Someone thought I was being really top-drawer this Saturday because I used the word "coitus." He said it was the first time he'd heard anyone say it out loud.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | July 6, 2021 4:53 PM |
"Alas," but I use it ironically.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | July 6, 2021 4:56 PM |
I use "a" and "an" correctly-- i.e., I don't say 'aN historic victory', etc.
I also pronounce forte as "fort", not "FOR-tay" or "for-TAY" when I am speaking of someone's area of expertise.
Sometimes it's what you don't say.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | July 6, 2021 5:04 PM |
[quote]Sometimes it's what you don't say.
But what you think. ^CUNT.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | July 6, 2021 5:05 PM |
Thus (is it pretentious enough?)
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | July 6, 2021 5:07 PM |
Incomparably malarkey elucidate
| by Anonymous | reply 12 | July 6, 2021 5:09 PM |
Im a bit shocked here... cunt is practically my everyday language
| by Anonymous | reply 19 | July 6, 2021 5:17 PM |
Insolent. But only in my Addison DeWitt voice.
| by Anonymous | reply 20 | July 6, 2021 5:20 PM |
But OP I was peckish this morning!
| by Anonymous | reply 21 | July 6, 2021 5:22 PM |
Methinks this egregious meme is concerning.
| by Anonymous | reply 22 | July 6, 2021 5:34 PM |
Datalounge; nobody knows what it means. Not me, but one word that will set me off is when authors use peripatetic. Yes, darlings, we all know that it means itinerant. Which means they fucking moved around a lot. So why not just say that instead of this welter of consonants?
I have an odd habit of slipping into Tagalog if I'm speaking French and don't know the French word for something. It makes for lively confabs.
| by Anonymous | reply 23 | July 6, 2021 5:38 PM |
Them "N" sounding word that means parsimonious.
| by Anonymous | reply 29 | July 6, 2021 6:13 PM |
"Peckish" is from "The Crown" or "Downton Abbey" or one of those BritFest shows.
My grandmother says "peckish" and I'd always found it to be old fashioned--my brother and I used to joke about it--and so it was funny when characters on one of those shows used it frequently.
| by Anonymous | reply 34 | July 6, 2021 7:14 PM |
I used precious when explaining. I had recently refurbished hardwood floors from 1910.I said I wasn't precious about it. Just don't fuck em up.
| by Anonymous | reply 35 | July 6, 2021 7:16 PM |
Solecism.
R34 You've made me peckish now!
| by Anonymous | reply 36 | July 6, 2021 7:18 PM |
edifice, alchemy, efficacy
| by Anonymous | reply 39 | July 7, 2021 3:28 AM |
At no time do I utilize grandiloquent locutions.
| by Anonymous | reply 41 | July 7, 2021 3:46 AM |
Chaise lounge with a French accent. (Shayz lonj)
| by Anonymous | reply 42 | July 7, 2021 3:50 AM |
Tad. As in "I feel a tad peckish!"
| by Anonymous | reply 44 | July 7, 2021 3:54 AM |
r23, French is pretentious
| by Anonymous | reply 45 | July 7, 2021 3:55 AM |
Notwithstanding. Verily verirly I say unto thee....
| by Anonymous | reply 46 | July 7, 2021 4:14 AM |
Then there are the dullards who think they sound more intelligent when they substitute "utilize" for "use".
| by Anonymous | reply 47 | July 7, 2021 4:15 AM |
Yes, R47 -- and they "purchase" stuff that the rest of us just "buy".
| by Anonymous | reply 48 | July 7, 2021 4:17 AM |
I don't use words pretentiously
...and, for good reason
| by Anonymous | reply 49 | July 7, 2021 4:18 AM |
[R45], awww... you cain't deny me a little foreign tongue every once in a way, now can you???
| by Anonymous | reply 51 | July 7, 2021 4:24 AM |
Amongst and wherewithal are my two go-tos.
| by Anonymous | reply 52 | July 7, 2021 4:48 AM |
you guys really use these in daily life?
| by Anonymous | reply 60 | July 7, 2021 8:56 AM |
I don't. I think them, but don't say them. I wouldn't have, shall we say, an adequately receptive auditor amongst my four total friends.
| by Anonymous | reply 61 | July 7, 2021 9:13 AM |
Oh, where to start...
I try not to use especially showy words or to give the appearance of adopting a few such as catchwords. It's better to use ordinary words in unordinary ways, but my vocabulary was polluted from childhood. When I'm bored with a conversation, the words just started seasoning their own stew, for self-amusement I suppose.
| by Anonymous | reply 63 | July 7, 2021 9:39 AM |
I guess “ insufferable.”
| by Anonymous | reply 64 | July 7, 2021 9:48 AM |
Ostensibly. At least once a conversation.
| by Anonymous | reply 65 | July 7, 2021 9:50 AM |
Organically.
As in, “The topic came up organically in our conversation.”
| by Anonymous | reply 66 | July 7, 2021 10:02 AM |
Oh cher r42. C'est "chaise longue" en français.
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 71 | July 7, 2021 1:22 PM |
If you use words beyond a fifth grade level in the USA, it's considered pretentious.
| by Anonymous | reply 72 | July 7, 2021 1:23 PM |
I don't use this because it sounds ridiculous but fits this thread.
Luncheon instead of lunch. "Please join me for luncheon".
| by Anonymous | reply 80 | July 7, 2021 8:17 PM |
Princeton, as in "my alma mater..."
| by Anonymous | reply 83 | July 7, 2021 8:59 PM |
Lorgnon, although one hardly EVER sees one nowadays.
Aestivate.
| by Anonymous | reply 90 | July 7, 2021 10:03 PM |
My bicycle has bespoke spokes.
| by Anonymous | reply 92 | July 7, 2021 10:03 PM |
Au dela (although I really prefer the English equivalent, "Out to THERE!!"
| by Anonymous | reply 93 | July 7, 2021 10:05 PM |
“Evidently”. My mom used to say this to sound more highbrow and my brother and I used to laugh and laugh.
| by Anonymous | reply 95 | July 7, 2021 10:37 PM |
Intransigent, not that it comes up very often. I dream of shutting down a contrarian by proclaiming I've had enough of their intransigence. Maybe I'll call them a sophist for good measure.
| by Anonymous | reply 96 | July 7, 2021 10:40 PM |
R80 Welcome to Datalounge, Your Majesty.
| by Anonymous | reply 98 | July 7, 2021 10:55 PM |
I say gimcracks and gewgaws, usually as a put-down for someone's taste in home decor.
| by Anonymous | reply 99 | July 7, 2021 11:01 PM |
Prepuce.
I use it to make up for all the mean DLers who call it a "stanksleeve".
| by Anonymous | reply 101 | July 7, 2021 11:16 PM |
Rubric; Egad!; Tickety-boo.
| by Anonymous | reply 102 | July 7, 2021 11:28 PM |
I refer to the Greek play Lysistrata
| by Anonymous | reply 109 | July 8, 2021 12:23 AM |
How is 'peckish' pretentious? It's just slang.
| by Anonymous | reply 110 | July 8, 2021 12:28 AM |
R81 - I had a female roommate from New Zealand who used to talk about her "morning ablutions", which just about made me throw up.
| by Anonymous | reply 115 | July 8, 2021 1:25 AM |
I like to say, "You needn't have done that".
| by Anonymous | reply 116 | July 8, 2021 1:25 AM |
Unctuous and flibberigibbet. I used both words at din-din last night. Rolls eyes, exhales cigarette smoke.
| by Anonymous | reply 117 | July 8, 2021 1:33 AM |
Largesse. And I always have to explain its meaning too, which is the sprinkle of spice on my momentary word whore smugness.
| by Anonymous | reply 120 | July 8, 2021 1:44 AM |
R116 I can relate to that. Sometimes I say “he was meant to go on Saturday” rather than “he was supposed to go.” It’s not as bad as the friend who lived in London for a year or two and now permanently says “have done” and “shall do.”
| by Anonymous | reply 123 | July 8, 2021 2:03 AM |
R105 I once embarrassed myself with that word. I had read it and knew what it meant but I didn’t know how to pronounce it, so I mispronounced it “detrious.” I felt ashamed when in the next sentence person I was talking to repeated the word and I knew instantly she had pronounced it correctly. Put me right in my place. And this person was from South America, English was her second language. Of course she was better spoken.
| by Anonymous | reply 124 | July 8, 2021 2:07 AM |
“The Iraq,” like, such as…
| by Anonymous | reply 125 | July 8, 2021 2:13 AM |
I always use nominative pronouns after linking verbs correctly, and I chastise others for incorrect usage. “That must be she.”
Similarly, using correct Latin singular and plurals (e.g., curriculum vs. curricula) and the correct verb with each. “The word, ‘data,’ is plural because data are many individual datum.” “The data are all fucked up!”
I pronounce foreign countries and cities with the appropriate foreign accent (Puerto Rrrrico vs. Porta Ricko) and often use the language of the locals (Milano vs. Milan, Pahreee vs. Paris).
I also say “cunt” habitually.
| by Anonymous | reply 126 | July 8, 2021 2:26 AM |
R92! You missed the "He spoke" opportunity!
| by Anonymous | reply 127 | July 8, 2021 2:28 AM |
Sycophant. (A friend has a good vocabulary, but pronounced the "syco" part as you would for "psychologist.")
I was having lunch with a friend who works in a dental office. He said something about his pasta being "al dante" (instead of "al dente"). Normally, I wouldn't have said anything with this particular friend. However, I figured since he worked in a dental office, I'd say that it was "al dente." He was pissed.
| by Anonymous | reply 129 | July 8, 2021 2:32 AM |
R115, I say "morning ablutions" Why not? The term is accurate without being gross!
| by Anonymous | reply 130 | July 8, 2021 2:32 AM |
R47, Totally entrenched in education courses.
| by Anonymous | reply 131 | July 8, 2021 2:33 AM |
Mine, in writing only, is "perforce."
What kind of acquaintances do people have for whom the common words "astound" and "astonishing" are pretentious?!
Or "tad"? "Penultimate"? Normal English.
| by Anonymous | reply 133 | July 8, 2021 2:37 AM |
R133, "penultimate" tends to be misused, which is unfortunate because it serves a purpose when applied correctly.
| by Anonymous | reply 134 | July 8, 2021 2:41 AM |
Ameliorate. It's almost onomatopoetic to me, sounds so warm and healing.
| by Anonymous | reply 135 | July 8, 2021 2:49 AM |
Go easy on those who mispronounce uncommon words. Such mistakes tell you that they likely learned the word through reading, an activity fewer and fewer bother with nowadays.
| by Anonymous | reply 136 | July 8, 2021 2:50 AM |
Mayhaps, until a friend said it made me sound even prissier than I already am.
My other two faves are "autodidact" and "solipsistic" Bonus points if you can use them in the same sentence: "His being an autodidact was really just a thinly veiled excuse for his insuperable solipsism."
| by Anonymous | reply 137 | July 8, 2021 2:50 AM |
R96: I'm proud to relate that, when I was about 12 years old, my Sunday School teacher (who was a pediatrician, M-F) looked at me sternly and declared that I was a "Sophist". Frankly, I had to look it up, at that point in my life.
| by Anonymous | reply 138 | July 8, 2021 2:52 AM |
R137 Isn’t it “mayhap” singular?
| by Anonymous | reply 140 | July 8, 2021 3:08 AM |
Jk r23, jk - French was my minor, haha. I love it, but feel like a fool sometimes for having studied it...while remaining in Texas for mist of my adult life. D'oh!
| by Anonymous | reply 142 | July 8, 2021 3:10 AM |
I use present perfect tense rather than simple past tense all the time, just like the Brits. “I have just taken a shit in my trousers” vs. “I just shit my pants.” “I’ve forgotten to douche” vs. “I forgot to douche.” Present perfect sounds so much classier.
| by Anonymous | reply 145 | July 8, 2021 3:37 AM |
I started young. In either 1st or 2nd grade (same teacher) we had to pick a story to read to the class. I chose "How the Elephant Got Its Trunk," by Kipling.
Came to an unknown word and asked for help. Teacher replied, "It's your story."
I can pronounce the word now. It was "insatiable."
| by Anonymous | reply 150 | July 8, 2021 2:58 PM |
You had good taste in literature, R150! The great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees made an impression on me at whatever young age I first heard of it and it's stuck with me ever since.
| by Anonymous | reply 151 | July 8, 2021 3:09 PM |
I did, r151! So much so that I grew up to teach the subject!
| by Anonymous | reply 152 | July 8, 2021 3:12 PM |
I don't have it handy, but I thought Kipling referred to it as the " 'satiable" elephant's child, imitating the very difficulty and weirdness of the word for young children...The elephant child is insatiable because it is neverendingly asking questions of its elders, pestering them.
| by Anonymous | reply 153 | July 8, 2021 4:30 PM |
I pronounce either as EYE-ther, people say that is pretentious.
I also say flabberghasted and scold, quite a bit.
| by Anonymous | reply 154 | July 8, 2021 6:32 PM |
At some point in her life, my mom started, apropos of nothing, pronouncing envelope "awn-velope." I confronted her and asked her why she started saying it that way. Her answer was did not really address my question.
| by Anonymous | reply 155 | July 8, 2021 6:55 PM |
Was that an attempt at a pun r155?
| by Anonymous | reply 156 | July 8, 2021 7:55 PM |
Fatiguing. I use that a lot.
| by Anonymous | reply 157 | July 8, 2021 8:04 PM |
No, R156, not intended as a pun (envelope and address).
| by Anonymous | reply 159 | July 8, 2021 8:53 PM |
Then a Freudian slip. Your Freudian slip is showing.
| by Anonymous | reply 160 | July 8, 2021 8:54 PM |
postmodernism
Fuck Foucault, that writer of maximally obtuse and convoluted prose
Crumbcake, darling?
| by Anonymous | reply 161 | July 8, 2021 9:00 PM |
[quote]At some point in her life, my mom started, apropos of nothing, pronouncing envelope "awn-velope."
Does she also pronounce "endive" like " awn-DEEVE?"
| by Anonymous | reply 162 | July 8, 2021 9:01 PM |
R158, "supercilious" is a lovely (albeit sibilant) word and not at all pretentious -- it can even be used effectively in poetry:
KING JOHN'S CHRISTMAS (by A.A. Milne)
King John was not a good man --
He had his little ways.
And sometimes no one spoke to him
For days and days and days.
And men who came across him,
When walking in the town,
Gave him a supercilious stare,
Or passed with noses in the air --
And bad King John stood dumbly there,
Blushing beneath his crown.
[con't at the link]
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 164 | July 8, 2021 9:03 PM |
'Apropos'...from the French, pronounced 'appropo.'
| by Anonymous | reply 166 | July 8, 2021 9:07 PM |
R154 no shit I've forever pronounced it EYE-THER but not a single soul around here does the same so I've been trying fruitlessly to adjust my pronunciation to EEEE-THER.
| by Anonymous | reply 167 | July 8, 2021 9:13 PM |
'Rapprochement'
Pronounced: rap-rohsh-mahn
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 168 | July 8, 2021 9:14 PM |
R167. I say EYE-ther and NYE-ther.
| by Anonymous | reply 169 | July 8, 2021 9:15 PM |
R169 same here LMFAO. So what are we fucking pretentious weirdos?
| by Anonymous | reply 170 | July 8, 2021 9:18 PM |
Two words: "beyond reproach." Or is it "above reproach."
| by Anonymous | reply 171 | July 8, 2021 9:29 PM |
R153, I have a feeling I probably had a (relatively) more child-friendly version!
But perhaps not, and my memory is a tad off!
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 175 | July 9, 2021 1:41 AM |
I said “erstwhile” today. Felt pretentious.
| by Anonymous | reply 176 | July 9, 2021 4:47 AM |
I'm ENORMOUSLY fine, thank you
| by Anonymous | reply 178 | July 9, 2021 8:37 AM |
[R65] [R112] [R113] [R163] Personal favorites of mine.
[R136] Thank you for saying that; I can't tell you how frequently I get my pronunciation corrected. Or how many politicians' names I butcher in conversation because I prefer to read rather than listen to radio or watch videos.
| by Anonymous | reply 179 | July 9, 2021 5:15 PM |
In my job I make it a point to say processes (Prah-sess-sEEs) when referring to the multiple steps taken to complete a task. To many people pronounce it wrong.
| by Anonymous | reply 181 | July 9, 2021 5:46 PM |
Counterintuitive. I just like what it means. Something you don’t expect.
| by Anonymous | reply 183 | July 9, 2021 8:23 PM |
How do you pronounce banal, R184?
Offsite Link| by Anonymous | reply 185 | July 9, 2021 10:05 PM |
R188, it's PRIMA FACIE. If you're going to be pretentious, at least spell it right.
| by Anonymous | reply 189 | July 10, 2021 1:27 PM |
I say "Dah-ta" not "Day-ta."
Dahtalounge!
| by Anonymous | reply 190 | July 10, 2021 1:37 PM |
R137, it's not immediately obvious to me how being an autodidact could excuse solipsism, but maybe you have some particular context in mind.
R126, I had the same habit of correcting other people's grammar! Grew out of it when I was about 15, though. Also, exonyms exist in every language and there's nothing wrong with using them.
| by Anonymous | reply 191 | July 10, 2021 2:24 PM |
I (almost compulsively, I can't resist) use latin plurals. Consortium is/consortia are. Data are. Alumnus or alumna is/alumni are etc.
Even though horrors like "consortiums" are now acceptable.
| by Anonymous | reply 195 | July 10, 2021 4:38 PM |
Good for you, R195. Without eternal vigilance like yours, Latin (properly used) might become a dead language!
| by Anonymous | reply 196 | July 10, 2021 7:45 PM |
That's not pretentious, R197, just the proper medical term for the condition. It's fairly common in cats and I just say "extra toes" because I get tired of translating for the hoi polloi.
| by Anonymous | reply 198 | July 11, 2021 3:47 AM |
R197 Hi, my name is Sparky, I identify as polydactyl, and my pronouns are it and its.
| by Anonymous | reply 199 | July 11, 2021 4:02 PM |
Prestigious pronounced pruh-STIDGE-us.
| by Anonymous | reply 200 | July 11, 2021 8:09 PM |
Those pathetic, ignorant, slobs who believe that the ancient Greek word, kudos, is PLURAL...Oh my God, how I pity them. Can you EVEN imagine?!! How do they make it from one day to the next?
| by Anonymous | reply 201 | July 12, 2021 12:57 AM |
^When they say it, I don't even respond. I just smile, inwardly, and change the subject.
| by Anonymous | reply 202 | July 12, 2021 12:58 AM |
“Doctor”
Those of us who actually went through the hell of medical school and residency are now called “prescribers” or “providers”.
Only pretentious folks who have a 2 year Ed D or a PhD in gender studies call themselves doctors these days.
| by Anonymous | reply 206 | July 17, 2021 8:29 PM |
^^I have that dreaded PhD, but it's not in gender studies. It's in Theatre History from a Research One university. I learned long ago that it's really only correct to use the title in situations where it supports your expertise. I don't style myself "Dr." when making reservations at restaurants or booking tickets on airlines.
I, too, share your chagrin at the two year Education Doctorates. I finished my teaching career at a university with a very generous tuition assistance program. Lots of low level administrative types enrolled, and basically, if you kept showing up for two years you ended up with the Ed D. No dissertation, no defense, possibly a lengthy paper about some educational facet of their current position. Those people used the title every time they had the opportunity.
It pissed me off royally, as these degrees cheapened the "real PhDs." I cannot tell you them number of times I sat in meetings with jacked-up administrative assistants who put the title on everything, up to and including their Starbucks order. "I have a mocha frappucino for Dr. Mindy? Dr. Mindy?"
| by Anonymous | reply 207 | July 18, 2021 3:22 AM |
How about using the Dr title when you're married to the V.P. and later to the Pres?
| by Anonymous | reply 208 | July 18, 2021 3:37 AM |
