British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

goldfish · Futures level

The weird & wonderful world of English grammar...

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

goldfish wrote:
On the BBC weather just now - its looking much more better

Not even remotely surprised.

Every time there's a flare-up of whooping cough cases anywhere in the country, I steel myself to hear the reporters/newsreaders pronounce that initial "w"! furious

christ · Challenger qualifying

On the upside they managed to avoid "betterer".

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

A curious new use of the verb "to tease" which I've just noticed:

Kensington Palace had teased the clip ahead of the programme with a video of Catherine and a then unknown person playing the piano captioned "a special duet...".

(extracted from this report)

Used again in:

Quiz of the Year 2025, Part 1: Which star teased her engagement on the red carpet?

It's so awkward & clumsy, not to mention lazy (I assume that, whoever first used it in that way, couldn't be bothered to add a couple more words to say it in a more rational manner), I'm not even sure I understand what it's actually meant to mean!

Brendan F · Intermediate Club Player

Stircrazy wrote:
A curious new use of the verb "to tease" which I've just noticed:
Kensington Palace had teased the clip ahead of the programme with a video of Catherine and a then unknown person playing the piano captioned "a special duet...".
(extracted from this report)
Used again in:
Quiz of the Year 2025, Part 1: Which star teased her engagement on the red carpet?
It's so awkward & clumsy, not to mention lazy (I assume that, whoever first used it in that way, couldn't be bothered to add a couple more words to say it in a more rational manner), I'm not even sure I understand what it's actually meant to mean!

It comes from teaser trailer, the clips they use to advertise new programmes

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Brendan F wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
A curious new use of the verb "to tease" which I've just noticed:
Kensington Palace had teased the clip ahead of the programme with a video of Catherine and a then unknown person playing the piano captioned "a special duet...".
(extracted from this report)
Used again in:
Quiz of the Year 2025, Part 1: Which star teased her engagement on the red carpet?
It's so awkward & clumsy, not to mention lazy (I assume that, whoever first used it in that way, couldn't be bothered to add a couple more words to say it in a more rational manner), I'm not even sure I understand what it's actually meant to mean!
It comes from teaser trailer, the clips they use to advertise new programmes

Thanks, Brendan

So, completely genuine here (don't pick me up on that one, SC ), for SC's quote above:

Quiz of the Year 2025, Part 1: Which star teased her engagement on the red carpet?

That means 'which star put out a little video clip of her engagement which took place on a red carpet?'

Is that it? (I've never seen the use before)

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Brendan F wrote:
Stircrazy wrote:
A curious new use of the verb "to tease" which I've just noticed:
Kensington Palace had teased the clip ahead of the programme with a video of Catherine and a then unknown person playing the piano captioned "a special duet...".
(extracted from this report)
Used again in:
Quiz of the Year 2025, Part 1: Which star teased her engagement on the red carpet?
It's so awkward & clumsy, not to mention lazy (I assume that, whoever first used it in that way, couldn't be bothered to add a couple more words to say it in a more rational manner), I'm not even sure I understand what it's actually meant to mean!
It comes from teaser trailer, the clips they use to advertise new programmes

Thanks, Brendan. Definitely lazy - & inelegant, to say the least, if (grudging concession) succinct! disbelief

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

The Beeb has now found a new meaning for the verb "to award":

George Clooney, wife Amal and their twins awarded French citizenship

(report)

I thought citizenship of a particular country was a privilege conferred on or granted to someone following a formal application, not a prize handed out at the end of a competition! I give up - again! disbelief

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

So, not content with continuing to consort with the so-called "Prince of Darkness" even after he was made aware of Mandy's lies about his continued friendship with the vile Jeffrey Epstein following his release from the prison to which he'd been sent for soliciting prostitution from a minor & then appointing him (Mandy) UK Ambassador to the US, "Two-tier Keir" crosses over to the linguistic dark side by aping the Yanks' refusal to acknowledge the need for the pluperfect in some conditional sentences (as witness, the first line of the 1950s hit song, "If I knew you were comin', I'd've baked a cake", which used to drive me to distraction every time I had the misfortune to see the Rightmove advert on TV a few years back). He blithely stated at PMQs yesterday that:

If I knew then what I know now, he would never have been anywhere near government

when he should have said, "If I had (or I'd) known then...". disbelief

Completely off topic, why have people suddenly started saying "it boils my blood" instead of "it makes my blood boil"? Laziness (one word fewer)? Sheer ignorance? Or is that the way the Yanks say it? It makes my blood boil... furious

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

I don't watch Countdown, but I love Susie Dent & agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments she expresses in this delightful article. I must confess, however, that in all my years of knowing German, I've never come across the compound noun, Fernweh, before, though I fully understand the sense of it. Intriguing. Not sure of the relevance of the etymology quiz to the premise of the article.

I note that the incorrectly spelt "hullerballoo" & "kefuffal" have been amended since the article was archived. Whichever ignoramus let them go (Georgia Lambert or a sub?) deserves to be shot!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
I don't watch Countdown, but I love Susie Dent & agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments she expresses in this delightful article.

I've been checking on the on-line article to read the comments on it & someone came up with a beauty:

Susie Dent is the author of the greatest tweet ever. On the morning of the Brexit referendum result, in her grief, she declared "I have no words." Utter genius.

A couple of others responded wittily to another reader's complaint about the absence of proper English grammar lessons in schools these days:

Children these days are mainly taught about pronouns.

while another added:

and genders

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

goldfish wrote:
On the BBC weather just now - its looking much more better

Yet another abomination:

Six Nations: Ollivon try ticks France past 50-point mark against Wales...

christ · Challenger qualifying

Pretty well done to get "tick", "mark", and "point" into the same phrase!

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Stircrazy wrote:
goldfish wrote:
On the BBC weather just now - its looking much more better
Yet another abomination:
Six Nations: Ollivon try ticks France past 50-point mark against Wales...

The Beeb never fails to disappoint - from a report on a "heated exchange" between Tamara Korpatsch (GER) & Wang Xinyu (CHN) following which the two players ultimately refused to shake hands:

The initial flashpoint came when Wang made her way over to Korpatsch's side of the court to inspect a ball mark, after the chair umpire ruled her shot had landed beyond the baseline. Wang was booed by the crowd for her actions and received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. The point in question was particularly crucial, as it gave Korpatsch set point on Wang's serve at the end of the first set.

The disagreement reignited (*) when the players met at the net once the match had finished, with both walking away without the customary handshake.

(*) I disapprove of "ignite/reignite" used as an intransitive verb

Afterwards, Korpatsch rebuked the suggestion by 32nd seed Wang that she was "not a fair player".

How in God's name do you "rebuke" someone's words (as opposed to the person who uttered them)? confuse "Condemned" or "denounced" would probably have been too "upmarket" for a sports report, but couldn't the journo have said "criticised" or, if he'd wanted something stronger, "blasted" or (dare I say it?) "slammed"? Do these people ever give any thought to the way in which they use words (assuming they've been taught how to in the first place)?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Yes

Naughty 'suggestion', go and stand in the corner, you bad suggestion, you

Do you think they meant 'refuted'?

It's quite common to use a word that sounds similar - a word slip (which I can forgive in spoken language but is not forgiveable in a written text, from a journalist)