Although I get annoyed that once-common words are replaced by American ‘imports’, I realise language changes over time.
That’s why we don’t still say “Thee”, “Thou” and “Look out! There’s a dinosaur behind you!”
But there’s no excuse for British TV presenters and pundits to say, “I knew it wouldn’t work from the get-go’, instead of ‘from the start’?
When asked how they are, instead of saying “I’m fine”, they now say “I’m good!”
In cafés, I hear customers queuing at the counter say, “Can I get a…?” instead of “Can I have a…?” or “I’d like a…”
And I bite my tongue when a waiter/waitress tells me they’re going to ‘Grab’ a menu for me!
I find it fascinating how quickly new words infiltrate every part of the country – from Solva to Southampton and from Abergavenny to Aberdeen.
How does it happen almost overnight. Mass hypnosis?
Surprisingly, I actually have a favourite new word.
It’s one which I was first made aware of during a now notoriously awkward radio interview with a then-high-profile politician who was explaining her party intended to recruit (for the sake of argument, let’s say) 20,000 new police officers.
As she revealed the budget that had been set aside for this plan, either the veteran interviewer or someone speaking into his earpiece must have been hot on mental arithmetic, because while the politician boasted about the wonderful new plan, the interviewer said, “Err…by your calculations, Minister, each new police officer will receive an annual salary of £8,000. That can’t be right, surely?”
Annoyed that her figures had been challenged, she ‘tutted’, paused for a moment while listeners could almost hear the clicks and whirrs of the adding machine inside her head, and then came out with the now classic reply, “I mis-spoke!”
I’d never heard the word before and wondered if, like the police recruitment budget, she’d made it up in the taxi on the way to the studio.
If ever you’re ever accused of shouting something rude to a rugby or football referee, try explaining you ‘mis-spoke’ and see what happens!
I wonder if it’s possible to ‘mis-write’?