation of words is another irritation.

The Americanisms in our language are beginning to get irritating! They seem to love making a verb out of a noun and the most ridiculous thing I heard recently was when a woman was talking about children playing in a park when she called it 'recreating' (pron, reckreating as in recreation, not re-creating)! Too much American telly methinks.

As to the 50s and 60s being history, this still jolts me, how can it possibly be history when I remember it so well !

I don't find train station irritating. It's a very clear expression, like bus station, fire station, ticket station, police station.

As for riding, well the same applies. Horse riding defines the type of riding. One can ride a donkey, ride in tandem, take a bus ride, ride a scooter etc.

When someone said they'd just been fencing, as happened several weeks ago, I knew it meant 'fencing in', as in making an enclosure, as he's a farmer. So using sword fencing is useful in defining the type of fencing.

I could go on.....

I guess pickiness works both ways.

Language is always evolving, think of Shakespeare/ Beatrix Potter. So perhaps we are just fuddy duddies not happy with the changing world. I still think I'm quite a hip grandma though and we were so lucky to be part of the swinging 60s!

Bedside tables are turning into night stands...

I so wish my 81yr old widowed neighbour would stop talking about how much she likes going cruising
.

When did 'May I have?' become 'Can I get?' I long for the person serving to say 'No you can't, I''ll get it, that's what I'm here for'.

When did 'pissed off' become 'pissed'? It sounds so very odd and has a completely different meaning.

I recently read an interview with an American who has just written a new guide to English usage. Previous editions of his book were called a Guide to American Usage but the title has changed to English Usage because he thinks that American English is the dominant version of English now. I suppose that answers our questions really. Cultural Imperialism rules!

I am bemused by people who post on a pedants' forum to tell us off for being pedants. They seem to be missing the point somehow.

"Can I get a ……" instead of "please may I have."

Take a chair..............I always want to ask where too?

And bare/bear with me.............Polar, Black, Grizzly??

I remember having a very laboured conversation with an American about raspberries. She though it must be an exotic Englih fruit but then cottoned on..." oh you mean raresberry." " Yes, raspberry!"

I first heard " Hey you guys" in the 80s and was amazed. Now teachers here use it all the time. Annoying.

My hubby gets annoyed with steam train it is a steam locomotive I don't like patients being called clients ?

When she was very young, Minibags's word for tea-light was twl-light. That's a Welsh w, as in cwm. I used to think that she was combining twinkle-light with tea-light. Twinkle, twinkle, little star was her favourite nursery song.

MrBahs and I still call them twl-lights.

Bags, not Bahs

Hate, hate HATE guys. I also get the rage over being called my first name by young children (I always called my friends' parents "auntie/uncle".

"Bare with me" makes me laugh, as does "Chester Draws".

And since when has "you" become "yous"?.

When my youngest son was a wee lad he called a helicopter a "doodahdit" As far as I know he's now content to use the proper word.
I agree with ffinnochio Pickiness works both ways.

fairy cakes into "cupcakes" anyone?

I've never heard 'night stand' for bedside table before! Just imagine asking a nice young salesman for a bed and one night stand!

You has been yous in Scotland forever, gettingonabit. Well, more precisely, one can refer to several people as yous, not one.

Think I'd go for some help if I was getting in such a stew about a word (guys). Save your hate for things that really need it, like cruelty.

Where we lived abroad, skiing was differentiated as "snow skiing" as opposed to water skiing!!!

bags

I don't mind being a pedant, if it means I am using the words correctly. My current pet hate is, if the definition of boning means to take the bones out of meat fish etc, then does de-boned mean they have been put back in? It is used in menus and cookery programmes very frequently.

It means the same. How lucky we are to have such a rich language that we can say the same thing in different ways.

I wonder if the term de-boning has caught on because people didn't know the meaning of boning? If so, it's a bit lingo-snooty to get all uppity about it when it's perfectly obvious what to de-bone means.

Language is for communicating, after all. If people understand what you're saying, there shouldn't be a problem.

Even if they don't like it