this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2023
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Just recently I was in a conversation with a number of UK mainlanders and we had a debate over what "tories" meant, apparently disproportionately ordinarily it refers to a political party and it's not usual to use it as short for "territories" as I've used it (according to how the debate ended, it was half and half between them). And once again I'm reminded of how people feel to look back at their usage of a word/phrase over the years and cringe.

More tragically, me and a friend were embarrassed once upon realizing everyone was confusing "encephalitis" with "hydrocephalus" when talking to someone about their kid with hydrocephalus. Awkward because encephalitis is caused by HIV.

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[–] [email protected] 55 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Table might count for me here.

I grew up in America and "a bill was tabled" means that a bill was removed from consideration there... while as in Canada it means the precise opposite "a bill was tabled" means it was introduced for debate.

I don't use the term often in common speech, but I was really confused reading political news when I first arrived.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (11 children)

in America and "a bill was tabled" means that a bill was removed from consideration

Really?

In Canada to remove from consideration the term is "shelved", just in case that's different. Tables and shelves, what's with these terms? (probably what happened with the physical paper it was written on.)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

So did you table your use of table or was it tabled and therefore, still on the table?

[–] [email protected] 42 points 10 months ago (3 children)

every word i use is right, its the english language that is wrong

[–] [email protected] 11 points 10 months ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 41 points 10 months ago (8 children)

Encephalitis is caused by viral infections. Our immune system usually suppresses said viruses, and HIV takes away the ability to suppress them.

This happens with a lot of illnesses... thrush, Tuberculosis, fungal infections. HIV allows a lot of stuff to have far worse impact than it normally would.

That's not quite the same as HIV causing them... Pedantic maybe, but since we're talking about words meaning things... ;)

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Encephalitis literally just means "in the brain inflammation".

https://www.etymonline.com/word/encephalitis

This brain inflammation can be caused by many things. Quote from Mayo Clinic:

Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain. There are several causes, including viral infection, autoimmune inflammation, bacterial infection, insect bites and others.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/encephalitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20356136

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 10 months ago (7 children)

I was homeschooled and was basically educated by books, so I have a massively large vocabulary and I mostly use it correctly.

But pronunciation? I'm fucked.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 10 months ago (6 children)

You have "a massively large vocabulary" and couldn't think of anything other than "massively large"? πŸ€”

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I was raised by dyslexic wolves in a dixie cup full of turds and was basically educated by punches, so naturally my encyclopedic repertoire of words is aptly humbled by the plentiful platitude of my somewhat planar pronunciation.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Come on, that's still super better than all the super unimaginative kids who super use super as a superlative every super single sentence

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (6 children)

Freedom.

Apparently where I live it means torture people till they off themselves.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago (5 children)

How about " till " in English vs " 'til " ?

In English, a till is a cash drawer or a plough. The abbreviation for "until" is " 'til ".

I see it in subtitles. I worry for society.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 10 months ago (11 children)

Oh in English -- I used to say renumerate (numerate a second time) instead of remunerate (pay someone for a thing).

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Me too!! I'm Italian and I used to say "renumerare" instead of "remunerare".

If you're curious, the verb comes from Latin "munus" = service/duty/tax

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I thought phallic (fÑlico) meant flawed (falho) and used it so much. I cringe when I remember this 😭

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Local news anchor once ended a segment saying something was β€œa phallus” instead of a β€œfallacy. Understandably but hilarious.

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I used the term 'pursuant' incorrectly for a long time. I thought it meant something like 'things you do in order to achieve something', like sweeping the floor is pursuant to getting the kitchen clean, vs the correct usage, which is either 'in accordance with', or 'in a manner conformable to'. So a correct usage would be 'sweeping the floor is pursuant to the procedure we set up to clean the kitchen'. Nice word, though. I like it.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

As a foreigner I would have made that same mistake, since it sounds like it’s related to pursuit. Educational comments in this

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Awkward because encephalitis is caused by HIV.

From the NHS website:

Encephalitis is most often due to a virus, such as:

  • herpes simplex viruses, which cause cold sores (this is the most common cause of encephalitis)
  • the varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles
  • measles, mumps and rubella viruses
  • viruses spread by animals, such as tick-borne encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, rabies (and possibly Zika virus)

Encephalitis caused by a virus is known as "viral encephalitis". In rare cases, encephalitis is caused by bacteria, fungi or parasites.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (9 children)

I thought penultimate meant ...basically ultimate

Am doofus

Edit: to clarify, I thought it meant it in a good way, as in best. It actually means next to last

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Penultimate is a mightier word, even mightier some might say, than the swordultimate.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago (6 children)

I didn't realize "effect" and "affect" were different words for a long time.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (9 children)

It's freeing to just use whatever one you want with zero effect.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Is encephalitis caused only by HIV, though?

I seem to think it was a thing before HIV.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago

You are correct. -itis just means inflammation or infection, encephalon just means brain. You can have encephalitis caused by multiple things, viruses, bacteria, fungal, auto immune diseases and so forth

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Literal has been used as a non-literal exaggeration for centuries.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (4 children)

I happily described a nice coffee shop as "kitschy" to the guy behind the counter and quickly learned from his reaction that it isn't the synonym for "artsy" that I thought it was.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

It means "a naive imitation" for anyone who's ears are turning red now. Puts on a wool cap.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And here I thought it meant quirky, fuck

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 10 months ago (5 children)

For decades I pronounced albeit like "al-bayt", instead of "all-be-it". I only ever saw it in writing, and never hears anyone say it. Meaning made also so much more sense when I finally heard it being said out loud. Eye opener.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (4 children)

I used poignant wrong for a long time, when it came to describing memories. I thought it meant the memories were strong, clear sensory ones but it meant sad ones.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Nothing too big or embarrassing, but for a while I thought "nepotism" just meant the same as "narcissism" when it's actually about favoritism towards one's family.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I thought "long COVID" meant "lung COVID" because in dutch long = lung

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Not a super long time but I conflated apocryphal with like sagely or scholarly

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Can I submit an expression? "Have the work cut out for you". My thinking was "there was a lot of work, but my boss said I'll have the work cut out for me. Phew, now there's less work after some of it being cut out!"

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