words that make you grit your teeth

[Crankin]

Please don't start that battle...

I also had several kids who would stop when we were doing any kind of read aloud and they came to a "bad word." Since the YA lit I chose rarely had anything worse than h*ll or da*n, I had to tell them it was really OK with me to say those words. And these were kids who would think nothing of saying the f word or others when not around an adult. I mean, I was happy that they sort of knew about the "context" of swearing, but it seemed to really make them fearful to say those words in front of me.

[NoNo]

Outside the South, I don't want to hear the "word" y'all. Especially if you're addressing a single person. Just bugs me.

"Clicks" when refering to kilometers. I think that was due to overuse on a trip to Canada I took a few years back.

I know there are more, they escape me at the moment...

[OakLeaf]

"Clicks" when refering to kilometers.

I hate that word too, but not as much as I hate using four syllables every time I'm trying to say how far away something is (outside the USA). I've started just saying "K," but I'm pretty sure that's non-standard and no one but DH would understand it automatically without having to think about it.

[SouthernBelle]

Y'all should never be addressed to a single person. It's plural.

[emily_in_nc]

Y'all should never be addressed to a single person. It's plural.

Exactly...

[SadieKate]

And here’s my soapbox rant about mispronunciations. Is it obvious ignorance on the person’s part (nuclear vs nuculer) or just subtle mispronunciation (espresso vs expresso). You ever think about speech problems?

My MS may not be apparent to you, but my intermittent swollen cotton tongue is VERY noticeable to me. So, rant on . . . .

I’m painfully aware of my phonic challenges.

[Grog]

It should be mentioned that in some countries "expresso" is a fully accepted pronounciation.

In France for example one who orders a small coffee ("un petit café") is very likely to hear the server call out loud "un express!" to the bar tender. "Espresso" is really the Italian spelling of the word, some countries where this preparation mode is equally popular have "translated" the word.

So it always makes me smirk a little when someone corrects another person who said "expresso..."

[kelownagirl]

Exactly...

I thought "y'all" was singular and "all y'all" was plural?

[emily_in_nc]

I thought "y'all" was singular and "all y'all" was plural?

Nope. Y'all is a conjunction of "you" and "all". No way it can be singular. It's like "You guys" is up north.

"Y'all all" is just plain wrong.

Emily, born and bred in the south...

[OakLeaf]

I thought "y'all" was singular and "all y'all" was plural?

I thought the same thing.