h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I contribute to a Computer Help forum on the Internet. The was one chap who was having problems running games on his computer.

He started the post with the question: When I run like a game on my computer ...

I responded by telling him that I used to be able to run like a horse, but have never been able to run like a game. How do you do that?

Using like in spoken English is bad enough, but in written English using like demonstrates a degree of lazy thinking.

It as bad as starting every sentence, particularly a question with "I mean". I know what you mean or at least I would if they speak properly. It seems particularly prevalent with some interviewers on television who should know better.

Donald

Oh, yes! "At the end of the day" is one that is still in (too much) use here. When will it fade away? Another thing that gets me is old slang... the word "wicked" as a term of approval is in every third advert I hear... pronounced, because of the Scottish influence on NZ pronunciation, "wuck-ed"... I first heard it used by kids in 1991, it should have died away to be replaced by something new, if not for advertisers who still think it's current!

"A whole raft of measures". What? What? What are they drivelling on about.
Why the "whole raft". General politico/town hall/evading giving direct answers 'cos you don't know 'em bo**ocks.
if you ask me.
My personal favourite is people using "bought" instead of "brought", if you've not noticed this listen more carefully to people being interviewed on radio or telly.It drives me up the wall.
I've heard five live presenters using this and had to change stations.

I had a friend at school who once wrote an essay on the "rise to power of adolf ickler".
Six sides of A4.
Mong.

Another school chum drew a plan of bedroom in design, complete with furniture, including a "chester draws" in 25 point times roman.
Cabbage.

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Oh my.