WEDNESDAY WHINE: ATM Machine and Other Language Annoyances
This is definitely the most whiny of my Wednesday Whines so far…
English Language Annoyances
1. “ATM Machine”
Usage: I need some cash. Let’s hit the ATM machine.
ATM stands for Automated Teller Machine, meaning a machine that acts as an automated version of a bank teller, giving you money from your bank account but without ever having contact with a person.
So when someone says “ATM machine,” it really means “automated teller machine machine”. Get it? Why not just say “I need to go to the ATM.” Doesn’t everyone know what an ATM is? Do you really need to add “machine” in there for emphasis?
There are actually quite a few phrases that drive me nuts that fall under this same category. Here are a couple more:
“PIN Number”
Usage: I can’t access my account because I forgot my PIN number.
Really? You forgot your “personal identification number number?”
“VIN Number”
Usage: My car was stolen so I need my VIN number to give to the police.
I’m sure the cops will be happy when you’re able to provide them with your “vehicle identification number number.”
2. “A whole ‘nother…”
Usage: That’s a whole ‘nother story.
This informal slang drives me nuts. Yes, I know it’s listed in the dictionary, but that doesn’t make it sound any better when said out loud. What’s happening is that the word “another” is being chopped up by “whole” into “a” and “nother” instead of the correct split of “an” and “other.” So instead of saying “a whole other,” which is technically correct but more difficult to wrap your tongue around, many resort to “a whole ‘nother,” which inevitably annoys me.
3. “I could care less!”
Usage: I could care less about your problem.
This popular expression is often misstated. If you don’t care at all about something, you really should say “I couldn’t care less,” meaning that it is impossible for you to care less about the issue at hand. When someone says, “I could care less” about something, it really means that the issue does have some importance as there are other issues for which you potentially could care less about.
To sum it all up, here’s the most annoying conversation ever:
MR. ANNOYING: Man, my car was stolen!
MR. HELPFUL: Was there anything valuable inside?
MR. ANNOYING: Yes, all my cash!
MR. HELPFUL: Do you need me to drive you to the bank?
MR. ANNOYING: Nah, I can’t use the ATM machine.
MR. HELPFUL: Why not?
MR. ANNOYING: I forgot my PIN number.
MR. HELPFUL: Did you at least report the car to the police?
MR. ANNOYING: Yes, but they needed my VIN number to process it.
MR. HELPFUL: And why don’t you have that handy?
MR. ANNOYING: That’s a whole ‘nother story…
MR. HELPFUL: You really should be more responsible.
MR. ANNOYING: I could care less about what you think.
MR. HELPFUL: I hate you.
Do you have a commonly-used expression that simply drives you nuts? Post it in the comments and tell me why it annoys you.
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Another one I run into all the time considering my field and hobbies is “PCB board”. PCB = printed circuit board, so they’re saying printed circuit board board.
Mike
Question: Would like to go to the movies?..
Answer: I dont care…
Well I care thus me asking the question I would really like your imput into the decision making process.
This post reminds me of the ATMOS system…. Atmospheric Omission System System in Doctor Who, (The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky)
The genius made the same point as you. lol
This one doesn’t annoy me, but a grammer lesson for some.
when someone lists things “Cars, bikes, buses, airplanes, and etc.” The word “and” is unnecessary because the word “etc” means “and so forth”. So the person is saying “Cars, bikes, buses, airplanes, and and so forth.”
I never really thought about the ATM/VIN/PIN one or the ‘nother one either. I just say “a whole other story”.
But I hate when people say they could care less. I sometimes try explaining what they’ve really said, but they still don’t get it.
One of the funniest tautologies is ‘the La Brea Tar Pits’. Since ‘la Brea’ means ‘the tar’, so it means ‘the the tar tar pits’.
Definitely with you on ‘could care less’, though. It’s an example of language getting mutilated by people who get all their vocabulary verbally and don’t read enough. Drives me nuts when I hear it.
Olly – I didn’t realize that the unnecessary repetition of meaning had a name: tautology. Great!
I feel as if Ricky has channelled George Carlin as some level. All of these things used to really bother me (as an English and Communication major should be), but as I’ve gotten older, and heard how some people abuse the language…I usually let things like this go.
My only real hang-up is “funner” and “funnest.” Hearing people use those makes me grind my teeth.
hahaha that cracked me up. i hate the word ain’t. ain’t ain’t in the dictionary. its annoys me and i don’t think i have ever used it in a sentence when i wasn’t kidding.
oh and the atm machine reminds me of in the movie dodgeball, the American Dodgeball assostiation of america. People are just stupid like that.
Just recently I’ve been noticing people saying, “for god sakes” instead of, “for god’s sake”.
Also, people say “supposubly” instead of “supposedly”.
This was the best post ever! Thanks Ricky! I HATE it when people pluralize the names of stores. I’m going to Kmarts/Walmarts/Targets.
That reminds me of another one that drives me crazy: Saying “mines” instead of “mine.” As in, “That dictionary is mines.” I have no idea how that habit is picked up.
I heard another one while at dinner tonight. The waitress said “Are you guys just out chilaxing tonight?”
Is there enough of a difference between ‘chilling’ and ‘relaxing’ that makes it necessary to combine them into one word?
Oh, I thought of another one. I notice that people usually say “adaption” instead of “adaptation”.
Annoyance: “I’ll talk to you later.”
No, talk _with_ me later, unless you’re going to be lecturing me.
I hate “Same Difference”. What?
Pete: I think that’s being a little too picky. But that’s a pet peeve of my own – I sometimes catch myself saying “talk to you later” or “see ya later” to someone I know I’ll probably never see again.
I just need to get into the habit of saying “bye”.
One that always gets me is ‘CD Disc’ being a double repeat of disc!
Oxford University compiled a list of their 10 most irritating phrases back in November.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/debates/3394545/Oxford-compiles-list-of-top-ten-irritating-phrases.html
1 – At the end of the day
2 – Fairly unique
3 – I personally
4 – At this moment in time
5 – With all due respect
6 – Absolutely
7 – It’s a nightmare
8 – Shouldn’t of
9 – 24/7
10 – It’s not rocket science
Ok… I’ll play along…
It drives me crazy when an advertisement says something like “it costs less than you think”, or “we’re closer than you think”.
At least throw in a”might think” in there so that you don’t come off as some kind of arrogant mind reader. How can you possibly know what I think?
I was a member of a Rocky Horror cast years ago called the Transducer Players or tTP. Back when the internet was in its infancy and everyone was creating homepages for themselves we had a page devoted to our cast. Somewhere along the line, “the Transducer Players” website started to be referred to as “the TTP website” (or the THE Transducer Players website).
Great article!!! I feel the same way about most of these that you mentioned.
The phrase that gets to me is a regional one. Down here in the South we say that we stand in line but up North they stand on line. You’re not ON the line. There’s no line on the ground that you’re standing on. The line is made up by the people so you’re IN line. LOL
Again, great article!
Hypermommy, I hate that one too. But I’m from up north and I never said I’m standing on line. The only time I’m onl line is when I’m on the computer.
(Hey, wait.. should I say I’m on the computer or using the computer. I’ve never really been on my computer – or my phone.)
LOL… I now have this mental image of you sitting on your monitor bending over to see the image and trying to type but the keyboard’s backwards. LOL
How about “literally” — as in, “I literally died laughing.” Really? So, tell me about your resurrection!
I don’t know if you would except it but when I was watching “That’s so Raven” Raven would usually say the one expression that really annoys me and that was “Oh Snap” It gets pretty old pretty quickly.
Oh Snap! seems to be gaining in popularity. One of the characters (Joy) on “My Name is Earl” is always saying it also. I like it.
On the contrary, “Oh Snap” hasn’t been a popular phrase for over a decade. We were saying that back in ’96. It’s just one of those instances where corporate America catches hold of slang too late and oveuses…
Like “Bling Bling” and adding “izzle” to everything. Only the out of touch keep using those terms.
Actually, in some places an ATM is knows as “Any Time Money”, so ATM machine is correct.