Similalrly, and particularly prevalent on these pages, a few delays on one line is immediately “chaos”.
No it isn’t
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Comedic "things you would ban": minor things that irritate you
- Thread starter py_megapixel
- Start date
Similalrly, and particularly prevalent on these pages, a few delays on one line is immediately “chaos”.
No it isn’t
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RailUK Forums
Oh - and I forgot “carnage”, which fortunately is exceedingly rare.
Hadlow Road
Member
A journalist of my acquaintance explained that his sub-editor used to remove all adjectives in his reports, explaining that he was there to report the news and not to offer opinion. I gather that specific descriptions, colour, shape etc were allowed. But not opinions.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I remember the correct use from the story of a chap returning home to find his friend and his wife in bed together and exclaiming ”I’m surprised at you.” To which his wife replied “No, it is I that am surprised, you are amazed.” Why do we continue to shrink the vocabulary, 1984 style?
++ungood.
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Absolutely right, and I think that the rubbish we now read is because sub-editors have been dispensed with on many newspapers. So we get adjectives we don’t want, and howlingly bad grammatical and spelling errors, which the sub-editors would have removed or corrected in the past.
Newspapers can have opinions without forcing them down our throats. I welcome their opinions, in fact, but not the rubbish of “horror crash” and that ilk we get in many papers today.
Ted633
Member
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2018
- Messages
- 571
I have a Lenovo tablet that I use for general internet browsing etc, and yesterday YouTube have decided that my version of the app is not up to date and no further updates will be supported. It just tells me I now have to use the desktop version as I can’t use the app anymore. The desktop version is terrible on a tablet as well.
luckily I now have a work iPad, so have to use that for YouTube now.
luckily I now have a work iPad, so have to use that for YouTube now.
On the subject of reporting that somabody has died, why is it that newsreaders continually report that "the person has sadly died". That is a personal statement rather than newsworthy. The effect of that statement is to imply that the are other instaces where a person has happily died, although I feel that the addition of the word 'sadly' is a lazy attempt of the announcer to show some sympathy which in effect comes across as a token getsure. Although that would not really be as part of a functional news report. If someone wants to express sadness about the death then the sentence should read: 'sadly, the person has died'.
Gloster
Veteran Member
The overuse of such words as sadly in routine announcements. Southern Vectis sometimes uses it when a single bus trip is cancelled.
In cases like that, the use of the word 'sadly' is disingenuous. Cancellations should be announced with either an apology, of if the operator is not reponsible for the cancellation, of if not, with a word such as 'regrettably' which implies a disappointment shared with the customer.
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Lewisham2221
Established Member
Usually headlining an article which, in fact, does not reveal the exact time of said event but rather something more vague like "next week".
Sticking with Reach...
(Deliberately) Poorly worded headlines along the lines of "All Northern services cancelled this weekend" when they actually mean "List of all this weekends cancelled Northern services"
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
It's a wonder that ( in this example ) Northern or the DfT haven't sued Reach for misrepresentation - there will be quite a few people who will only look at the headline and will change their travel plans on the basis of it.
BBC do much the same.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cde9pn61j72o
You have to read further to see these are weekend closures, not permanent.
Gloster
Veteran Member
I will say that this is possibly deliberate for a good reason. A lot of motorists will just ignore something that only mentions rail closures and ‘temporary‘ may be ignored as well. Going over the top will at least get the attention of most of those who would grumble that ‘you should have told us’.
gg1
Established Member
There of course code phrases which can be used in those circumstances, for example:
Tireless raconteur = a bore who would never shut up
Doesn't suffer fools gladly = a***hole
Colourful character = nutter
A bit of a lad = career criminal
There was a story on the local newspapers website (Dorset Echo) with the headline "Dorset libray users lose access to reading app", the real story was app issues meant that the app wasn't working at the moment and the company is trying to fix them".
A clearly clickbait article.
A clearly clickbait article.
Gloster
Veteran Member
When I am looking at the books in a charity shop I often taken one out because the title or the author’s name looks vaguely familiar or interesting. Usually they prove not to be not worth looking further at and I put them back. There are people who will then take out exactly the same book and look at it: that might be understandable, but when they take out all the same books as me, but no others, I find it a bit weird.
Acey
Member
- Joined
- 16 Nov 2018
- Messages
- 431
Hmm,I find it a weird that you watch what other people are doing 
Gloster
Veteran Member
Hmm,I find it a weird that you watch what other people are doing
When they are only about two feet away you can’t avoid seeing what they do. On Saturday somebody picked out six or seven books out like this.
Acey
Member
- Joined
- 16 Nov 2018
- Messages
- 431
Maybe they think that you are a discerning ,well read person,take it as a compliment !
Almost certainly already mentioned, but I would ban announcements which announce announcements. It seems to be a (semi-)common thing on social media especially and feels a bit redundant beyond perhaps increasing engagement? There's definitely something I'm missing here!
-Peter
-Peter
bearhugger
Member
Surely that belongs in the "Things in living memory that seem anachronistic" thread?
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Having recently seen British Airways' utterly brilliant "flight safety short video" (comedic and attention-grabbing in equal measure), I think I will ban monotonous dull safety briefings.
Particularly: "In the unlikely event of landing on water...'. The Earth is covered two thirds by water - and aviation history's shown us that a serene landing on water will be of negligible likelihood. Tell it like it is..
Particularly: "In the unlikely event of landing on water...'. The Earth is covered two thirds by water - and aviation history's shown us that a serene landing on water will be of negligible likelihood. Tell it like it is..
Cross City
Member
Not flown BA in a while. Are they still using the one with Olivia Coleman? That one was really funny!
"I've got 3 BAFTAs actually"
Sun Chariot
Established Member
That's the one I saw!Not flown BA in a while. Are they still using the one with Olivia Coleman? That one was really funny!
"I've got 3 BAFTAs actually"
Something which I've touched on tangentially, on here before now -- but re this post, it particularly involves doings in shops (might overlap a bit with current thread on this sub-forum Supermarket Discussion; but my issue is mostly with outfits of the smaller kind).
Perhaps I'm weird here: but I'd wish to ban shop staff from "over-helping" -- and in my view, infantilising -- customers. Particularly, in respect of bags (I realise that what annoys me here, may be welcomed by many other customers.) When I ask for a bag -- "carrier", or equivalent -- it is likely to be for packing-and-sorting "evolutions" which I'm planning to perform myself: I won't want everything which I've purchased, automatically packed in said bag -- I want to be free to "sort myself out, myself, for myself, the way I wish". As said -- this happens generally, in small supermarket branches or smaller, local shops -- in big supermarkets, one is usually anyhow left to "sort self out for self". The "till person" -- wishing, from the best of motives, to be kind and helpful -- in situation of one's having asked for a bag: sets about, theirself -- un-asked -- packing one's purchased items in the bag. The following is, I'm sure, uncharitable on my part: but I wish to heck, that they wouldn't -- that they'd just let me put everything back in my trolley / basket / whatever, for me to therewith "do my own thing in my own time". I'm afraid that I want to yell at the would-be-helpful person: "I'm an adult -- I'm not bloody four years old -- don't assume that you know everything about me and my wants: just hand the stuff and the bag over to me, and let me do what is for me, the needful !" I don't actually "let rip" thus; but sometimes, can't stop self calmly saying, "please, don't pack the bag -- let me sort things out my way". Which can have the staff person seeming a bit puzzled and hurt -- I try to smooth things over, saying apologetically that I'm weird, etc. -- but I do feel: "if only they'd just 'let things be' ...".
Perhaps I'm weird here: but I'd wish to ban shop staff from "over-helping" -- and in my view, infantilising -- customers. Particularly, in respect of bags (I realise that what annoys me here, may be welcomed by many other customers.) When I ask for a bag -- "carrier", or equivalent -- it is likely to be for packing-and-sorting "evolutions" which I'm planning to perform myself: I won't want everything which I've purchased, automatically packed in said bag -- I want to be free to "sort myself out, myself, for myself, the way I wish". As said -- this happens generally, in small supermarket branches or smaller, local shops -- in big supermarkets, one is usually anyhow left to "sort self out for self". The "till person" -- wishing, from the best of motives, to be kind and helpful -- in situation of one's having asked for a bag: sets about, theirself -- un-asked -- packing one's purchased items in the bag. The following is, I'm sure, uncharitable on my part: but I wish to heck, that they wouldn't -- that they'd just let me put everything back in my trolley / basket / whatever, for me to therewith "do my own thing in my own time". I'm afraid that I want to yell at the would-be-helpful person: "I'm an adult -- I'm not bloody four years old -- don't assume that you know everything about me and my wants: just hand the stuff and the bag over to me, and let me do what is for me, the needful !" I don't actually "let rip" thus; but sometimes, can't stop self calmly saying, "please, don't pack the bag -- let me sort things out my way". Which can have the staff person seeming a bit puzzled and hurt -- I try to smooth things over, saying apologetically that I'm weird, etc. -- but I do feel: "if only they'd just 'let things be' ...".
Brent Goose
Member
People blocking off the ‘reduced to clear’ section of supermarkets with their trolley, presumably to prevent anyone else getting to ‘their’ bargains
Gloster
Veteran Member
I find that this is particularly annoying when I am looking at books in charity shops. I know what sort of books I want and am quite capable of searching your collection of poor-girl-finds-happiness in Victorian/Edwardian/wartime idyllic England, last year‘s unread must-buy-and-be-seen-with books and cheap imitations of James Bond. I don’t need someone standing by my shoulder asking what I am looking for and then, if you name an author, saying ‘Who?”
As far as plastic shopping-bags are concerned, I haven’t bought one since the charge was brought in, although I was given one as a present. When I lived in France the local supermarket once had a youth group raising funds by packing bags at the checkout: four-pack of litre cartons of orange juice on top of the eggs.
Something which I have -- thankfully -- never encountered in a charity shop; in which places I spend a fair amount of time, in quest of inexpensive reading matter. I quite often find there, mis-filing subject-wise -- sometimes quite comic -- of books; but am able there, to be charitable: "volunteers, doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, not trained librarians and often, overall, not the sharpest knives in the drawer". However --as said, not ever encountered such well-intentioned non-help: if on receiving end, I'd find it very difficult to be polite.
Your French experience -- mon Dieu ! Had it befallen me, I'm afraid I would have pulled out all the French verbal abuse at my disposal.
Gloster
Veteran Member
It didn’t happen to me: it was the couple two in front of me. (It couldn’t have been me: I don’t eat eggs.)