What's happened to the word 'Pound'?

ceecee · Post by **ceecee** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:12 pm

quid?

cornish tigress · Post by **cornish tigress** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:46 pm

I know. It used to really annoy me in the USA. I can't believe they've started doing it here. Electrical shops and furniture shops ads are the worst. Do they think it makes it sound cheaper? The other one that bugs the whatsits off me is saying 'January 10th', what's wrong with a little 'the' in there? Grr. And 'The Pope arrives Thursday'. ON Thursday for God's sake!

Gate · Post by **Gate** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:24 pm

Yours for five spond, mate, and I'm cutting me own throat at that.

cornish tigress · Post by **cornish tigress** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:04 pm

Isn't it lovely to stop all that festive being nice to people nonsense and have a :censored: good moan! Happy Christamas

madoqua · Post by **madoqua** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 4:01 pm

Is Gate mad!!!!!!!!

Kinoulton · Post by **Kinoulton** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:34 am

It seems to be Americanisation creeping in.

My two particular cringes are:

1) "I want out." This is a phrase for people who can't make a sentence.

2) "Math". Or even worse: "Do the math."

I don't mind the Americans saying this because they were brought up to. But when a Brit says it, I am compelled to shove a red hot poker up their tradesmen's entrance.

Rizzo · Post by **Rizzo** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:51 pm

I got into quite an irritable argument with someone at my office Christmas lunch over the "maths" thing - as she is one who uses that phrase Kinny mentions. I ended up telling her quite plainly "It's mathematicS - plural S at the end of the word, therefore the abbreviation is MathS - and the word math actually refers to a crop that has been mowed."

westwinds31 · Post by **westwinds31** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:40 pm

Yes, while we're on the subject...."10 December"....10 December what exactly ??!...10th OF December if you please !!

9/11...7/7...I ask you !!

There again, if I purchased an item in a shop and the person running the till said "That will be 4 pounds and 99 pence please sir"...that would surprise me !!!

Rizzo · Post by **Rizzo** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:02 pm

It would surprise me too - I don't often find people using "please" or "thank you" these days.

Cliffeclimber · Post by **Cliffeclimber** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:20 pm

Then there are the people who make everything they say into a question? That's the Aussie's for you?

WharfedaleTiger · Post by **WharfedaleTiger** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:51 pm

Supposedly saying 4 2 5 makes it sound cheaper. It :censored: annoys me...

As does Math and many other Americanisms that creep over.

brooksey101 · Post by **brooksey101** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:54 pm

Rizzo wrote:I don't often find people using "please" or "thank you" these days.

Manners do not cost nothing. It is a major bug of mine when people dont thank someone even for the simplest of things picking a pen up off the floor to getting a lift back from a rugby match.

Gate · Post by **Gate** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 10:12 pm

brooksey101 wrote:Manners do not cost nothing.

Actually, they do.

Don't you just hate pedants?

IsraeliTiger · Post by **IsraeliTiger** » Sat Dec 29, 2007 10:31 pm

Gate wrote:Yours for five spond, mate, and I'm cutting me own throat at that.

Come on mate, no worries, all I'm asking for is a fair go, right?

Dave Angel · Post by **Dave Angel** » Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:55 pm

A question for those posters "more senior in years" who are complaining about the word pound being ignored in today's society:

In pre-decimal times, did you ever use the phrase "two and six" as an abreviation for the amount "two shillings and six pence"?

Did you (either at the time or since) complain about the disregard for the words "shillings" or "pence"?

I can understand your complaint about the word pound being dropped on a cross-border flight where more than one currency may be expected to be in circulation but in the UK we only use the pound as legal tender. Therefore I don't see why it is such an issue if it is not used to describe every single currency-based transation that takes place within these shores!