Things that Annoy You

[Bill W (2)]

I agree totally about warming the pot. Also one has to allow the tea to "mash" (in Leicestershire) "brew" elsewhere.

Tea is mashed up here in Derbyshire as well.

And when I make it also in this (small) part of Essex!

[Kinoulton]

I think the pedants amongst us can agree that whist the lazy use of English is thoroughly annoying (the French would never allow it), the local differences are part of our rich culture.

I was "mashing" tea since I was five, would observe smoke "pothering" from chimneys, and would definitely accuse someone of being mardy if they were blubbing about note much.

Up here I have got used to people saying: "I aren't going to get my oss to jump that drain" when the drain in question is actually an 18 foot wide 20 feet deep death trap.

[hww27]

There are a lot of phrases down here that are confusing to me which does annoy me.

A bun or a bap is a 'cob' to me a cob is a crusty roll not a soft one. A scone to me is a sc-onn not a sc-own! A 'cot' is something a baby sleeps in not a tangle in the hair, that to me is a 'tat'
When something isnt going to take long, that to me is 'I wont be long' not 'I wont be many minutes'
Before I moved here, mashing to me is what you did to potatoes not tea,
however the one concession I have made is saying 'Ay up' all the time although I still cant bring myself to use 'me duck'

[Kinoulton]

I still use phrases I picked up in Nigeria and find it amusing that a few people in Yorkshire have started picking up on them.

"Wait small" means I'll attend to that very soon.

A "disting" is something you haven't got a name for. "your lawnmower blade is coming loose, have you got the disting for tightening it?"

[BJ.]

A "disting" is something you haven't got a name for. "your lawnmower blade is coming loose, have you got the disting for tightening it?"

A similar local word I love is 'doings'.

There's a bloke who brings his dog to my local and the animal is always on a halti lead. However, within 5-10 minutes of entering the bar, Bruno (the dog) will have worked his way out of the nosepiece. The usual comment will be, "Ay up Jeff. Bruno's slipped 'is doings agin."

[Kinoulton]

That reminds me.

I rarely have to use my dog leads, but I always take them in case I encounter one of those precious families who think the English countryside should be devoid of anything but picnic tables.

But using that same simultaneous reasoning (I forget the name) that made all sheep suddenly realise they could roll over cattle grids, and all sparrows suddenly realised they could peck at milk bottle tops to get to the milk, my three mutts have simultaneously learned that if they walk backwards then can slip their collars.

I am then left looking like some hapless comedy character holding three empty leads whilst some whimpering soft kid from a town is whimpering "Mummy mummy the dogs are coming. Boo hoo hoo."

(No children were harmed. My dogs are tiny terriers and very friendly. Kids, however, are often horrible.)

[movingtoleicester]

To reply directly this post...................

Children.....yuk!

[BJ.]

The increasing number of TV presenters and announcers who cannot pronounce the letter R. I don't want to be constantly bombarded by a lot of Jonathan Ross clones.

[Kinoulton]

I agree. I went to a school of 750 kids, and there was the odd one who stuttered and so on, but I don't recall anyone who couldn't pronounce the letter R so I think in some cases it's an affectation.

It's similar to when the otherwise admirable Alan Sugar tries to stress his street credentials by saying "nothink". Come on mate, you've been hobnobbing with the nobs for decades. You know perfectly well how to pronounce "nothing".

[Bill W (2)]

Me duck. I walk on paths (not parths) and when not taking a shower I have a bath (not barth) and a draw graphs (not grarphs).

Now I can talk proper because I have mixed with then what does.

Why should I?

[DickyP]

I agree totally about warming the pot. Also one has to allow the tea to "mash" (in Leicestershire) "brew" elsewhere.

Tea is mashed up here in Derbyshire as well.

Have to ask the servants what they do!

[Nailsworthstiger]

I recently was the subject of a customer of mine getting a virus which attacked his email directory and now I am being plagued with getting around 30-40 cr*p emails a day, all virtually for health problems or spinal injuries. They all come from the US and they all have different addresses so you cant block them. It's driving me nuts.

If this world didn't have the yanks and their legal/sueing system, we would all be better off!

[DickyP]

Me duck. I walk on paths (not parths) and when not taking a shower I have a bath (not barth) and a draw graphs (not grarphs)....

Actually one of the things that annoys me is that I speak the other way - the longer 'a's. What annoys me is the number of people (not you I'm sure Bill!) who then accuse me of being "posh" and a "soft southerner".

I have two problems with this:

1. I'm a fen lad, and mine was one of the poorest families in a very small village. Luckily it was the days of grammar schools and the 11+ so I avoided having no choice except a life as a farm worker.

2. I did live in the south for many years and served with southern regiments in the Army. Southerners ain't soft!

[Rizzo]

I'm from the Midlands, born in Leicester, and often surrounded by those who use the short 'a' for glass, bath, grass etc. I was taught as a small child by my very strict grandmother that the "correct" way was to use the long 'a' as in barth, grarss...my Mum was a Brummie, although not with a strong accent and she always used the long 'a'. Yet at school and my first job I got ribbed mercilessly for my diction. As I grew older, I lived in the Peak District for a few years on and off, they said I had a Southern accent. In Leicester friends would tell me I had a Northern accent and talked "Derbyshire". (I still use the expression 'poxy wassock').

Now my husband uses the long 'a' as does my daughter, my best friend uses the short 'a' and teases me to "give the girarrfe a bartth on the grarss Arthur".
I always reply if it's good enough for the Queen it's good enough for me.

Things that annoy me are people who use "innit" a lot, and the increasing use of the intonation at the end of a sentence where the speaker's voice goes up, as if asking a question.

[Old Hob]

The modern use of the word "random" to mean, I think, "unexpected".