# "So" Rant



## JohnnyDee (Jan 31, 2016)

Watching Dragons' Den tonight and I want to smash my TV.

There is an infuriating trend for entrepreneurs to prefix every utterance with "so".

It's not only on DD either, more often than not if you see any so-called expert on the news, particularly from the business or scientific communities answering almost any question, then "so" seems to be de rigueur.

For The love of God please STOP!! STOP NOW!!

Rant over and thank you for allowing me to share with the group.


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## Jimaroid (Jan 31, 2016)

So you're not a fan?


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## JohnnyDee (Jan 31, 2016)

Jimaroid said:



			So you're not a fan?



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So, you're not wrong :thup: 

It makes me long for the days when "going forward" was the buzz phrase that wanted to make me throttle those uttering it


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## Tashyboy (Jan 31, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			So, you're not wrong :thup: 

It makes me long for the days when "going forward" was the buzz phrase that wanted to make me throttle those uttering it 

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1, Not quite got the point of people having a rant, can't see were it gets you.

2, having said that you will be getting my unofficial title of GM miserable git if you carry on:rofl:


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## SocketRocket (Jan 31, 2016)

So! You literally don't like it.


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## delc (Jan 31, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			So, you're not wrong :thup: 

It makes me long for the days when "going forward" was the buzz phrase that wanted to make me throttle those uttering it 

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I used to work with a guy who was incapable of talking anything other than 'management speak'! So (sorry!) everything had to be 'a worst case scenario', 'thinking outside the box', 'at this moment in time' when he meant now, etc, etc. Drove me crazy in meetings!  My other pet hate is people who start every sentence with the word 'And'. It's a conjunction, normally meant to join phrases together in a middle of a sentence.


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## Hobbit (Jan 31, 2016)

So, we shouldn't go forward with this.


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## Tashyboy (Jan 31, 2016)

So so thread ?


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## CliveW (Jan 31, 2016)

Well..., I hate the use of "So..." too.


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## JohnnyDee (Jan 31, 2016)

Hobbit said:



			So, we shouldn't go forward with this.
		
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Definitely not. 



Tashyboy said:



			So so thread ?
		
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Think I need to drill down a bit and option some blue-sky thinking.



SocketRocket said:



			So! You literally don't like it.
		
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I'm not a fan



Tashyboy said:



			1, Not quite got the point of people having a rant, can't see were it gets you.

2, having said that you will be getting my unofficial title of GM miserable git if you carry on:rofl:
		
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My other name name is Victor Meldrew.




CliveW said:



			Well..., I hate the use of "So..." too.
		
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Now you're talking. A man after my own heart.


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## SocketRocket (Jan 31, 2016)

So, you're problem is?


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## JohnnyDee (Jan 31, 2016)

Hobbit said:



			So, we shouldn't go forward with this.
		
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Tashyboy said:



			So so thread ?
		
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SocketRocket said:



			So! You literally don't like it.
		
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Tashyboy said:



			1, Not quite got the point of people having a rant, can't see were it gets you.

2, having said that you will be getting my unofficial title of GM miserable git if you carry on:rofl:
		
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CliveW said:



			Well..., I hate the use of "So..." too.
		
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delc said:



			I used to work with a guy who was incapable of talking anything other than 'management speak'! So (sorry!) everything had to be 'a worst case scenario', 'thinking outside the box', 'at this moment in time' when he meant now, etc, etc. Drove me crazy in meetings!  My other pet hate is people who start every sentence with the word 'And'. It's a conjunction, normally meant to join phrases together in a middle of a sentence.  

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Exactly!! Drives me mental but I am perhaps a little bit too pedantic for my own good sometimes.


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## PhilTheFragger (Jan 31, 2016)

So what


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## pendodave (Jan 31, 2016)

Aussie sports talking heads prefix every utterance with 'Look....' 

These things spread like a virus.


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Jan 31, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Watching Dragons' Den tonight and I want to smash my TV.

There is an infuriating trend for entrepreneurs to prefix every utterance with "so".

It's not only on DD either, more often than not if you see any so-called expert on the news, particularly from the business or scientific communities answering almost any question, then "so" seems to be de rigueur.

For The love of God please STOP!! STOP NOW!!

Rant over and thank you for allowing me to share with the group.
		
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Not just entrepreneurs - just listen to Radio 4 Today or Radio 5 Live in the mornings - many many interviews we get answers starting so...John Humphrys and Nicky Campbell must really have to bit their tongues.  I think it may have come presentation skills courses where the presenter is taught to use 'so...' as a holding mechanism (pause filler) whilst he thinks up what to say.  Annoying - oui!

Mind you - for a moment I thought you were going to be complaining about the great Peter Gabriel album of the same title.


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## Jimaroid (Jan 31, 2016)

Language evolves. So deal with it.


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## rickg (Jan 31, 2016)

delc said:



			My other pet hate is people who start every sentence with the word 'And'. It's a conjunction, normally meant to join phrases together in a middle of a sentence.  

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And your point is?


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## JohnnyDee (Jan 31, 2016)

Jimaroid said:



			Language evolves. So deal with it. 

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True, but I fear that in this particular case then that will not be possible. It is like a red rag to a bull for me and right up there with my almost pathological hatred of the ubiquitous incorrect use of "stood" and "sat".

*Fears that now I have really opened a can of, as they say in Scotland, wurrims*


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## Foxholer (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			... It's a conjunction, normally meant to join phrases together in a middle of a sentence.  

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How about the guys that who use a 'big' word, then a dozen more that explain it!

Btw. '...in *a* middle of a sentence...' is wrong. Try '... within a sentence ...' or simply leave it out!

And (sic) I can understand those who dislike the use of quotes (' or ") and bracketed text too!


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## palindromicbob (Feb 1, 2016)

Come to Northern Ireland and enjoy it as part of the end to many sentences.  

"So, that rant about so was a bit crazy, so it was."


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## Smiffy (Feb 1, 2016)

F1 drivers saying "for sure" all the time.
What's that all about????


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Feb 1, 2016)

Smiffy said:



			F1 drivers saying "for sure" all the time.
What's that all about????
		
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Footballers answering every question with 'Yeah definitely' is just as bad.


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

rickg said:



			And your point is?
		
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It is occasionally alright to use 'And' at the beginning of a sentence, if it implies continuity from previous sentences. It's people who use it at the start of every sentence that annoy me, particularly if they end the sentence with 'didn't I'.


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## bobmac (Feb 1, 2016)

*Personally, I* don't mind it.

:angry:


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## JohnnyDee (Feb 1, 2016)

palindromicbob said:



			Come to Northern Ireland and enjoy it as part of the end to many sentences.  

"So, that rant about so was a bit crazy, so it was."
		
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Sure I'm from Norn Irn so I am and you're right so you are. Our use of 'so' is stickin out so it is, but them 'uns that uses it at the start of any answer are eejits so they are, so there.:cheers:


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

Foxholer said:



			How about the guys that who use a 'big' word, then a dozen more that explain it!

Btw. '...in *a* middle of a sentence...' is wrong. Try '... within a sentence ...' or simply leave it out!

And (sic) I can understand those who dislike the use of quotes (' or ") and bracketed text too! 

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Thank you for correcting my grammar. I don't think mine was completely wrong, but your version was much more elegant. Perhaps I should have thought a bit harder before putting fingers to keyboard!


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## Crow (Feb 1, 2016)

pendodave said:



			Aussie sports talking heads prefix every utterance with 'Look....' 

These things spread like a virus.
		
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This is the one really that gets me. 
I don't mind it from Aussie sports guys and even expect it from their cricketers, but it's over here now and it sounds almost offensive, especially when used by politicians in interviews in that patronising way that only politicians can.

It comes across as; "Look, (you might have just made some good points but you're wrong, dunderhead, here's what I think and I'm right)"...


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## rickg (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			It is occasionally alright to use 'And' at the beginning of a sentence, if it implies continuity from previous sentences. It's people who use it at the start of every sentence that annoy me, particularly if they end the sentence with 'didn't I'.  

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And wooooosh! :rofl:


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## Foxholer (Feb 1, 2016)

rickg said:



			And your point is?
		
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rickg said:



			And wooooosh! :rofl:
		
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:rofl:


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## AmandaJR (Feb 1, 2016)

"So" and "Look" seem prevalent at the moment and get my goat too!


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## Foxholer (Feb 1, 2016)

AmandaJR said:



			"So" and "*Look*" seem prevalent at the moment and get my goat too!
		
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And that's another thing to blame Tony Blair for!


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## MegaSteve (Feb 1, 2016)

There is hope though...
My brother worked in the corporate world and when in 'civvie street' still spoke in corporate speak...
He's been retired for about two years and has managed to lose this mode and speaks a language the rest of us can understand...


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## Rooter (Feb 1, 2016)

I'm so like in agreement with you JD.


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

rickg said:



			And wooooosh! :rofl:
		
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Motor racing commentator Murray Walker was very good at starting every sentence with 'And', but in his case I will forgive him!


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## Kellfire (Feb 1, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Sure I'm from Norn Irn so I am and you're right so you are. Our use of 'so' is stickin out so it is, but them 'uns that uses it at the start of any answer are eejits so they are, so there.:cheers:
		
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One of my friends says it so often that he'll often be heard saying, "It is, so it is."


AGRTHDRGJDJH


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

MegaSteve said:



			There is hope though...
My brother worked in the corporate world and when in 'civvie street' still spoke in corporate speak...
He's been retired for about two years and has managed to lose this mode and speaks a language the rest of us can understand...
		
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I have been out of the corporate environment for some years, but management speak in my day included:

Empowerment (think this meant you carried the can when things went tits up)
Worst case scenario (what was more than likely to happen).
Pick the low hanging fruit first. (sack the highest paid staff, however good they were at their jobs).
Thinking outside the box (does anybody think inside one?).
Profit led.
Cutting edge?
What other examples do you know of?


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			I have been out of the corporate environment for some years, but management speak in my day included:

Empowerment (think this meant you carried the can when things went tits up)
Worst case scenario (what was more than likely to happen).
Pick the low hanging fruit first. (sack the highest paid staff, however good they were at their jobs).
Thinking outside the box (does anybody think inside one?).
Profit led.
Cutting edge?
What other examples do you know of?
		
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too many - just too many.  I'm currently _socialising_ a document for feedback


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## Rooter (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			What other examples do you know of?
		
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## Foxholer (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			I have been out of the corporate environment for some years, but management speak in my day included:

Empowerment (think this meant you carried the can when things went tits up)
Worst case scenario (what was more than likely to happen).
Pick the low hanging fruit first. (sack the highest paid staff, however good they were at their jobs).
Thinking outside the box (does anybody think inside one?).
Profit led.
Cutting edge?
What other examples do you know of?
		
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From a (1989) GM who had been a NFL Quarterback (before shoulder injury put paid to that career) so had encountered plenty of rah-rah-speak. And it was a US company, so actively encouraged such phraseology! 

- Let's grab the whole ball of wax
- Hit the road running!
- Blue sky (or was it 'out of the box') thinking
and quite a few more that I have thankfully erased from my memory!

I'm now working for another US company and there are still significant parallels! TLAs abound!!


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Feb 1, 2016)

Foxholer said:



			From a (1989) GM who had been a NFL Quarterback (before shoulder injury put paid to that career) so had encountered plenty of rah-rah-speak. And it was a US company, so actively encouraged such phraseology! 

- Let's grab the whole ball of wax
- Hit the road running!
- Blue sky (or was it 'out of the box') thinking
and quite a few more that I have thankfully erased from my memory!

I'm now working for another US company and there are still significant parallels! TLAs abound!! 

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And on the NFL connection - I continually hear requests to put together the _Playbook_ for such as the build of an IT infrastructure


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## Foxholer (Feb 1, 2016)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			And on the NFL connection - I continually hear requests to put together the _Playbook_ for such as the build of an IT infrastructure
		
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There are some fantastic examples of American waffle/jargon!

I once saw an impressive description of an item on an invoice for a component for a US Defence contract. The description was 2 paragraphs (of more than 50 words each)  with a considerable (obscene imo) number of long words. The cost of $4000 seem almost justified until it was realised that the actual components were a simple nut and bolt!


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## JohnnyDee (Feb 1, 2016)

Rooter said:



View attachment 18329

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Loving your work, buddy!

&#128516;&#128077;


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## Rooter (Feb 1, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Loving your work, buddy!

&#128516;&#128077;
		
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not my work, shamelessly stolen from a blue sky thinker whom must have had their ducks in a row.


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## Ethan (Feb 1, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Watching Dragons' Den tonight and I want to smash my TV.

There is an infuriating trend for entrepreneurs to prefix every utterance with "so".

It's not only on DD either, more often than not if you see any so-called expert on the news, particularly from the business or scientific communities answering almost any question, then "so" seems to be de rigueur.

For The love of God please STOP!! STOP NOW!!

Rant over and thank you for allowing me to share with the group.
		
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In Kerry and Cork in Ireland, they do it the other way round, so.


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## Three (Feb 1, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Watching Dragons' Den tonight and I want to smash my TV.

There is an infuriating trend for entrepreneurs to prefix every utterance with "so".

It's not only on DD either, more often than not if you see any* so-called* expert on the news, particularly from the business or scientific communities answering almost any question, then "so" seems to be de rigueur.

For The love of God please STOP!! STOP NOW!!

Rant over and thank you for allowing me to share with the group.
		
Click to expand...


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## Three (Feb 1, 2016)

Ethan said:



			In Kerry and Cork in Ireland, they do it the other way round, so.
		
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I seem to remember them starting everything with "Now....."


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## JohnnyDee (Feb 1, 2016)

Rooter said:



			not my work, shamelessly stolen from a blue sky thinker whom must have had their ducks in a row.
		
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It's a cracker anyway! Certainly on a par with - 
	




Ethan said:



			In Kerry and Cork in Ireland, they do it the other way round, so.
		
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And da Dubs too, as in "Lookit, will we go for a pint of Plain, so?"



Three said:



 

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Couldn't resist it.


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

Rooter said:



View attachment 18329

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That looks like a very simple flow chart. These are more realistic:

http://systemsengineerscholar.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/flow-chart-on-use-of-oh-snap.html


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## Crow (Feb 1, 2016)

Another ending one which, slightly, gets my goat is delc's habit of ending most of his posts with a smiley face like so. 




Why even his signature ends with a smiley face. 




Does he not realise that this is a forum for grumpy gits?


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## JohnnyDee (Feb 1, 2016)

]



delc said:



			That looks like a very simple flow chart. These are more realistic:

http://systemsengineerscholar.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/flow-chart-on-use-of-oh-snap.html

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Loved this one in particular! :thup:


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## delc (Feb 1, 2016)

Crow said:



			Another ending one which, slightly, gets my goat is delc's habit of ending most of his posts with a smiley face like so. 


Why even his signature ends with a smiley face. 


Does he not realise that this is a forum for grumpy gits? 

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Sorry, I'll try to be a bit grumpier in future!


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## Crow (Feb 1, 2016)

delc said:



			Sorry, I'll try to be a bit grumpier in future!  

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That's more like it!


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## rickg (Feb 1, 2016)

Crow said:



			Another ending one which, slightly, gets my goat is delc's habit of ending most of his posts with a smiley face like so. 




Why even his signature ends with a smiley face. 




Does he not realise that this is a forum for grumpy gits? 

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And......97.46% of his thread titles have an exclamation mark at the end!!!!!!


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## delc (Feb 2, 2016)

rickg said:



			And......97.46% of his thread titles have an exclamation mark at the end!!!!!! 

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Did you actually count them up?


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## rickg (Feb 2, 2016)

delc said:



			Did you actually count them up?  

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And my stats are now incorrect, as you just posted yet another thread with an exclamation mark at the end.......does everything you post have to be a statement...you seem to be in a constant state of bewilderment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rofl:


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## evahakool (Feb 2, 2016)

So the one that I find annoying is "I'm gaming" what's that all about?


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## delc (Feb 3, 2016)

evahakool said:



			So the one that I find annoying is "I'm gaming" what's that all about?
		
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I think it means 'I'm playing with'. I find it annoying too.


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## bobmac (Feb 3, 2016)

'You are so supermarket' 
I don't know whether to laugh or cry


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## delc (Feb 3, 2016)

bobmac said:



			'You are so supermarket' 
I don't know whether to laugh or cry
		
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So is 'supermarket' now a verb as well as a noun?  :mmm:


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## vkurup (Feb 3, 2016)

Actually the 'so' is an important word in consulting, journalism and other review-led work.   While writing a report on the status of a project, I could write

'The testing results are in the 3 sigma range.'  

..This is a factual statement and may or may not mean anything to the reader, so (sorry) we need to write the 'So What?' and the same stmt would turn to

'The testing results are in the 3 sigma range, thus impacting XX units per YY batch leading to non-conformance blah blah blah'...  

without the so, we are so sc*ed and therefore the so prevails


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Feb 3, 2016)

evahakool said:



			So the one that I find annoying is "I'm gaming" what's that all about?
		
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One of our number came up with that one in a post only very recently !

And last night on some new BBC2 series on leisure time through the decades - the IT Cosultant breadwinner mother of the family moaned - when faced with having to handwash all the clothes as no washing machine - _I so miss my tech_ . TECH??


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## CheltenhamHacker (Feb 3, 2016)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			One of our number came up with that one in a post only very recently !

And last night on some new BBC2 series on leisure time through the decades - the IT Cosultant breadwinner mother of the family moaned - when faced with having to handwash all the clothes as no washing machine - _I so miss my tech_ . TECH??
		
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Slightly quisitive post, but a) what's wrong with tech? You shortened information technology to IT, so why not shorten technology to tech?

And b) seems random to point out "breadwinner mother of the family". Could easily have  left it at IT consultant.... was it in there for a reason?


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Feb 3, 2016)

CheltenhamHacker said:



			Slightly quisitive post, but a) what's wrong with tech? You shortened information technology to IT, so why not shorten technology to tech?

And b) seems random to point out "*breadwinner mother of the family*". Could easily have  left it at IT consultant.... was it in there for a reason?
		
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a) I have never before heard a washing machine referred to as Technology - yet it is tech.

b) Because that is what the trailers and previews describe her as - and the point being made in the programme was that even although today the mother was the breadwinner and not the person in the family who did the daily chores - back in the 1950s she would *not *have been the breadwinner and she *would* have been doing the chores.  This made her 'pain' at having to do the washing by hand all the more pointed.


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## garyinderry (Feb 3, 2016)

I'm half kerry bai. Grand so!!


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## SwingsitlikeHogan (Feb 3, 2016)

My Mrs laughingly points out that I seem to start half of my sentences in a conversation with "Anyway..."

And I do.  Because my folks did.


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## Piece (Feb 3, 2016)

JohnnyDee said:



			Watching Dragons' Den tonight and I want to smash my TV.

There is an infuriating trend for entrepreneurs to prefix every utterance with "so".

It's not only on DD either, more often than not if you see any *so*-called expert on the news, particularly from the business or scientific communities answering almost any question, then "so" seems to be de rigueur.

For The love of God please STOP!! STOP NOW!!

Rant over and thank you for allowing me to share with the group.
		
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:mmm:


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## JohnnyDee (Feb 3, 2016)

Piece said:



			:mmm:  

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I couldn't resist it. You're one of the few to spot it, though.


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## gregers (Feb 3, 2016)

SO SO bored of all this reading,
AND this needs to stop now.

coz its been a journey to get to the end.


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## Three (Feb 3, 2016)

Piece said:



			:mmm:  

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Keep up. 

So not the first to spot that.


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## GreiginFife (Feb 4, 2016)

[video=youtube_share;7zT-rcuHMn0]https://youtu.be/7zT-rcuHMn0[/video]


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