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What's a word you've spent a long time not using right? (lemm.ee)

submitted 11 months ago by shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

243 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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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[–] HipsterTenZero@dormi.zone 42 points 11 months ago (3 children)

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

[–] grayman@lemmy.world 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

literally

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

literally

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

literally

[–] jacktherippah@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

literally

[–] ULS@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

Laterally

[–] shinigamiookamiryuu@lemm.ee 6 points 11 months ago

One could say language is what we make of it.

[–] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less. ' 'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things. ' 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all.”