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

[Thirteen]

I always find when I am on the bus it's usually people speaking to another person in the same language that do speaker phone mode, I wouldn't mind but half an hour of it grates.

 

[Sun Chariot]

My vote: a certain "demographic" of people who converse in two volume levels: loud / SHOUTY - at people stood about a metre away from them. Why. Just why...

 

[jfollows]

Some people seem to think there's nothing rude about sharing their telephone calls with everyone.

I have a former friend, for whom the demise of our friendship is probably pointed to by his behaviour here, who is in his 70s (so it's not a "young person thing") and always leaps to answer his phone. We were in a pub one day, having a pleasant chat over a pint, and it rang. "Do you mind if I take this?", he asked, to which I replied "yes, actually, I do". He just presumed I said "no, go ahead" and took the call, sharing his 50% of the conversation with me so I stood up and walked away. When he'd finished I said that he was rude and he should have been the one standing up and walking away. He didn't seem to get it, although he paid attention for a little while.

I just can't understand this imperative to answer the telephone when you're already in a conversation. It used to happen with land lines. My father would drop everything and run, and I told him he was being rude because we were talking at the time.

And there's no way I answer my phone when I'm on a train, unless I get up and move to the vestibule in case of an important call.

I don't think it's an old/young thing, I just think that some people are thoughtless and rude whereas others are polite and considerate. It was ever thus.

 

[Calthrop]

I just can't understand this imperative to answer the telephone when you're already in a conversation. It used to happen with land lines. My father would drop everything and run, and I told him he was being rude because we were talking at the time...

I don't think it's an old/young thing, I just think that some people are thoughtless and rude whereas others are polite and considerate. It was ever thus.

A (long deceased) aunt-by-marriage of mine was in many respects, a wise and unusually sensible lady -- her "thinking outside the box" concerning various ways of acting, sometimes had more-conventionally-minded people reckoning her a bit strange; but also, maybe, now and then caused them to re-think their assumptions. She was big on its not being necessary, when the -- land-line as in those days -- phone rang, automatically to drop everything and answer it. She'd say, "if it's something important, they'll try again later".

 

[SuspectUsual]

I just can't understand this imperative to answer the telephone when you're already in a conversation

For me it depends who the caller is. Sometimes I can’t not answer (on call work stuff), sometimes I answer because I think I better had, a lot of the time I send it to voicemail.

For example, I was having a beer with my partner last week and my phone rang. It was my (elderly and quite frail) parents. I said to her “I need to get this in case something’s up”, and when after 20 seconds it was clear my mum had rung for a chat / gossip about the neighbours, I said I was busy and that I’d ring her back later.

 

[cb a1]

I recall Stephen Fry (probably on QI) observing that the telephone was like walking up to somebody, clapping your hands in their face and shouting "Talk to me, Talk to me" until they stop what they're doing and talk to you.
I never liked phoning people anyway, but since then I really avoid calling people unless it's their job to answer my call (i.e. a call centre) or it's calling my mum for our usual weekly chat.

 

[Gloster]

Catalogues and similar that don’t like what you type in for a search and suggest a similar word. If you try the similar word it says ‘No results found’. Or it changes your original, correct, search to something else as soon as you press Return. Or changes your original search to something else and when you finally, after a load of faffing about, manage to get it to accept the word(s) that you started with immediately produces the sought after result.

 

[al78]

Some people seem to think there's nothing rude about sharing their telephone calls with everyone.

I have a former friend, for whom the demise of our friendship is probably pointed to by his behaviour here, who is in his 70s (so it's not a "young person thing") and always leaps to answer his phone. We were in a pub one day, having a pleasant chat over a pint, and it rang. "Do you mind if I take this?", he asked, to which I replied "yes, actually, I do". He just presumed I said "no, go ahead" and took the call, sharing his 50% of the conversation with me so I stood up and walked away. When he'd finished I said that he was rude and he should have been the one standing up and walking away. He didn't seem to get it, although he paid attention for a little while.

I just can't understand this imperative to answer the telephone when you're already in a conversation. It used to happen with land lines. My father would drop everything and run, and I told him he was being rude because we were talking at the time.

And there's no way I answer my phone when I'm on a train, unless I get up and move to the vestibule in case of an important call.

I don't think it's an old/young thing, I just think that some people are thoughtless and rude whereas others are polite and considerate. It was ever thus.

Depends on the possible urgency of the call. Some people have caring responsibilities and need to be on call or may be on call at work. Sometimes unusual/unexpected bad things happen which need to be prioritised. People can have a lot of different demands on them and whilst the vast majority of the time this doesn't prevent them having a social life, very occasionally something comes up which cannot be ignored. I have learnt to tolerate phone interruptions at the bridge club because I don't want to cast judgement when I don't have the facts.

 

[Gloster]

Depends on the possible urgency of the call. Some people have caring responsibilities and need to be on call or may be on call at work. Sometimes unusual/unexpected bad things happen which need to be prioritised. People can have a lot of different demands on them and whilst the vast majority of the time this doesn't prevent them having a social life, very occasionally something comes up which cannot be ignored. I have learnt to tolerate phone interruptions at the bridge club because I don't want to cast judgement when I don't have the facts.

Fine, if you do have such responsibilities, but if it isn’t urgent just say ‘I’ll ring you back’ and end the call. Don’t suddenly ignore the person you have been talking to and chatter with someone else: you wouldn’t do it face to face. (Well, you shouldn’t and that is seen as blatantly rude.)

 

[al78]

One thing I don't understand and is mildly irritating is when people get in their car, switch the engine on, then sit there idling for several minutes. If I want to cross the road in front of or behind them, I have to guess whether or not they are likely to move off and possibly hit me. If you have to faff about on your phone, why not do that first and switch the engine on only when you are ready to drive off? It is bizarre given the fairly recent fuss made over the cost of fuel energy, evidently it didn't affect everyone.

 

[jfollows]

Depends on the possible urgency of the call. Some people have caring responsibilities and need to be on call or may be on call at work. Sometimes unusual/unexpected bad things happen which need to be prioritised. People can have a lot of different demands on them and whilst the vast majority of the time this doesn't prevent them having a social life, very occasionally something comes up which cannot be ignored. I have learnt to tolerate phone interruptions at the bridge club because I don't want to cast judgement when I don't have the facts.

I don't agree.

Firstly, if you're in a position of having to take a call then it's appropriate to apologise in advance if you're in a conversation with someone. We all have important things and sometimes we've got to answer a call, that's fine, but say so beforehand.

Secondly, if you do get a call like this, it's on you to move away and take it privately. My ex-friend didn't.

Both of these are just basic good manners.

 

[al78]

Fine, if you do have such responsibilities, but if it isn’t urgent just say ‘I’ll ring you back’ and end the call. Don’t suddenly ignore the person you have been talking to and chatter with someone else: you wouldn’t do it face to face. (Well, you shouldn’t and that is seen as blatantly rude.)

Yes fair enough.

 

[Acey]

Rightly or wrongly, I almost never answer a call unless it's someone I know,my take is if the call is really vital,the person can always send a text message !

 

[Merle Haggard]

On the subject of telephone calls taking precedence; in the old days before 'click and collect' I would often find myself in a long queue of people at the counter while people in front were being slowly served, but this progress would be further delayed by the counter staff immediately answering any telephone enquiry as soon as the phone rang.
I was an early owner of a mobile brick phone and was often tempted to ring the counter for immediate attention, but I'm too much of a coward.

 

[dangie]

One thing I don't understand and is mildly irritating is when people get in their car, switch the engine on, then sit there idling for several minutes.…

Or similar, but opposite…….
When they arrive at the school, half an hour or more before kicking out time, and sit with the engine running.

 

[D6130]

Or similar, but opposite…….
When they arrive at the school, half an hour or more before kicking out time, and sit with the engine running.

Keeps the air conditioning running in the massive SUV driven by a diminutive 23 year-old blonde bimba! (Stereotypes....moi?)

 

[Gloster]

Keeps the air conditioning running in the massive SUV driven by a diminutive 23 year-old blonde bimba! (Stereotypes....moi?)

I thought that normal British use of the Italian word was bimbo, which I understood was short for bambino. So what is the difference between bimba and bimbo? (Even spellcheck doesn’t like bimba, but then it doesn’t like a lot of what I write.)

 

[D6130]

I thought that normal British use of the Italian word was bimbo, which I understood was short for bambino. So what is the difference between bimba and bimbo? (Even spellcheck doesn’t like bimba, but then it doesn’t like a lot of what I write.)

You're right....the normal British use is 'bimbo', but that means a male baby and, as an Italian speaker, it offends my linguistic senses and 'bimba' is the female equivalent. Bambino/a means a male/female child - as opposed to an infant. Sorry....pendant mode seems to be engaged today!

 

[Gloster]

The way that different events, such as festivals, often use names almost identical with other ones, but with no distinguishing element in the title. Some do this with intent, but for many it is just self-importance. There is a well-known Cheltenham Festival for horse-racing, but there also one for music. Radio 3 are playing concerts from the music one, but every time they say it is the Cheltenham Festival I think, ‘Blimey, those horses can sing well.’

 

[Richard Scott]

The way that different events, such as festivals, often use names almost identical with other ones, but with no distinguishing element in the title. Some do this with intent, but for many it is just self-importance. There is a well-known Cheltenham Festival for horse-racing, but there also one for music. Radio 3 are playing concerts from the music one, but every time they say it is the Cheltenham Festival I think, ‘Blimey, those horses can sing well.’

Would the Cheltenham Festival for music be the Wychwood Festival, by any chance, or another one you're referring to?

 

[GordonT]

I've never had any strong feelings about the word/expression "oven ready" (with or without a hyphen) but the contemporary practice of attaching the word ready to a growing collection of other words grates a bit in my opinion.
Examples include "party ready", "holiday ready", "beach ready" and even "beach body ready".
Any other annoying examples?

 

[Busaholic]

On the subject of telephone calls taking precedence; in the old days before 'click and collect' I would often find myself in a long queue of people at the counter while people in front were being slowly served, but this progress would be further delayed by the counter staff immediately answering any telephone enquiry as soon as the phone rang.
I was an early owner of a mobile brick phone and was often tempted to ring the counter for immediate attention, but I'm too much of a coward.

I ran a bookshop for thirty years and never answered a telephone call while I was serving or about to serve customers. The phone soon went to answerphone and I'd always ring back if I had their number. I hated the idea of someone wanting to pay for something and I was too busy elsewhere.

 

[bearhugger]

One that's slowly becoming more of a thing for me - cooking times / instructions on food. The type is so small & I'm finding that I need to take a photo on my phone and increase the photo just to see what I need to do. Make the font bigger!

 

[birchesgreen]

One that's slowly becoming more of a thing for me - cooking times / instructions on food. The type is so small & I'm finding that I need to take a photo on my phone and increase the photo just to see what I need to do. Make the font bigger!

Ha glad i'm not the only person who does that

 

[Lytham Local]

The use of the title 'Influencer' for social media prats.

 

[bleeder4]

One that's slowly becoming more of a thing for me - cooking times / instructions on food. The type is so small & I'm finding that I need to take a photo on my phone and increase the photo just to see what I need to do. Make the font bigger!

Glad it's not just me! In my early 40s, don't have glasses, good vision, but struggle to read the tiny text on the box. I even went to the opticians to get my eyes tested, but they're still 20/20. I ordered a magnifying glass off Amazon and keep that handy in the kitchen now, just to read cooking times.

 

[dangie]

On the subject of cooking, my wife won’t put anything into the oven until it’s warmed up to temperature. Ok, for foods like pies & cakes etc which require a fairly precise cooking time then wait until it’s at temperature, but some foods can be put in when the oven is switched on. Why waste that heat?

 

[jfollows]

On the subject of cooking, my wife won’t put anything into the oven until it’s warmed up to temperature. Ok, for foods like pies & cakes etc which require a fairly precise cooking time then wait until it’s at temperature, but some foods can be put in when the oven is switched on. Why waste that heat?

With very few exceptions, I use the oven timer, having prepared the food for the oven in good time and setting the timer to finish when I want to eat. My other half is on the clock so on weekdays we always eat at 1pm. I either know the cooking time already from frequent use, or if the instructions are (say) cook for 25-30 minutes I go for 30 to allow for the oven starting from cold.

 

[bspahh]

Glad it's not just me! In my early 40s, don't have glasses, good vision, but struggle to read the tiny text on the box. I even went to the opticians to get my eyes tested, but they're still 20/20. I ordered a magnifying glass off Amazon and keep that handy in the kitchen now, just to read cooking times.

When I was 45, I had an eye test as I use computers a lot. The optician said my eye sight was fine "this year". Through the next year I had to print out articles with one page per A4 sheet, rather than 2 pages a sheet, and I had to really try to read small text. A year later I had another eye test, and I mentioned this. The optician showed me the plot of reading vision against age, and I was exactly on that line.

 

[PeterY]

One that's slowly becoming more of a thing for me - cooking times / instructions on food. The type is so small & I'm finding that I need to take a photo on my phone and increase the photo just to see what I need to do. Make the font bigger!

I often have to use a magnifying glass.