Phrases That Annoy

James wrote: I used it the other day and wish I hadn't: "I am an open-book".Grr!

More a pamphlet, really...

Peter wrote: mid-15c., perhaps a variant of frisk (q.v.). As a euphemism for "to f**k"

I've been frisked in public several times... by men in uniforms...

Should I sue?

Thanks to that link for "Grope Lane" I now know I have to visit Shrewsbury sometime. I can never resist the image of a lovely anglo-norman house. 

Peter wrote: Dean, "grope" is not inherently offensive or sexual, and I doubt it was so for that street name. (It may well have been a surname.) One can grope (fumble, or reach around blindly) in the dark for a lightswitch, for example.   Many place names in my native Newfoundland now sound funny or sexual, but they were not originally so. Words take on new meanings and useages over the centuries.   These days, grope's  association is very often sexual -- much as the hitherto innocent "intercourse" and "ejaculate" came to connote only sexual intercourse and, well, not a sudden conversational interjection.....

Peter, you need to follow the link to discover the wonders of Anglo Saxon street naming.

I know, I should have specified that it's not the expression in itself that annoys me, but the abuse. I see it a lot in contexts where it's not needed, recently.

"Based". You can not say anymore about someone that he's "Californanian", or "from California". You now must say "California-based". That quite annoys me. 

Peter wrote:  I just found the following online:   Origin: 1425–75; earlier, to move about restlessly, rub; late ME friggen  to quiver   ***************************************************************************************   "to move about restlessly," mid-15c., perhaps a variant of frisk (q.v.). As a euphemism for "to f**k" it dates from 1590s, later "to masturbate" (1670s).   ****************************************************************************************   (source: Dictionary.com, citing various reputable dictionaries)

Obviously I cannot dispute the academic sources, however glassblowing as an occupation has been around for over 3½ thousand years and predates any dictionary - the art of making small practice pieces certainly predates the small glass animals found in souvenir shops in the 60s. Since "frig" has taboo connotations (from an unrelated derivation) then its usage for innocent objects such as glass animals would have fallen from favour. Unfortunately I cannot locate a source for the glass-blowing connection and for once Google is far from helpful on this matter.

Dean wrote: Peter wrote:   Around here, people often think the plural of "you" is "yous." They also think "frigging" is a polite, acceptable version of f***ing -- it's not. (I heard a politician say it on national radio the other day, as in "the frigging economy.") It means EXACTLY the same thing, folks -- look it up! Originally Friggers were small pieces of nonsense glass made by glass blowers to demonstrate their skill, that act of making them being Frigging (frigging about, frigging around)   Frigging as an euphemism for f*cking is fairly modern, as a slang term in the old days I believe it only meant (female) masturbation.   I think it's like "Feck" - a word that over the past ten years or so has become "polite" substitute for f*ck - that too will eventually lose its original meaning (feck = worth, value, amount) through lack of use - it only really survives in English now as feckless (worthless)

Dean ol' bean, I've been meaning to get back to you on this. I'm not sure about your source, but would you agree to accept (as highly likely, if not final) what Webster's says on the word? (I did look it up before posting.) My Webster's dictionary has 400,000 entries, and it's new (only 3-4 years old), so I think it is highly definitive:

Edited by Peter - December 05 2010 at 11:13

Even Dean uses it on occasion +++shakes head in despair+++

^^^ You beat me to it, Jim. That expression sets my teeth on edge, especially when Brits use it.