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[KingZog3]

I'm bothered that "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" have the same meaning.

Kind of like "I'm up for that" and "I'm down with that"

Yeah, but "I'm down with that" and "I'm up for that" are more like street slang than a misunderstanding of the language and expressions.

[Teproc]

Non-English speakers, since we have a bunch here:  do you have the same problems in your language, where people hear something wrong, then keep repeating it incorrectly, even now in the age of print?  Should I give up on English, or are other languages basically the same?

I don't think mishearing things is a big problem in Finnish since the pronunciation of Finnish words is so simple. However, we have a different but similar problem: people hear a word correctly, but don't know what it means and assume its meaning wrong, usually because they are familiar with a similar English word which has a different meaning. For example, it is pretty common to see "pateettinen" (epic, pompous, melodramatic) being used as the equivalent of pathetic.

Oh yes, we have that too, called "anglicisme". One that is particularly noteworthy is "assume". People are now using the French verb "assumer" with the English meaning (instead of using "présumer" or "supposer"), when what it actually means is... well, a little hard to translate, but has nothing to do with "assume". The best translation I could come up with is "taking responsibility for your actions". So yeah, that's quite a leap.

[KingZog3]

Non-English speakers, since we have a bunch here:  do you have the same problems in your language, where people hear something wrong, then keep repeating it incorrectly, even now in the age of print?  Should I give up on English, or are other languages basically the same?

I don't think mishearing things is a big problem in Finnish since the pronunciation of Finnish words is so simple. However, we have a different but similar problem: people hear a word correctly, but don't know what it means and assume its meaning wrong, usually because they are familiar with a similar English word which has a different meaning. For example, it is pretty common to see "pateettinen" (epic, pompous, melodramatic) being used as the equivalent of pathetic.

Oh yes, we have that too, called "anglicisme". One that is particularly noteworthy is "assume". People are now using the French verb "assumer" with the English meaning (instead of using "présumer" or "supposer"), when what it actually means is... well, a little hard to translate, but has nothing to do with "assume". The best translation I could come up with is "taking responsibility for your actions". So yeah, that's quite a leap.

There's a lot of that here in Quebec.  Quebecois french has a lot of anglicism.

[Awaclus]

http://www.gdriv.es/derivclicker/game.html

I can almost deal with the fact that I have more Mathematicians than there are people in the world, but having 10 000 Kurt Gödels is pretty mindblowing.

[Axxle]

5 seconds in, and I'm probably making more than the median mathematician.

[eHalcyon]

I'm bothered that "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" have the same meaning.

Kind of like "I'm up for that" and "I'm down with that"

Unlike the example with "another think coming", I think a lot of people still consider "I could care less" to be an error.

"I'm up for that" and "I'm down with that" don't mean the same thing to me.  The former means "I'd like to do that activity" while the latter more broadly means "I agree".  "Down for that" would match the former, but I see them as parts of different metaphors.  "I'm up for that" means that I am happy (up) with the plan.  "I'm down for that" means that you can put my name down on the sign-up list.

That's just how I think of them though.  No idea if they are even remotely correct.

Non-English speakers, since we have a bunch here:  do you have the same problems in your language, where people hear something wrong, then keep repeating it incorrectly, even now in the age of print?  Should I give up on English, or are other languages basically the same?

I don't think mishearing things is a big problem in Finnish since the pronunciation of Finnish words is so simple. However, we have a different but similar problem: people hear a word correctly, but don't know what it means and assume its meaning wrong, usually because they are familiar with a similar English word which has a different meaning. For example, it is pretty common to see "pateettinen" (epic, pompous, melodramatic) being used as the equivalent of pathetic.

Oh yes, we have that too, called "anglicisme". One that is particularly noteworthy is "assume". People are now using the French verb "assumer" with the English meaning (instead of using "présumer" or "supposer"), when what it actually means is... well, a little hard to translate, but has nothing to do with "assume". The best translation I could come up with is "taking responsibility for your actions". So yeah, that's quite a leap.

FWIW, one English definition of assume matches your definition for assumer.

[Kirian]

http://www.gdriv.es/derivclicker/game.html

I can almost deal with the fact that I have more Mathematicians than there are people in the world, but having 10 000 Kurt Gödels is pretty mindblowing.

I'm glad they included him Gödel the game; it would have felt incomplete without him.

[eHalcyon]

Learned about a board game called Oneupmanship.  It... might be a satire?  But it's also being sold for $50 so... I don't know.

Go look it up.  It's incredible.  Spoilers:

It's like a monopoly clone gone wrong.
There's a rule that says you can declare bankruptcy at any time... and force all other players to also go bankrupt.  And the game doesn't end.
The game comes with a bottle of pills.  That you are supposed to take.  With no indication of what those pills actually are.  I am not making this up.

[Witherweaver]

Learned about a board game called Oneupmanship.  It... might be a satire?  But it's also being sold for $50 so... I don't know.

Go look it up.  It's incredible.  Spoilers:

It's like a monopoly clone gone wrong.
There's a rule that says you can declare bankruptcy at any time... and force all other players to also go bankrupt.  And the game doesn't end.
The game comes with a bottle of pills.  That you are supposed to take.  With no indication of what those pills actually are.  I am not making this up.

BGG comments are interesting: http://boardgamegeek.com/collection/items/boardgame/144110?comment=1

[Axxle]

Learned about a board game called Oneupmanship.  It... might be a satire?  But it's also being sold for $50 so... I don't know.

Go look it up.  It's incredible.  Spoilers:

It's like a monopoly clone gone wrong.
There's a rule that says you can declare bankruptcy at any time... and force all other players to also go bankrupt.  And the game doesn't end.
The game comes with a bottle of pills.  That you are supposed to take.  With no indication of what those pills actually are.  I am not making this up.

[Kuildeous]

Well, this is a phrase where the original was intentionally incorrect, grammatically. Whereas "thing" fits grammatically and makes sense. I'd never heard or read the phrase with "think" instead, until recently.

It's not unheard of to use a word as a noun. It's like saying, "Don't I get a say in the matter?" I think that's probably the closest example to "another think coming." There are also things like, "Giving the dog a wash," and, "Going for a drive," though I think that those words are designed to be nouns as well.

Although, according to dictionary.com, "think" is also a noun, so it's not wrong at all.

And I do feel that it makes more sense to say, "you've got another think coming," since you start off with, "if you think that way…" So why wouldn't you follow it up with "think"? "Thing" is just so vague, while "think" is really focusing on what was said earlier.

I'm trying to disabuse people of spelling, "Just desserts," but that is a quixotic attempt. But now I'm in the mood for some French silk pie.

[eHalcyon]

Well, this is a phrase where the original was intentionally incorrect, grammatically. Whereas "thing" fits grammatically and makes sense. I'd never heard or read the phrase with "think" instead, until recently.

It's not unheard of to use a word as a noun. It's like saying, "Don't I get a say in the matter?" I think that's probably the closest example to "another think coming." There are also things like, "Giving the dog a wash," and, "Going for a drive," though I think that those words are designed to be nouns as well.

Although, according to dictionary.com, "think" is also a noun, so it's not wrong at all.

And I do feel that it makes more sense to say, "you've got another think coming," since you start off with, "if you think that way…" So why wouldn't you follow it up with "think"? "Thing" is just so vague, while "think" is really focusing on what was said earlier.

I'm trying to disabuse people of spelling, "Just desserts," but that is a quixotic attempt. But now I'm in the mood for some French silk pie.

"If you think [X], you've got another thing coming", where this other thing is what you will get instead of X.  So the meaning is actually a bit different from the original, which is basically saying, "if you think [X], think again".  The phrase with "thing" is more like saying "you're going to be surprised".

dictionary.com's listing for think as a noun says that it is informal, and it's uncommonly used as far as I know.  Might be a regional thing, or maybe it was more common in the past.

[pingpongsam]

VPN is the secret elixir of getting things done on an iPad.

[Dsell]

Also, the misuse of the word ironic. 99% of the time what they meant to say was coincidental and .5% of the time they meant undesirable. I blame Alanis Morrisette.

I know some people who are pretty stingy about the use of "ironic." Literarily, however, it has several meanings that allow it to be used more broadly. Dramatic irony is simply when the audience knows something that a character does not. Situational irony is when an outcome is the opposite of expected or intended. Ironic situations abound, although that does make it a little worse when the word is misused.

[Teproc]

I love that Dsell just used "literally" correctly when defending the broad use of "ironic". So meta !

[Teproc]

FWIW, one English definition of assume matches your definition for assumer.

It does ? I guess that's not very surprising, but I've never heard it used that way in English.

[Axxle]

I love that Dsell just used "literally" correctly when defending the broad use of "ironic". So meta !

"Literarily" is literally not "literally".

[shraeye]

http://www.gdriv.es/derivclicker/game.html

any idea what the formula is for how mathematicians affect ticks?  I'm trying to build spreadsheets, because my alternative is doing work

I found the function.  On the plus side, this exercise has perhaps taught me some things about coding?

[eHalcyon]

FWIW, one English definition of assume matches your definition for assumer.

It does ? I guess that's not very surprising, but I've never heard it used that way in English.

1. to take for granted or without proof: to assume that everyone wants peace. Synonyms: suppose, presuppose; postulate, posit.
2. to take upon oneself; undertake: to assume an obligation.
3. to take over the duties or responsibilities of: to assume the office of treasurer.
4. to take on (a particular character, quality, mode of life, etc.); adopt: He assumed the style of an aggressive go-getter.
5. to take on; be invested or endowed with: The situation assumed a threatening character.

Number 2 or 3 sound pretty close to what you were talking about.

[Kirian]

Learned about a board game called Oneupmanship.  It... might be a satire?  But it's also being sold for $50 so... I don't know.

Go look it up.  It's incredible.  Spoilers:

It's like a monopoly clone gone wrong.
There's a rule that says you can declare bankruptcy at any time... and force all other players to also go bankrupt.  And the game doesn't end.
The game comes with a bottle of pills.  That you are supposed to take.  With no indication of what those pills actually are.  I am not making this up.

[Vasel Review]

So I decided, because I have a lot of morbid curiosity about things, to take a look around the rest of their website.  And... I just don't know what to say other that this:

The people who created this game are the pinnacle of the word "douchebro."  They fit the frat-boy stereotype to a T.  They are rich: their headquarters is in one of the richest towns in the richest state in the US, where the median household income tops $200,000.  As classist elites, many of their jokes seem to be founded on the belief that those at the top of the income scale are the best no matter how that money came about.

For all appearances, this isn't satire.  They actually, truly believe this is an amazing product, and that we should be basking in the glow of their awesomeness.

[Witherweaver]

Learned about a board game called Oneupmanship.  It... might be a satire?  But it's also being sold for $50 so... I don't know.

Go look it up.  It's incredible.  Spoilers:

It's like a monopoly clone gone wrong.
There's a rule that says you can declare bankruptcy at any time... and force all other players to also go bankrupt.  And the game doesn't end.
The game comes with a bottle of pills.  That you are supposed to take.  With no indication of what those pills actually are.  I am not making this up.

[Vasel Review]

So I decided, because I have a lot of morbid curiosity about things, to take a look around the rest of their website.  And... I just don't know what to say other that this:

The people who created this game are the pinnacle of the word "douchebro."  They fit the frat-boy stereotype to a T.  They are rich: their headquarters is in one of the richest towns in the richest state in the US, where the median household income tops $200,000.  As classist elites, many of their jokes seem to be founded on the belief that those at the top of the income scale are the best no matter how that money came about.

For all appearances, this isn't satire.  They actually, truly believe this is an amazing product, and that we should be basking in the glow of their awesomeness.

The Amazon reviews are even more interesting.  Most reviews are 1 star.  Four 5-star reviews, all of which come from users that only reviewed this product or reviewed one other product.

http://www.amazon.com/Oneupmanship-ONEUPMANSHIP/dp/B00HUAANMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395870564&sr=8-1&keywords=oneupmanship

[Teproc]

I love that Dsell just used "literally" correctly when defending the broad use of "ironic". So meta !

"Literarily" is literally not "literally".

I obviously know that, I was being clever...

...

...

[Ozle]

I verb'd a new word today when describing packing efficiently and saying i totally tetris'd all my stuff in my room

[Dsell]

So I decided, because I have a lot of morbid curiosity about things, to take a look around the rest of their website.  And... I just don't know what to say other that this:

The people who created this game are the pinnacle of the word "douchebro."  They fit the frat-boy stereotype to a T.  They are rich: their headquarters is in one of the richest towns in the richest state in the US, where the median household income tops $200,000.  As classist elites, many of their jokes seem to be founded on the belief that those at the top of the income scale are the best no matter how that money came about.

For all appearances, this isn't satire.  They actually, truly believe this is an amazing product, and that we should be basking in the glow of their awesomeness.

I did this too. A gem from their game blog:

"My contribution to society, which up to now has been minimal, is going to be a sly, spicy, heterodoxical, real-world board game that'll be the perfect antidote to the namby-pamby mush that passes for entertainment these days."

Now that's irony.

[Qvist]

[Tom Vasel review]

Time: FOREVER
Game type: Not

Haha, that was a good laugh.