I enjoyed the editorial “Let’s bury these ill-begotten words and phrases” (12/31, Opinion). I kept searching for that certain phrase that I did not find.
Many times when watching television interviews, we keep hearing the statement “you know,” and it is repeated so many times during the same interview session. Often, it is the person on the street. Other times, it may be a professional sports person. Sometimes it is a professional person, such as one who wishes to enter the political arena.
My response is normally, “No, I don’t know. Please inform me.” I would like to see the “you know” phrase sink into the deepest ocean.
Harold Minshall
Raymore
Chaucer?
Read Taming of the Shrew with a couple of glasses of cheap red in you sometime.
Posted by: Pub 17 | January 14, 2009 at 07:51 PM
Y'now, my house contains a teenage daughter, and she is well aware that our home is a "like"-free zone!
Can't stand, like, when someone is describing, like, a car or something, and, liiiike, I keep thinking to myself, "Was it a Chevy, or LIKE a Chevy??"
Posted by: Art Chick | January 14, 2009 at 07:48 PM
Yes, sol, there are things on which we can agree.
Posted by: Engineer | January 14, 2009 at 05:20 PM
There's a really simple explanation for all the 'flavoring particles' people use in spoken English: it's a rare, perhaps unique language without any internal rhythms or regularities in the sentence construction. Our brains want to hear not just the words, but the music.
Posted by: Pub 17 | January 14, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Favorite Chaucer moment was when the guy climbed to the window and was shocked his wife had a "beard" when he kissed her. Chaucer in Olde English is great stuff.
Engineer, WE are old, aren't we?
Posted by: solomon | January 14, 2009 at 05:08 PM
Langiages change and evolve with use. If you don't believe this read a little Chaucer in the original. But we are on a roll here. "17" "Bush's house" "Congressional pay" and now this.
Posted by: Engineer | January 14, 2009 at 04:50 PM
LOL ;-P
Posted by: Kate | January 14, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Oh Kate, they are just trying to think out of the box on the "plate" thing. Maybe you can circle back to that argument at another time or we can talk about it off line. But at the end of the day, I think you'll embrace the idea that the phrase "plate the food" is sooo 2008.
Posted by: Casady | January 14, 2009 at 02:19 PM
The word I nominate for retirement this year is “plate” when used by Food Network hosts as a verb. When they say they are going to “plate the food” I imagine the food arriving at the table topped with a metallic layer. Or, maybe they meant the homonym, and it will arrive braided. But, you know, it really drives me crazy when they say they’re going to “plate the food” . . . and then they put it on a platter.
Posted by: Kate | January 14, 2009 at 12:34 PM
Joe "you know" the Plumber is still over in Israel embarrassing himself, I see.
Posted by: Jim | January 14, 2009 at 09:34 AM
Senator "you know" Caroline Kennedy, come on lighten up on your own folks.
Posted by: mianotkia | January 14, 2009 at 09:12 AM
vous save
Posted by: solomon | January 14, 2009 at 08:34 AM
I don't think any of my kids use the phrase "you know what", because I would always cut them off and say "I know who".
Posted by: solomon | January 14, 2009 at 08:33 AM
As I pointed out in the previous thread on this subject, "you know" is just a verbal tick. People say it without knowing they're saying it. What I would find even more annoying than the repeated 'you knows' in a conversation would be your passive aggressive “No, I don’t know, please inform me” response. That's just rude, and you know it.
Posted by: TinaMcG | January 14, 2009 at 08:13 AM
Si le francais et la guerre indienne avaient ete differemment ils dir aient
Posted by: solomon | January 14, 2009 at 07:24 AM