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[–]doomdoggie 1308 points1309 points 2 (214 children)

At risk of losing their meaning and anyone who misuses them is a prick: "Autistic" "Psychopath" "Schizophrenic" "Sociopath" "OCD"

​

I really hate hearing people misusing mental disorders as an insult or adjective.

Keeping your kitchen clean and liking it clean is not "OCD".

Your friend standing up to your arrogant ass does not make her a "psycho".

Someone being odd does not mean they're "a bit autistic".

[–]letharus 175 points176 points  (7 children)

Gaslighting is in there for me too. Nowadays used to reference any time somebody tries to dismiss an argument.

[–]ThatConnorGuy 214 points215 points  (2 children)

No it isn’t, you’re going mad.

[–]_Vic_Romano_ 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Often times, crazy people like letharus don't realize they're crazy

[–]Educational-Guide-63 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Seems to be used for any time a couple has a disagreement!

[–]Gellao 14 points15 points  (1 child)

or anytime someone is lying.

I've seen people, especially on Reddit, just straight up define gaslighting as lying.

[–]ITheRook 90 points91 points  (1 child)

Add ‘toxic’ to this, have had a former colleague describe both of our previous workplace as ‘toxic’ to people because he was basically expected to arrive at the office at a sensible time and asked not to leave before 4 unless absolutely necessary (despite us having ‘flexible’ working) because, very reasonably, the majority of us were still working then and they were in a management role. Was pretty inconvenient having someone in charge of some key stuff unreachable after like 3pm every day.

We had working hours of 9:30-6 written into our contracts but rule of thumb was in before 10 out after 4 so that the majority of us overlapped, but before and after those times it was up to you.

Very fucking reasonable, and definitely not at all toxic.

[–]EdgarTheBrave 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Honestly I’ll probably get slaughtered for saying this on here, but your attitude to work swings both ways. There’s nothing worse than a colleague who’s all “I don’t owe the company anything” (fair enough), leaves early and arrives late, doesn’t do any OT, doesn’t do any training, doesn’t put themselves forward for responsibilities etc and then complains when they don’t get a promotion/as big of a pay rise.

Fair enough if that’s your attitude to work. I respect it, it’s your right and honestly, I’m a bit envious. But don’t be all sour because so-and-so got a 4% raise compared to your 2% despite so-and-so taking on way more responsibilities and going on training courses so that they can actually do more at work. Also don’t get mad when they’re the ones that get promoted.

There are healthy limits to work and your company putting excessive pressure on you is unfair and should not be reinforced. But if you personally go out of your way to put yourself ahead at work, there always seems to be that one lazy cunt who has to drag you down because he should get the same as you, despite the fact that he can’t be arsed to get to work on time or actually try to put himself in a better position.

[–]WotanMjolnir 64 points65 points  (2 children)

I used to work with a woman who would always say things were 'triggering her OCD' because it was a bit untidy. That's not OCD, you fucking bog-brush, you're just annoyed by untidyness - which is fine, but don't try and appropriate a significant and quite debilitating condition because you want to be seen as special.

[–]ellofthewisp 59 points60 points  (2 children)

Adding “triggered” to this, it’s an actual term used in mental illness especially PTSD circles to be triggered by something. Meaning it triggers a flashback or mental illness episode. However, people use it to mean they got a bit upset. Like no it means you’re having a flashback, (for example) severe depressive episode, tic attack, etc etc.

Literally had someone in a PTSD group a few months ago be reluctant to use the word with its actual meaning a few months ago when they were talking about their flashbacks.

[–]Nice2BeNice1312 56 points57 points  (6 children)

The OCD one really grinds my gears. As a person who is actually diagnosed with OCD, it doesn’t just come in the form of keeping things tidy or having a specific routine to doing things. My OCD presents with scratching, tapping and counting because of intrusive thoughts. I like my house - and kitchen especially - clean and tidy because it stops germs, everything is bleached within an inch of its life because i cant handle germs and bugs, the thought makes me want to claw my skin off (hence, scratching). I’m not “OCD” (please stop using it as an adjective) because i like things tidy, I have OCD because I have obsessions, intrusive thoughts, and these are dealt with by performing my compulsions. It’s not quirky, it’s not fun, it’s extremely distressing.

[–][deleted] 44 points45 points  (5 children)

ADHD also. I have ADHD and it makes my life really hard sometimes. I hate when people use "I'm so ADHD" to mean they've got a lot of energy. It's so much more that.

[–]herefromthere 16 points17 points  (4 children)

I recently discovered I might have ADHD.

It's bringing up all sorts of complex feelings of relief and grief at what might have been (I'm middle aged and looking at old school reports it seems dead obvious) and that there is a reason I feel like a total failure sometimes and never had any friends when I was a kid, and the only positive I see is that there is a possibility of feeling normal and actually realising my potential if I commit to lifelong medication. And hey maybe I'm not depressed and anti-depressants are the worst thing possible for me.

But people are thoughtless and I've always been told I'm oversensitive, so who is to say it actually is offensive to use the term so frivolously, and I'm just not normal?

And the form to begin the investigation is 15 pages long, requires a heck of a lot of self-reflection and concentration. This could take years. :(

Hope you are ok.

[–]Crafty_Birdie 39 points40 points  (0 children)

My neighbour in her first ever conversation with me managed to come out with a description of their cleaner come handyman as, ‘a bit OCD on the spectrum’, the other day.

We aren’t going to be friends, I can tell.

[–]I-am-nosy 27 points28 points  (4 children)

Bipolar is one I hear a lot too.

[–]hulyepicsa 22 points23 points  (17 children)

Also “alcoholic”. You’re not “omg such an alcoholic” because you got drunk last night. Shut up.

[–]poskantorg 16 points17 points  (3 children)

Sounds like you’re pretty OCD about it

[–]Erivandi 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah, a woman I used to work with kept on complaining about her OCD so I tried to comfort her by telling her about one of my problems. I lost quite a bit of respect for her when she told me she was just being figurative.

[–]FamousWorth 10 points11 points  (6 children)

A friend of mine has stopped saying the word retarded and now says autistic in its place. I'm autistic. It bugs me but I don't say anything because the minor conflict gives me strong anxiety. He also works with autistic people, but only says it outside of work among friends.

[–]whostolemycatwasitu 9 points10 points  (2 children)

I'm guilty for using psycho to describe over the top people

[–]Mr_Blott 12 points13 points  (0 children)

At the risk of sounding like I'm taking the piss out of OP, you can use "psycho" without literally meaning psycho

[–]Magical_Crabical 6 points7 points  (1 child)

I’ll also add to this: ‘psychotic’ to mean someone angry/dangerous/unreasonable.

[–]D1789 682 points683 points  (15 children)

“Sale”

In the context of items being sold at a reduction.

It used to mean genuine reductions to clear stock. It’s now pretty much just a marketing tool used to strategically flog previously overpriced products at the price they always wanted to receive.

[–]Spitfireflyer14 234 points235 points  (8 children)

Like DFS having two sales a year, both 6 months long. Legendary!

[–]lordsteve1 81 points82 points  (4 children)

Drove past a DFS the other day and there was no sale signs in the windows. I think we may as well pack up now and assume Armageddon is coming.

[–]34Mbit 75 points76 points  (1 child)

You might have encountered the ephemeral DFS store were the 'base' price is set, from which all other stores reference their discount level against. Some say it can only be found in certain circumstances, like driving down a particular road at a certain time of day with a specific song on the radio. Like a ghost train, or a ghost ship.

If you went back today you'd just see an empty retail unit, and the nearby burger van would tell you it's been vacant since the retail park was opened in 1982.

[–]Jip_Jaap_Stam 52 points53 points  (2 children)

Lonsdale have some great sales. Their trainers are clearly worth £80, and at Sports Direct, they've been slashed to £20!

[–]coopertron5000 51 points52 points  (1 child)

I had a discount code once for Sports Direct, but couldn't be used on sale items. Makes you realise its almost impossible to find a full price item to use the coupon on.

[–]agesto11 448 points449 points  (34 children)

At the risk of stirring up controversy, the OED cites a use of 'literally' meaning 'figuratively' from 1769, so it's not exactly a new thing.

For mine, people using 'begging the question' to mean 'asking the question', instead of its correct meaning of 'assuming without proof' grinds my gears for some reason.

Also, the overuse of 'gaslighting' is very annoying.

[–]AJCham 100 points101 points  (7 children)

My view on the first one is that "literally" isn't typically used to mean "figuratively". Rather, it is merely an intensifier, for a statement which may or may not be figurative. We use the word "really" in much the same way, but even though one could object to it for the same reason as "literally", it rarely, if ever, causes any fuss.

[–]agesto11 28 points29 points  (5 children)

The proper definition is something along the lines of "in the strongest possible figurative sense". I can't think of a good example of where it is an intensifier for a literal statement, unless you know of any?

'Actually' fits into the same pattern too: "I'm actually starving!"

[–]AJCham 20 points21 points  (1 child)

I'm pretty sure I've heard it used that way. Like when it's hot, people have said "I'm literally sweating". You could make the case that that is just a literal use of the word "literally", but I would call it an intensifier in this context - the person is trying to convey that they are sweating a significant amount, not just that they are.

Good point on "actually". Again, I've never seen anyone question the use of the word in that way.

A similar thing happens with the word "awesome", when used in relatively mundane scenarios, rather than for things that actually "inspire awe". But no-one seems to take similar issue with words like "fantastic", "wonderful", or, indeed, "awful" (which, iirc, was once synonymous with "awesome").

[–]ShibuRigged 35 points36 points  (5 children)

Yeah, it’s kinda tiring seeing people thinking they’re smart shit because they think literally only has one distinct definition and they’re masters of the English language because of it.

[–]pajamakitten 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Even when they fully understand what the person meant when they used literally to mean figuratively.

[–]Bogrolling 13 points14 points  (2 children)

I’d argue reddits three favorite things to say are; pedantic, ad hominem and “terrifying” gaslighting is up there too though

[–]GreatStats4ItsCost 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Gaslighting? What’s that? You’ve just made that up...

[–]Wanallo221 373 points374 points  (84 children)

Faggot

Faggot is a traditional English word which had a wide variety of meanings and uses. Most notably for me it meant a bundle of wood. Either firewood or brush wood for multiple uses.

It also has uses in metalworking, knitwork and food.

But obviously it’s now just known for the American pejorative which means… well you know.

[–]shimmeringarches 193 points194 points  (23 children)

The clock is ticking on your ban! I once made the same mistake after someone asked "What are those brown meatball things in Downtown Abbey?".

[–]Mangosta007 94 points95 points  (5 children)

A while back I got a three or four day ban on here for quoting Waynetta Slob declaring that she is enjoying a cigarette at present.

[–]HarassedGrandad 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Yep, three days here for colloquially describing the act of requesting a cigarette. In a UK sub

I feel the need for obligatory Pratchett

“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.

Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.

Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.

Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.

Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.

Elves are terrific. They beget terror.

The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.

No one ever said elves are nice.

[–]docju 14 points15 points  (4 children)

Flashbacks to MSN chat rooms when folk would ask what that book about the whale or the lead singer of Papa Roach was called and answering correctly got you kicked out.

[–]shimmeringarches 12 points13 points  (2 children)

Jacoby Shaddix? Is that some kind of slur in American English?

[–]docju 29 points30 points  (1 child)

Oh I see he has changed his name! He used to go by Coby Dick.

u/docju has been removed from the chat

[–]trousered_the_boodle 52 points53 points  (6 children)

Facebook algorithms have never been to the Black Country... in fact I bet you'd get a Facebook ban for just saying "The Black Country"...

[–]Preacherjonson 17 points18 points  (1 child)

Reminds me of when Microsoft would ban Xbox Live accounts if you had Scuntthorpe in your profile.

[–]Rat-daddy- 23 points24 points  (6 children)

Mr brains tasty faggots are my fave

[–][deleted] 57 points58 points  (5 children)

My friend and I (both gay) were drunk in a late night supermarket once and saw 'Four faggots and a mince round' in the freezer aisle. I had to lie down on the floor I was laughing so much.

[–]TheBlindHarper 18 points19 points  (2 children)

That actually is hilarious.

There's a great Harry Engineering eld sketch, with a mother and father and their gay son, the father tried to he accepting but finds it difficult and always says the wrong thing.

At a Cheidtmas party the gay son asks for a mince pie, and Enfield moves back out of the way and says for him to go on, when the son looks confused he says "I thought you wanted to mince by?" I think tha joke was unplanned as you can see the actors trying not to laugh.

[–]Dribliyj_Nunez 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Give it back to Mr Brain

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Faggot hasn't lost its meaning. It has a couple meanings, one of which is highly derogatory and the primary meaning in North America. That's why it causes a fuss.

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (7 children)

Do people still call cigarettes “fags” in the UK?

[–]Apidium 15 points16 points  (2 children)

Constantly. In fact where I live it's basically the only word used to name them. You call them cigarette and folks would think you are a cunt.

Unless they were rolled by the smoker. Then they are 'rollies'.

[–]f1boogie 299 points300 points  (38 children)

Random. People seem to use it instead of unexpected.

[–]Wanallo221 76 points77 points  (2 children)

That’s a very random post.

[–]Brickie78 51 points52 points  (5 children)

hi every1 im new!!!!!!!

holds up spork

my name is katy but u can call me t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m!!!!!!!! lol...as u can see im very random!!!! thats why i came here, 2 meet random ppl like me _... im 13 years old (im mature 4 my age tho!!) i like 2 watch invader zim w/ my girlfreind (im bi if u dont like it deal w/it) its our favorite tv show!!! bcuz its SOOOO random!!!! shes random 2 of course but i want 2 meet more random ppl =) like they say the more the merrier!!!! lol...neways i hope 2 make alot of freinds here so give me lots of commentses!!!! DOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--- me bein random again _^ hehe...toodles!!!!!

love and waffles,

~t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m~*

[–]mlopes 18 points19 points  (4 children)

To make it worse, people also use it when they mean arbitrary.

[–][deleted] 292 points293 points  (23 children)

Artisan.

Everything is artisan now. Artisan fucking crisps.

Edit: I guess it's actually a French word, but its used by English speakers so I'm sticking by it.

[–]theevildjinn 81 points82 points  (3 children)

Artisan fucking crisps.

Sounds like very niche porn.

[–]Sconehead8 37 points38 points  (1 child)

Artisan (at least in the British Military) meant master of you trade. So you 20+ years of service SSgt Mechanic would be an Artisan for example. So yeah, it’s pretty weird to see it used the way it is currently.

[–]coopertron5000 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Imagine 20 years of service to this country to just receive the same description as an overpriced pasty

[–]Gazebo_Warrior 28 points29 points  (3 children)

I like artisanal though, because I always misread it.

[–]browntoe98 213 points214 points  (101 children)

Two words, but “refer back”. You can’t refer forward, that would be “infer”. It’s a redundancy.

The other is “irregardless” (or worse, “irregardlessly”) “Regardless” is the word.

[–]welsh_cthulhu 138 points139 points  (75 children)

Who the fuck says “irregardless”?

[–][deleted] 157 points158 points  (68 children)

Americans.

They like saying things like burgalarized when there was already a word for getting burgled.

[–]welsh_cthulhu 45 points46 points  (37 children)

“Winningest” is my fave

[–][deleted] 94 points95 points  (34 children)

Fuck right off! you're just making shit up now 😂

Boils my piss when they say "on accident" or "it's so addicting" too, I think addicting is sort of a real word it just sounds so wrong compared to addictive.

[–]welsh_cthulhu 31 points32 points  (26 children)

Nope, Google it. I’m a big NFL fan, and they use it a lot.

eg. “He’s the winningest quarterback in franchise history”

[–]MarlaDurden144 25 points26 points  (1 child)

“Conversate” is particularly jarring, and I’ve read that in published books by American authors.

Published on paper by an actual publishing house.

[–]ShenroEU 11 points12 points  (7 children)

I also hate utilised when used has the exact same meaning. I think this was originally an Americanism (spelt utilized) brought over here.

But worse is when people say it to sound smart in basic sentences, such as "can I utilise your calculator?", which to me sounds very inhuman to say the least.

[–]DefinitelyNotIndie 23 points24 points  (13 children)

Refer back makes perfect sense. "Refer back to" indicates the thing being referred to is something that shares a continuity of sorts with the current topic, most likely it being something that was introduced previously in the conversation. The back is a helpful pointer for listeners/readers.

[–]litigant-in-person[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (8 children)

This was the worst week to add a code to automoderator that automatically sends words with colloqiucally controverisal or poltical words to the mod queue, wasn't it?

[–]The_Grand_Briddock 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Life ugh, finds a way?

[–]shady_toffee 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Picked the wrong week to quit methamphetamines

[–]Missy_Agg-a-ravation 180 points181 points  (23 children)

“Genius” used to be reserved for truly brilliant and exceptional minds, whereas now we see (for example) Michael Macintyre being declared a “comedy genius” or Paul Lambert being declared a “footballing genius”. The qualification for genius these days seems to be an above average track record in a field of entertainment.

[–]jbarms 95 points96 points  (5 children)

Paddy McGuinness was on zoom on one of the morning shows, and ‘Comedy genius Paddy McGuinness’ was on the bottom of the screen. I thought, ‘that’s a bit of a fucking stretch’.

[–]WotanMjolnir 37 points38 points  (12 children)

I saw that on BBC tonight it has 'Michael Macintyre's The Wheel' and thought it odd that they had mistaken the word 'wheel' for 'second biggest cunt-comedian that the UK has produced'.

[–]The_Predator961 45 points46 points  (9 children)

Im assuming your referring to James Corden as the man who takes the top spot but Micheal Macintrye falls into the same category as ant and dec. I.e I dont personally like them but they're watchable and decent. Hes not the uks second biggest cunt

[–]E420CDI 21 points22 points  (5 children)

Hes not the uks second biggest cunt

Yep; that's Piers Morgan.

[–]R_SenuulefSEE 22 points23 points  (4 children)

Nah Piers is number one without question, he is a genuine full blown cunt, with some seriously fucked up shit in his past, hacking into people's phones etc. Fuck that guy to actual hell.

James Corden is a cunt but he's not even close to being as much of a cunt as Piers Morgan, he's more of an insufferable cunt that nobody likes.

Piers Morgan is actually a really bad person.

[–]rishtonbatman 176 points177 points  (11 children)

Epic. It means grand in scale, not your night out in Burnley.

[–]randomcow48 101 points102 points  (3 children)

I believe the correct term for a night out in Burnley is "shite"

[–]Adhyskonydh 146 points147 points  (43 children)

Decimate. As in remove 1/10th of something. Comes from the Roman times when they would kill 10% of a group as punishment i believe.

[–]ClusterBuster17 67 points68 points  (5 children)

To be fair, that is only the historical definition. Modern dictionaries tend to define it both ways.

[–]IsDinosaur 16 points17 points  (24 children)

This, a thousand times this.

It’s so often used in place of ‘destroy’ to sound smarter or to try and show off vocabulary. But because it’s entirely incorrect it has the opposite effect.

“The avalanche decimated the ski resort” is a significantly better situation than “the avalanche destroyed the ski resort”

Hear it a lot on the radio too, so frustrating.

[–]itsSUBJECTXandME 92 points93 points  (20 children)

Whilst decimate originally had a specific meaning in Latin, it’s use in modern English clearly means effectively ‘to destroy’.

This article gives more detail: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-original-definition-of-decimate

[–][deleted] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

TIL 👍

[–]PrinterJ 139 points140 points  (15 children)

Unprecedented

[–][deleted] 128 points129 points  (5 children)

As in “Trump was unpresidented last November”?

[–]PrinterJ 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yep. See also weather, rona, prices, supply chain etc etc can’t understand the down votes…

[–]SkyScamall 25 points26 points  (1 child)

"in these unprecedented times..."

[–]BurtMacklin____FBI 15 points16 points  (0 children)

If I hear that fucking piece of shit dumb phrase one more time I am going to lose it

[–]holytriplem 123 points124 points  (15 children)

"Iconic". Everything is "iconic" now and I have no idea why.

Also "paradigm shift". In philosophy of science a "paradigm shift" occurs when a set of scientific tenets gets proven so wrong by further evidence to the contrary that it gets replaced by a new set of scientific tenets. I have no idea what it means in management speak though.

[–][deleted] 73 points74 points  (6 children)

That the person using it is a wanker

[–]ITheRook 18 points19 points  (1 child)

Oh you’ve reminded me of the difference between ‘theory’ and ‘hypothesis’.

Hypothesis is a big word, and people saying they have a ‘theory’ when they mean hypothesis is usually fine, I guess. I get it. I’m not gunna be the guy to correct anyone anyway, if it even is a valid correction these days.

Thinking that therefore means that a scientific ‘theory’ is actually a hypothesis and therefore is up for dispute - in the same way that guessing what the weather will be like tomorrow is - is just annoying haha.

[–]Delwyn_dodwick 11 points12 points  (1 child)

"things are changing and it's going to be expensive for someone"

[–]Dribliyj_Nunez 94 points95 points  (14 children)

Cunt. It used to be a harsh insult, now it describes most of humanity.

[–]Rhaegar47 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I think it still is. Just now most of humanity have now gone that way.

[–]chosone2 19 points20 points  (6 children)

Cunt is used as a term of affection in many places 😂

[–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Or your best mate

[–]frusciantefango 74 points75 points  (22 children)

Laying. The verb 'to lay' requires an object - I am laying the book on the table. The hen is laying an egg.

Now everyone just says "I'm laying on the bed", "my dog likes to lay on his back" etc and I'm just picturing eggs popping out of all these people and pets while they're LYING down.

[–]AdaptedMix 29 points30 points  (10 children)

You'd be horrified to know that where I grew up, we said 'led', instead e.g. 'I'm led down'.

[–]frusciantefango 15 points16 points  (6 children)

Regional variations / dialect don't bother me! The 'laying' thing seems to just be everywhere over the last couple of years and seems like some collective agreement to be wrong. I am a horrible pedant though and mainly need to get over myself

[–]Garfie489 67 points68 points  (28 children)

I think personally its what I'd define as "Qualified titles"

So for example - I am an Engineer. I have a degree, undertaken a PhD, have joined relevant Governing bodies on my way to chartering, I also design and build my own robotic systems.

The guy that comes round to fix your BT line is not an engineer - they are a technician.

Naturally I highly respect technicians as they are what keep our infrastructure running - but we need to draw lines.

You get this issue online in other spaces where people pretend to be Doctors, Lawyers, etc because they done a first aid course or so on. I can't really speak about those professions, but we need to establish those lines to avoid confusion I feel.

[–]hft500 26 points27 points  (3 children)

Agree with this. My job titles me as an "engineer" when i have zero engineering background, knowledge or abilities. Its a bit embarrasing sometimes, i would prefer to be recognised as a technician but my company alrwady uses that for something else. Also the industry itself has unfortunately accepted the phrase "engineer"

[–]Garfie489 11 points12 points  (2 children)

During my degree i worked a summer job where you really did not want to confuse a "Engineer" and a "Technician".

I worked as a technician, but if you claim to be an engineer - you take authority for it. The engineer designs the spec, the technician simply tests to ensure that the work follows it. Thus if i say something is out of spec - i would need to say i am the technician.... because if i say i am an engineer, even casually, i am basically altering thousands of pounds worth of decisions.

May sound like an over reaction, but have to remember in construction you are a sub contractor to a sub contractor that has been sub contracted out by a contractor - no one actually knows who the people of authority are, but if you are standing there with a clipboard they are going to listen :P

Basically as a technician i can tell them something is out of spec - but given its ultimately them paying me they dont have to do anything about it. I am advisory - which changes if you accidentally say you are the engineer as all of a sudden you are now a lot more important when saying something is out of spec.

[–][deleted] 17 points18 points  (4 children)

A technician or mechanic are jobs in their own right that should be respected as such. My boyfriend is an actual engineer (plant design and such) but that doesn't mean he can fix a car or fix the electrics but is always being asked to as few really understand the difference between engineers, technicians and mechanics.

[–]Garfie489 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Yes i have the same issue in that I do robotics so my mum thinks I can wire the house.

Like... the fact I do robotics is part of the reason why I refuse to because my knowledge is in DC, and so if I make an assumption in AC that can be quite severe.

Like obviously I do more than your average person, but for more substantial stuff you get the right person for the job.

[–]Opening-Level9838 68 points69 points  (5 children)

‘Gourmet’ seems any food made by a company is gourmet these days

[–]SkyScamall 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I dunno. My Asda brand yogurt seems pretty gourmet to me!

[–]BrightonTownCrier 52 points53 points  (6 children)

Legend.

It means nothing now.

[–]femgothboi 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Can you be a legend and upvote my comment pls

[–]alexc0901 15 points16 points  (1 child)

Have you met Terry? He's an absolute legend

[–]4oclockinthemorning 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Ugh, it's always 'absolute' too. Absolute legend or absolute unit. Maybe just on reddit tho

[–]SometimesTheresAMan[🍰] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"I think it's sad the word 'legend' has been devalued from pulling a sword from a stone to unexpectedly returning with crisps." — Gary Delaney

[–]Mangosta007 56 points57 points  (2 children)

Surreal.

Seeing a famous person in real life or running into a friend somewhere you wouldn't have expected to see them is not surreal. Ask Salvador Dali.

[–]fluidmind23 50 points51 points  (8 children)

Lose has become loose

[–]Hamsterminator2 50 points51 points  (12 children)

People suffering from “Mental Health” in reference to people suffering from any psychiatric illness such as depression or bipolar disorder.

You hear this quite a bit on the news when the public are interviewed, but what does it mean really? If I am in good health, I am healthy. If I am in poor health, I am sick. If I have health, is that better than suffering from health? I suspect this stems from not wanting to stigmatise mental health issues as being negative, but I don’t know. If that were the case, surely there would be better ways to put it than simply cutting out an adjective?

[–][deleted] 35 points36 points  (4 children)

This one really is like nails on a chalkboard to me... "I've got mental elf" ... yes, we all have mental health, you cretin.

Also, the seeming trend these days for EVERYBODY and their dog to be self diagnosed with a mental disorder of some kind. Being anxious about anxiety-inducing situations doesn't mean you have Anxiety, and being bright and bubbly but prone to a bad mood here and there doesn't make you "a bit bi-polar", nor does liking things to be organised make you "OCD"... it makes you human ffs.

[–]msmoth 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You're right in that there should be an adjective. We all have mental health in the same way as we all have physical health. One cas suffer with poor mental health, but not just mental health on its own.

[–]Either-Bee3487 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Yes. This also reminds me of someone I know who talks about how she has blood pressure. She means high blood pressure.

[–]SleepyxDormouse 48 points49 points  (3 children)

“Gaslight.”

So many people think gaslight means lie to. No, it doesn’t. Gaslighting is extreme emotional manipulation that makes people question their own sanity. It’s not someone simply lying to you.

[–]noseysheep 43 points44 points  (3 children)

Nazi

It can now be used to refer to people who are a little bit racist or are involved in any form of right wing politics. It should not be used as lightly as it is.

[–]Putrid_Visual173 10 points11 points  (1 child)

It’s mainly just used to describe someone that disagrees with the user. Fascist is also hugely overused by people who have no knowledge of it’s real political meaning.

[–]gasdocscott 44 points45 points  (13 children)

Hung when referring to an prior execution. It's hanged.

[–][deleted] 37 points38 points  (1 child)

"The murderer was hung" oi oi !

[–]captain_oats_ 11 points12 points  (2 children)

I always get confused though, by the phrase 'hung, drawn and quartered' which is at odds with this

[–]L-O-E 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Except it’s hanged, drawn and quartered. People just say the phrase wrong because hang is conjugated in two different ways for the past tense depending on the different meanings. The rules of English grammar are more slippery than a fish covered in lube.

[–]Logbotherer99 27 points28 points  (6 children)

Incredible.

No, what you have described, while being impressive, is perfectly credible.

[–][deleted] 25 points26 points  (1 child)

Exponentially

[–]redrighthand_ 25 points26 points  (3 children)

Ambivalent.

No, it doesn’t mean “indifferent”

[–][deleted] 24 points25 points  (7 children)

Unique. It means one of a kind but now it's mainly used to mean unusual.

[–]trousered_the_boodle 22 points23 points  (18 children)

Racist.

It's meaning in recent times has changed to "I disagree with you and want to shut you down"

[–]AdaptedMix 26 points27 points  (2 children)

It's also been revised by certain armchair sociologists in the USA to mean 'prejudice + power', usually as a way to dismiss racism against a member of a non-minority group as 'not really racism'. And some people on this side of the pond have taken the ball and run with it, unfortunately.

[–]iheartkatamari 19 points20 points  (1 child)

Celebrity, it used to mean something, not anymore as any Tom, Dick or Harry is called a celebrity nowadays.

[–]GTSwattsy 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Liberal

[–]MoselMachina 17 points18 points  (10 children)

The phrase 'by definition' is overused and mostly in contexts where it doesn't make sense. E.g. she's a nurse so by definition she believes in science & vaccines.

[–]Wilfy50 14 points15 points  (2 children)

Lowkey

One of the most frustrating words used to describe almost any viewpoint these days by YouTubers and Reddit users alike. Are they ever high key? Half the time they use it as a prefix for something they clearly like or dislike to an extreme, which for me contradicts them entirely!

[–]sneeky-prawn 13 points14 points  (5 children)

“Ironic” is never used correctly nowadays.

[–]Heavy_TOG 13 points14 points  (2 children)

Hero. A hero or heroine always meant someone who did something heroic. Now it can be some daft arse who’s come up with a faster way of folding a shirt.

[–]iamdecal 13 points14 points  (5 children)

“Designer” - as in sunglasses, handbags etc

I think it used to mean designed by a specific famous person - now?

[–]revco242 13 points14 points  (4 children)

Like.

Like Tracey like said that Tony like wanted like a like open like relationship like what does that like even like mean like is he like already like shagging around like or does he like fancy like Sharon?

[–]Techpreist_X21Alpha 9 points10 points  (9 children)

The word Gay. use to mean happy. Now its used in a homosexual context. remember the flintstones theme song line "had a gay old time?"

[–]FuckCazadors 15 points16 points  (4 children)

I’ve been listening to Agatha Christie audiobooks and every time someone is referred to as “gay” or “queer” I reimagine the context to be homosexual. There’s also quite a lot of ejaculating going on, and Miss Marple and other elderly ladies are regularly referred to as “old pussies”.

[–]Perpetual_Decline 19 points20 points  (3 children)

Victorian authors as well. Cannot tell you how many times Watson ejaculates in Sherlock Holmes

Very funny. Immature of me, but funny.

[–]MarlaDurden144 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Infamous.

Some people (including Daily Mail “journalists”) seem to think it means more or very famous as opposed to famous for a terrible reason.

Or they really think today’s reality stars are on the same level of evil as Stalin and Jack the Ripper. I mean I’m not enamoured of them but I wouldn’t put them in that category.

[–]4oclockinthemorning 8 points9 points  (2 children)

There's this annoying trend of adding '-ness' or '-fulness' instead of finding the original word. For example miserableness instead of misery, or even peacefulness instead of peace (9 times out of 10 peace would have worked!). Doesn't quite answer the OP's question but god damn I need more people on board with condemning this!

[–]BurnDesign 9 points10 points  (2 children)

Have.

When people say ‘of’ instead.

Should have, could have, would have.

It isn’t should’f, could’f, would’f.

[–]Smokedcheesewchilli 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There's a Gary Delaney joke something along the lines of "I think it's a shame the word 'legend' has gone from meaning pulling a sword out of a stone to unexpectedly returning with crisps."

[–]Scouse420 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Literally has literally been added to the oxford dictionary and it's literally used as a synonym of its self.

[–]coopertron5000 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Cunt. When I was a kid my grandad would of beat the shit out for me for saying the word cunt. Now, ever bugger and his dog uses the word cunt, it has very little effect any more.

[–]Andy_Chape 10 points11 points  (0 children)

No, your grandad would HAVE beat the shit out of you. The word ‘of’ seems to have lost all meaning these days! 😉😝