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These are a few pet peeves of mine... words and phrases that are often misused, misunderstood and/or misspelled... yet despite numerous corrections and explanations of their proper meaning, people continue to perpetuate their erroneous use.
Just because everyone uses them... it doesn't make them any less incorrect.
Karma
Karma does not mean "cause and effect".
In other words, when someone does something bad to you it is not Karma when something bad happens to them in return.
In actuality, Karma literally means "action".
There is a totally separate Buddhist tenet called Vipaka, meaning result or effect.
Homophobe or Homophobic
A homophobe is not someone who inherently hates homosexuals and constantly talks ill of homosexuals. So when someone calls a person a "faggot" or other derogatory term, it doesn't make them a homophobe.
The actual definition means someone who is literally afraid of homosexuality.
Being sexually prejudiced or simply not liking gay people does not equate to someone who is afraid of gay people.
The more appropriate term would be a "Heterosexist", a person with a bias toward heterosexuality.
Suppose to
The proper term is "supposed to", with a 'd' at the end.
Because the D and the T are blended into a single consonant when this phrase is pronounced, many writers are unaware that the D is even present and omit it in writing. You’re supposed to get this one right if you want to earn the respect of your readers.
Acronym Redundancy
PIN Number - It's simply PIN... Personal Identification Number. NOT Personal Identification Number Number
LCD Display - It's a Liquid Crystal Display... NOT a Liquid Crystal Display Display
Mac/MAC
mac: a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
MAC: a data communication protocol sub-layer, also known as the Media Access Control
Mac: a brand name which covers several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc.
Yes, it does matter how you spell it.
Yea/Yeah/Yay
“Yea” is a very old-fashioned formal way of saying “yes,” used mainly in voting. It’s the opposite of—and rhymes with—“nay.”
When you want to write the common casual version of “yes,” the correct spelling is “yeah” (sounds like “yeh” ).
When the third grade teacher announced a class trip to the zoo, we all yelled “yay!” (the opposite of “boo”!). That was back when I was only yay big.
Air on the Side of Caution
If you err on the side of caution when you are deciding what to do, you do the thing that is safe instead of taking a risk.
You're not discussing oxygen, so it should err and not air.
F**k You!
Look, I hate to break it to you, but you're not fooling anyone. Surprise! We all know what you just fucking said!
Even worse is when someone attempts to be cute and types out @$$hole, $h1t or d@mm!t.
Just come on, type it all out with the word's proper spelling and stop making yourself out to be a douche.
Using symbols in place of letters is really nothing more than censorship for the retarded. Anyone with a smattering of brain cells will know right off the bat what was said.
If you're worried you might offend someone with a certain word... then don't bother using that word in the first place. There are over 600,000 plus words in the English language... I'm sure you could find a suitable substitute.
Just because everyone uses them... it doesn't make them any less incorrect.
Karma
Karma does not mean "cause and effect".
In other words, when someone does something bad to you it is not Karma when something bad happens to them in return.
In actuality, Karma literally means "action".
There is a totally separate Buddhist tenet called Vipaka, meaning result or effect.
Homophobe or Homophobic
A homophobe is not someone who inherently hates homosexuals and constantly talks ill of homosexuals. So when someone calls a person a "faggot" or other derogatory term, it doesn't make them a homophobe.
The actual definition means someone who is literally afraid of homosexuality.
Being sexually prejudiced or simply not liking gay people does not equate to someone who is afraid of gay people.
The more appropriate term would be a "Heterosexist", a person with a bias toward heterosexuality.
Suppose to
The proper term is "supposed to", with a 'd' at the end.
Because the D and the T are blended into a single consonant when this phrase is pronounced, many writers are unaware that the D is even present and omit it in writing. You’re supposed to get this one right if you want to earn the respect of your readers.
Acronym Redundancy
PIN Number - It's simply PIN... Personal Identification Number. NOT Personal Identification Number Number
LCD Display - It's a Liquid Crystal Display... NOT a Liquid Crystal Display Display
Mac/MAC
mac: a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
MAC: a data communication protocol sub-layer, also known as the Media Access Control
Mac: a brand name which covers several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc.
Yes, it does matter how you spell it.
Yea/Yeah/Yay
“Yea” is a very old-fashioned formal way of saying “yes,” used mainly in voting. It’s the opposite of—and rhymes with—“nay.”
When you want to write the common casual version of “yes,” the correct spelling is “yeah” (sounds like “yeh” ).
When the third grade teacher announced a class trip to the zoo, we all yelled “yay!” (the opposite of “boo”!). That was back when I was only yay big.
Air on the Side of Caution
If you err on the side of caution when you are deciding what to do, you do the thing that is safe instead of taking a risk.
You're not discussing oxygen, so it should err and not air.
F**k You!
Look, I hate to break it to you, but you're not fooling anyone. Surprise! We all know what you just fucking said!
Even worse is when someone attempts to be cute and types out @$$hole, $h1t or d@mm!t.
Just come on, type it all out with the word's proper spelling and stop making yourself out to be a douche.
Using symbols in place of letters is really nothing more than censorship for the retarded. Anyone with a smattering of brain cells will know right off the bat what was said.
If you're worried you might offend someone with a certain word... then don't bother using that word in the first place. There are over 600,000 plus words in the English language... I'm sure you could find a suitable substitute.
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