Active discussions
My feed Premium
Please or to access all these features

Pedants' corner

The words are palaver and peninsula

69 replies

poster22445 · 06/05/2024 01:01

They are not palava and peninsular.

Although I know the latter is, in fact a word, it does not apply in the context of your kitchen not-island.

Thank you for giving me this space to vent.

OP posts:
Report
mathanxiety · 06/05/2024 01:06

Thank you!

I see that non rhotic R (as in "peninsular") creep into spellings everywhere.

The rhotic R problem is behind "palava" too.

Also the infamous "chester draws"...

Report
ifIwerenotanandroid · 06/05/2024 01:32

Triaging old screenshots the other day I came across a couple of items for sale:

a 'hoddle' (clue: it was a large bag!)

an item of 'chabi chic'

Report
DramaAlpaca · 06/05/2024 02:40

Yes, indeed.

Doesn't it feel good to have this little corner of MN where we can safely vent about linguistic atrocities?

<happy sigh>

Report
CantSeeTheDifference · 06/05/2024 02:41

Hold all?

Report
upinaballoon · 07/05/2024 12:21

Was the Peninsular War a war with two rs? Well, I'll have to look it up. peninsula - noun? peninsular - adjective relating to a peninsula? (reverie - Badajos - Georgette Heyer - The Spanish Bride)

Now about the two rs - if I want to talk about wo times the letter r and nothing belongs to them, am I correct to write 'rs'?

Report
MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 07/05/2024 12:29

Was the Peninsular War a war with two rs? Well, I'll have to look it up. peninsula - noun? peninsular - adjective relating to a peninsula? (reverie - Badajos - Georgette Heyer - The Spanish Bride)

I'm not arguing with Georgette Heyer. Two rs it is.

Report
muddyford · 07/05/2024 12:36

I get the red mist about 'a slither of cheese'. It's 'sliver', FFS. Worms slither.

Report
DreadPirateRobots · 07/05/2024 12:40

"His" instead of "he's" makes me nuts. Yet nobody is so dumb as to write "hers" or "shis" instead of "she's", so wtf do they think the rule is?

"Restbite" always gets me as well. How?! Why?! Where do they think the biting comes into it? (Yes, I know it's a speech-to-text corruption, but doesn't it strike people as... unlikely?)

Report
PossiblyNow · 07/05/2024 12:42

muddyford · 07/05/2024 12:36

I get the red mist about 'a slither of cheese'. It's 'sliver', FFS. Worms slither.

Yes, I think that’s particularly enraging because ‘slither’ is hardly an obscure word, and a ‘slither’ of cake/cheese makes no sense, unless you’re hallucinating.

Report
KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 12:43

ifIwerenotanandroid · 06/05/2024 01:32

Triaging old screenshots the other day I came across a couple of items for sale:

a 'hoddle' (clue: it was a large bag!)

an item of 'chabi chic'

😱

Report
TroysMammy · 07/05/2024 12:51

I see "diarrhoea has come back with avengence" quite regularly.

Report
muddyford · 07/05/2024 12:55

My sister was getting enraged about the typical MN post beginning, 'Me and my partner are...'
The ubiquity of 'somethink' even among journalists, who deal in words and should know better, is driving me mad.

Report
KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:00

Plus the old favourite “he’s got trouble with his prostrate” 😖

Report
CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 07/05/2024 13:04

KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:00

Plus the old favourite “he’s got trouble with his prostrate” 😖

You see this a lot on cancer forums. The PP don't seem to notice others spelling it prostate.

Report
CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 07/05/2024 13:05

I've also noticed a number of people using 'exasperate' when they mean 'exacerbate'
I think some people of cotton wool in their ears.

Report
TroysMammy · 07/05/2024 13:09

KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:00

Plus the old favourite “he’s got trouble with his prostrate” 😖

I was going to also add that along with tonsels and tetnus. I've also seen pinus and virgina too. I shake my head in disbelief so much in work my colleagues think I have developed a twitch 😂

Report
Frumpyfrau · 07/05/2024 13:12

‘Incidences’ instead of incidents. And ‘defiantly’ for definitely. Aargh!

Report
Ilovemyshed · 07/05/2024 13:15

Brought instead of bought.
Dinning table. (Dining)
Chester draws (chest of drawers)

Report
AGlinnerOfHope · 07/05/2024 13:16

I’m worrying about my previous usage of palaver and peninsula now. Though auto carrot changes palava to palace, it seems to assume peninsular over peninsula so who knows.
I don’t live on one or have one in my kitchen so I probably haven’t written it in eons so hopefully I’m safe!

Report
Mymiddlenameiscynic · 07/05/2024 13:26

CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 07/05/2024 13:05

I've also noticed a number of people using 'exasperate' when they mean 'exacerbate'
I think some people of cotton wool in their ears.

Ha ha ha. I spotted what you did there!

😂

Report
KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:27

CheapThrillsMeanNothing · 07/05/2024 13:04

You see this a lot on cancer forums. The PP don't seem to notice others spelling it prostate.

Show quote history

It baffles me because if a loved one has prostate cancer, can’t you at least take the time to listen to/read its correct name

Report
KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:28

I worked with someone who called an exclamation mark and explanation mark. Wouldn’t back down when corrected.

Report
sockarefootwear · 07/05/2024 13:29

In a previous job, my line manager's favourite word was 'lapsadasical' (=lackadaisical, I assume). She used this almost daily (verbally and in writing), as an alternative to the word lazy, which in her view applied to anyone who had any sort of life outside work and arrived at the office later than her, left earlier or didn't answer phone calls/e-mails from her immediately in the evenings/weekends/holidays. I don't think anyone ever dared correct her (I certainly wasn't going to as a junior member of the team).

Report

Mumsnet Weekly Hot Threads

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Woman smiling and making heart symbol with her hands

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

KittyCollar · 07/05/2024 13:31

@sockarefootwear Jarring

Report
blobby10 · 07/05/2024 13:34

I used to know someone who regularly "lost my plane of thought" .............................!!
My ex husband always wrote 'Dinning' instead of 'Dining' and it wound me up.
My daughter (aged 24) always writes 'exiting' instead of 'exciting' but as I have long suspected she is mildly dyslexic and also because she is the most wonderful young woman in existence, I forgive her!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.