Americanisms.

25 of your most noted examples

Americanisms entering the language in the UK prompted me to supply some examples.

Some are useful, while some seem truly unnecessary.

1. When people ask for something, I often hear: “Can I get a…” It infuriates me. It’s not New York. It’s not the 90s. You’re not in Central Park with the rest of the Friends. Really.” The phrase should be May I have….or can I have a……….

2. The next time someone tells you something is the “least worst option”, tell them that their most best option is learning grammar.
3. The phrase I’ve watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is “two-time” and “three-time”. Have the words double, triple twice etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it. Which is not healthy as it’s almost every day now. Argh!
4. Using 24/7 rather than “24 hours, 7 days a week” or even just plain “all day, every day”.
5. The one I can’t stand is “deplane”, meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase “you will be able to deplane momentarily”. whats wrong with disembark?
6. To “wait on” instead of “wait for” when you’re not a waiter – once read a friend’s comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive – I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board.

7. “It is what it is”. Pity us.

8. Dare I even mention the fanny pack?

9. “Touch base” – it makes me cringe no end.
10. Is “physicality” a real word?
11. Transportation. What’s wrong with transport?
12. The word I hate to hear is “leverage”. Pronounced lev-er-ig rather than lee-ver -ig. It seems to pop up in all aspects of work. And its meaning seems to have changed to “value added”.
13. Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all “turn” 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as “turning” 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays
14. I caught myself saying “shopping cart” instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I’ve never lived nor been to the US either.
15. What kind of word is “gotten”? It makes me shudder.
16. “I’m good” for “I’m well”. That’ll do for a start.
17. “Bangs” for a fringe of the hair.
18. When my manager informs me we’re “touching base” over lunch.
19. I enjoy Americanisms. I suspect even some Americans use them in a tongue-in-cheek manner? “That statement was the height of ridiculosity”.
20. “A half hour” instead of “half an hour”
21. A “heads up”. For example, as in a business meeting. Lets do a “heads up” on this issue. I have never been sure of the meaning.
22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Its a railway station!!!
23. To put a list into alphabetical order is to “alphabetize it” – horrid!
24. People that say “my bad” after a mistake. I don’t know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that. Sounds so infantile too!
25. “Normalcy” instead of “normality” really irritates me. Or just plain normal will do!

Dont yell at me America! I saw, i liked, i posted!. 🙂 LOL.