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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   2005 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 7, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Much ink has been spilled here over the dreaded em-dash and other hallmarks of AI writing. But what other linguistic pet peeves do you have?

I ask because I just found myself fuming over the widespread confusion between "jealousy" and "envy." People tend to use them as synonyms (more often simply using jealousy for both terms), but the two words describe emotions that I think deserve to be distinguished. Jealousy is felt over things that rightfully belong to you, while envy is felt over things which do not. God is jealous; you are envious. Being jealous is still generally bad, but it's nowhere near as bad as envy. As a child who was bad at sharing but generally pretty good about being happy about the good fortune of others, it has always bothered me how few people seem to grasp the distinction.

Another one. I absolutely despise “kiddos,” “doggos,” and “puppers.” I instantly and significantly downgrade my opinion of anyone who uses any of those words.

Is the hooman getting angy about words?

I'm more sympathetic to those, since they're being used for things that can pretty reasonably be infantalised.

Veggies on the other hand, drives me mad. A food group does not need a childish pet name.

“Kids” and “puppies” are already infantile language though. The proper terms are “children” and “dogs.” Honestly, where does it end with you people?

What's infantile about "kid"?

"Puppy" and "dog" don't even mean the same thing. Feel free to attempt a revival of "whelp" though.

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