Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you

[315801]

Not sure if this has been mentioned recently but my apologies if it has.

There is 1 thing that has really annoyed be lately besides the use of the word 'so' when beginning an answer to a question that has been asked and that is the latest nuisance saying 'my bad'. Why can't people just stick to the more sensible thing of saying 'my mistake' if they find out that information they believe is right but is actually incorrect, makes no sense to me at all.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

...the latest nuisance saying 'my bad'. Why can't people just stick to the more sensible thing of saying 'my mistake' if they find out that information they believe is right but is actually incorrect, makes no sense to me at all.

The etymology for "my bad" supposedly can be traced back to the late 1980's and apparently has its origins in the world of American basketball, the phrase "my bad" (rather than "my fault") supposedly being used by young players admitting having made a mistake.

 

[Bald Rick]

There is 1 thing that has really annoyed be lately besides the use of the word 'so' when beginning an answer to a question that has been asked and that is the latest nuisance saying 'my bad'. Why can't people just stick to the more sensible thing of saying 'my mistake' if they find out that information they believe is right but is actually incorrect, makes no sense to me at all.

that’s been in use hereabouts for so long it has now fallen out of use!

 

[birchesgreen]

"My bad" is pretty old, it annoyed me decades ago, now i do not mind it.

 

[Gloster]

Coincidently, I was talking to an acquaintance at the bus stop about this only a couple of days ago after somebody, at least as old as I am, nearly walked into us and then said ‘my bad’. My feeling it has a small element of lessening your mistake. If you say ‘my mistake’ you are acknowledging that you have made a mistake, but ‘my bad’ just suggests that a mistake has been made and you are involved, but not necessarily responsible. Even if it came out of some TV programme or the like, its popularity grows because people, possibly unconsciously, are more than ever keen to dodge the blame.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

..
somebody, at least as old as I am, nearly walked into us and then said ‘my bad’. My feeling it has a small element of lessening your mistake. If you say ‘my mistake’ you are acknowledging that you have made a mistake, but ‘my bad’ just suggests that a mistake has been made and you are involved, but not necessarily responsible.

Not sure if I entirely agree with that nuanced interpretation.

 

[dangie]

Cafes or restaurants who serve hot meals on a cold plate. Absolutely no excuse.

Following on from this, when the server/waiter/waitress gives you your meal and says 'enjoy......'

 

[Bald Rick]

Following on from this, when the server/waiter/waitress gives you your meal and says 'enjoy......'

Following on from this, when the server/waiter/waitress returns to your table approximately 30 seconds after delivering the food and asks “is everything ok with your meal?”

my stock answer is - “I don’t know yet“

 

[Techniquest]

Following on from this, when the server/waiter/waitress returns to your table approximately 30 seconds after delivering the food and asks “is everything ok with your meal?”

my stock answer is - “I don’t know yet“

Good answer I haven't had that issue myself yet, it's usually a good few minutes into the meal before I get asked. Mind you, I have meals at restaurants so infrequently I could just be lucky!

 

[D6130]

Following on from this, when the server/waiter/waitress gives you your meal and says 'enjoy......'

In fairness, I think this is just the equivalent of the Italian/French/German 'Buon appetito/Bon appetit/Guten apetit!'....a form of courtesy that doesn't exist in English, as the British are well-known world-wide as a people who eat to live, rather than live to eat!

 

[andythebrave]

Something is not 'for free'

It is either 'for nothing' or 'free'

 

[43096]

Not sure if this has been mentioned recently but my apologies if it has.

There is 1 thing that has really annoyed be lately besides the use of the word 'so' when beginning an answer to a question that has been asked and that is the latest nuisance saying 'my bad'. Why can't people just stick to the more sensible thing of saying 'my mistake' if they find out that information they believe is right but is actually incorrect, makes no sense to me at all.

This.

‘Bad’ is an adjective so should have following word(s). Perhaps the response to someone using “my bad” is “Your bad what? Breath? BO?”.

 

[Calthrop]

Something is not 'for free'

It is either 'for nothing' or 'free'

I have a friend -- a great stickler for correct and dignified English -- who gets almost homicidal over "for free". I feel that he's on a loser there; in recent-ish times, "for free" has carried almost all before it, even in literate "organs of communication". I reckon it incorrect and mildly annoying -- and do my best not to use it myself -- but am not so made as to get highly hot under the collar over this sort of thing. It would strike me that people have come to find "for free", irresistible; part of the reason for that being, that they love alliteration.

 

[xotGD]

I blame Dire Straits: "Money for nothin' and your chicks for free"

 

[gg1]

Cafes or restaurants who serve hot meals on a cold plate. Absolutely no excuse.

Also takeaways who put cold drinks in the same bag as hot food.

 

[dangie]

Also takeaways who put cold drinks in the same bag as hot food.

Plus pubs which put cold drinks into warm glasses straight out of the dishwasher.

 

[daveo]

Cafes or restaurants who serve hot meals on a cold plate. Absolutely no excuse.

Got an extension to that (although it was cold food). Last Sunday, in a relatively class restaurant) a "Ploughman's Platter" was served on a miniature picnic table - meat on the table, bread on one bench and pickles etc on the other one!!!

 

[Strat-tastic]

Not sure if this has been mentioned recently but my apologies if it has.

There is 1 thing that has really annoyed be lately besides the use of the word 'so' when beginning an answer to a question that has been asked and that is the latest nuisance saying 'my bad'. Why can't people just stick to the more sensible thing of saying 'my mistake' if they find out that information they believe is right but is actually incorrect, makes no sense to me at all.

I've taken it to the next level out of sheer devilment. I say, 'My bag.'

Something is not 'for free'

It is either 'for nothing' or 'free'

Yes, yes, yes! How can you exchange 'free' for a good or service?

 

[dangie]

Now I’m on the subject of pub/restaurant food etc, those establishments which serve food on anything other than a proper plate. In the past I’ve had a plank of wood, a floor tile and heard of another which served food inside a flat cap.

I originate from Stoke-on-Trent, the Potteries. Anything other than a porcelain plate is a no-no……

 

[Calthrop]

Yes, yes, yes! How can you exchange 'free' for a good or service?

Now you're expecting language to make sense ...

 

[Ediswan]

Now I’m on the subject of pub/restaurant food etc, those establishments which serve food on anything other than a proper plate. In the past I’ve had a plank of wood, a floor tile and heard of another which served food inside a flat cap.

One venue was in the habit of serving peas in small metal colander. That pretty much guaranteed they would be half cold by the time they made it to the table.

 

[dangie]

One venue was in the habit of serving peas in small metal colander. That pretty much guaranteed they would be half cold by the time they made it to the table.

If I go for a pub meal for example, I want all my meal to be served on the one plate, not in separate containers in which I have to scoop or tip out myself. I blame the tosh they serve on Masterchef. I must admit I’ve never ‘fine dined’ or whatever they call it, but I really wouldn’t pay tuppence for most of what they serve up.

 

[Acey]

Remote controls ,why do so many have lots of buttons that are not needed,also can't the makers just make the most frequently used ones big and bold ! I have a tv remote in front of me that has 51 buttons when all I need is around 6,I know they are all there for a reason but why not just group the important ones together !

 

[Calthrop]

If I go for a pub meal for example, I want all my meal to be served on the one plate, not in separate containers in which I have to scoop or tip out myself. I blame the tosh they serve on Masterchef. I must admit I’ve never ‘fine dined’ or whatever they call it, but I really wouldn’t pay tuppence for most of what they serve up.

Tangent-going-off-at here; this brings to mind a pet peeve of mine, which is rather the opposite of that stated in the first sentence above. A particular thing, I find, of Indian restaurants: standard practice there, is that the separate dishes / constituents of the meal are brought to the table in separate "receptacles" -- but rather often, instead of your being left to dish same out for yourself onto your plate, as suits you; the waiter insists on doing the spooning on to your plate, of the assorted things. This makes me cross -- my reaction (thought, not spoken out loud), "I'm not bloody three years old -- for heaven's sake, leave me alone to sort this business out for myself, according to the way I like !"

This can be envisaged as, anyway in part, a clash of cultures: the restaurant staff consider that they are giving highly-attentive service, which will please people; whereas us individualistic and sometimes not-highly-sociable Brits, value a "hands-off", unintrusive approach, allowing us to do the biz for ourselves in our preferred fashion.

 

[gg1]

Tangent-going-off-at here; this brings to mind a pet peeve of mine, which is rather the opposite of that stated in the first sentence above. A particular thing, I find, of Indian restaurants: standard practice there, is that the separate dishes / constituents of the meal are brought to the table in separate "receptacles" -- but rather often, instead of your being left to dish same out for yourself onto your plate, as suits you; the waiter insists on doing the spooning on to your plate, of the assorted things. This makes me cross -- my reaction (thought, not spoken out loud), "I'm not bloody three years old -- for heaven's sake, leave me alone to sort this business out for myself, according to the way I like !"

My local Indian restaurant never does that, it would annoy me too if they did.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Remote controls ,why do so many have lots of buttons that are not needed,also can't the makers just make the most frequently used ones big and bold ! I have a tv remote in front of me that has 51 buttons when all I need is around 6,I know they are all there for a reason but why not just group the important ones together !

Once had a Sony TV's remote control which was in a black plastic sleeve that did exactly that. If you wanted to, you could have just the big, basic buttons showing, or alternatively, you could slide the control out of its sleeve, turn it round, and, on the other side, it had a myriad of smaller, more technical, control buttons on display.

 

[gg1]

Once had a Sony TV's remote control in a black plastic sleeve that did exactly that. If you wanted to, you could have just the big, basic buttons showing, or alternatively, you could slide the control out of its sheath, turn it round, and instead have a myriad of smaller, more technical, control buttons on display.

I used to own a VCR which was similar, the majority of the buttons were hidden under a hinged cover, when closed you only had the basic ones, play, pause, FFWD, RWD etc.

 

[jfollows]

Tangent-going-off-at here; this brings to mind a pet peeve of mine, which is rather the opposite of that stated in the first sentence above. A particular thing, I find, of Indian restaurants: standard practice there, is that the separate dishes / constituents of the meal are brought to the table in separate "receptacles" -- but rather often, instead of your being left to dish same out for yourself onto your plate, as suits you; the waiter insists on doing the spooning on to your plate, of the assorted things. This makes me cross -- my reaction (thought, not spoken out loud), "I'm not bloody three years old -- for heaven's sake, leave me alone to sort this business out for myself, according to the way I like !"

This can be envisaged as, anyway in part, a clash of cultures: the restaurant staff consider that they are giving highly-attentive service, which will please people; whereas us individualistic and sometimes not-highly-sociable Brits, value a "hands-off", unintrusive approach, allowing us to do the biz for ourselves in our preferred fashion.

Agree with this - plus also when they bring the bottled beer and insist on pouring it into your glass for you, which means you end up with a glass full of froth and have to wait ages before you can start drinking it.

 

[Calthrop]

My local Indian restaurant never does that, it would annoy me too if they did.

I find the majority of Indian restaurants OK this way; but an appreciable minority seem to do the annoying thing.

 

[AM9]

Remote controls ,why do so many have lots of buttons that are not needed,also can't the makers just make the most frequently used ones big and bold ! I have a tv remote in front of me that has 51 buttons when all I need is around 6,I know they are all there for a reason but why not just group the important ones together !

So that's your need, - other users are available (with their pet needs). Far better than some of the latest rmote controls where everything is managed by two or three buttons and maybe a disc with four switch positions depending on how it is pressed.
There are some special programmable remotes with just a handful of buttons for those who have difficulties with more than a few.