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 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Can I add the fact that no one at the store I go to understands the word "decimated/decimate."

Indeed.

Also, dice is the plural of die.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Why do we (wargamers) become high school morons, when an attractive wargamer appears in a shop and shows interest in what we are playing.

Do we, though? Isn't it just a myth or at best something that belongs in the nerdy past of 70's-80's? Aren't nerds nowadays of all varieties? Sporty, ripped, confident and outspoken included?

Cyel wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
Why do we (wargamers) become high school morons, when an attractive wargamer appears in a shop and shows interest in what we are playing.

Do we, though? Isn't it just a myth or at best something that belongs in the nerdy past of 70's-80's? Aren't nerds nowadays of all varieties? Sporty, ripped, confident and outspoken included?

That's why I kept the bit a little gender inclusive as I saw a lasy at the shop the other day lose some of her grasp on the English language.

But, yes, it does primarily affect the male population more.

Now I could be wrong as my sample size is from one small area located deep in the land of stupid.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Unlike, my home, where our local population is so bad that we don't even get our own Bigfoot. Instead we get: The Florida Skunk Ape.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Unlike, my home, where our local population is so bad that we don't even get our own Bigfoot. Instead we get: The Florida Skunk Ape.

There are parts of the “deep north” that are just as much fun as Florida. Just replace hurricanes with blizzards, and gaters with moose. People are people all over the place.

Of course, some of us are actually forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

EDIT: Yeah, I shouldn't critique other people's irrational irritations...

 Lathe Biosas wrote:

 BorderCountess wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
...deep in the land of stupid.

...Earth?

Hey now, I like to pretend that you northerners live in a near eden where everyone is forward-thinking...

...except for my state.

...forward-thinking, mind-blowingly attractive, and whip-smart.

Two outta three ain't bad. [/Meat Loaf] I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader as to which two.

 BorderCountess wrote:

Two outta three ain't bad. [/Meat Loaf] I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader as to which two.

Oooh, this feels like a Kobayashi Maru level no-win scenario to me.

Lathe Biosas wrote:Can I add the fact that no one at the store I go to understands the word "decimated/decimate."

Next time, show them this Doctor Who moment. A true villain chooses his words carefully.

BorderCountess wrote:

Whether it's during a game or not, it's people who use the word 'literally' figuratively. If you ever tell me you are 'literally on fire' I'm grabbing a fire extinguisher.

I am, perhaps irrationally, not bothered by that overmuch. They're using 'literally' as an intensifier for a figurative phrase. It's the equivalent of a word like 'very'. It's perfect for the job.

Suppose you're in the habit of saying "I'm on fire!" when you're not, in fact, on fire. You're simply saying the weather is too hot, or you're having a moment of incredible skill or luck with dice during a game, or similar. Or you find something so funny that you announce "I'm dead!" or "I died laughing!" when you are clearly still alive. You're already saying that something is happening when it isn't. Well, how do you express that figurative sentiment even more strongly than usual? What do you say when the temperature hits an all-time high or the joke is even funnier than the norm? You say it's literally happening when it's literally not. It's the same as saying, "I really am on fire!" or "I'm actually dead!" It's obvious to everyone that you are not really on fire and you are not actually dead, just as it was obvious that you were not on fire and you were not dead. It's clear from context that the thing you are saying is literally happening is not literally happening ... which is why you are saying it's literally happening. What could underline your figurative point more than using the literal word 'literal' figuratively?

In fact, using 'literally' this way can help to emphasise that you're being figurative. If you shout "I'M ON FIRE!" or "I REALLY AM ON FIRE!" people might come running with the fire extinguisher in genuine concern. At the very least there may be a split second of uncertainty while they try to work out whether your hair has caught alight or you just rolled another six. But if you shout "I'M LITERALLY ON FIRE" people will know the fire extinguisher is not needed.

You said you'd be grabbing the fire extinguisher if someone used 'literally' that way. I'm pretty sure you're being figurative and don't actually intend to follow through on your threatened action ... but I'm not completely certain. If you said "I'm literally grabbing the fire extinguisher," though, I'd be 100% sure.

/pedant mode off


'Underrated', now. That always gets to me. People keep calling highly rated, well-respected and critically acclaimed things underrated. Games, books, films. What they actually mean is 'not well known' or 'obscure' or 'nobody I know talks about this enough'. Never mind that it's won awards.

Oh, yeah ... and 'very unique'. It's either unique or it's not!

Zenithfleet wrote:

Lathe Biosas wrote:Can I add the fact that no one at the store I go to understands the word "decimated/decimate."

Next time, show them this Doctor Who moment. A true villain chooses his words carefully.

 Skinnereal wrote:


Deci- literally means one-tenth, not 'lots', as was said above.
Litera is 'letter', as 'letter for letter' or 'to the letter', or exactly-as. Not 'sort of a bit like'
It's no wonder that people regard English as hard to learn, if most of it is not used properly.

Okay, if you're going to keep talking about it then I WILL quibble about your irrational irritations.

And just point out you're using LATIN definitions to argue about how ENGLISH is not used properly...

English IS Latin, and lots of other languages. If we get taught why a word is what it is, we can often tell what the word is without having heard it before. It was an official language of 'England' for 400 years. The Romans left a lot behind, like their language.
So, when it gets mauled and the meaning changes, it irritates whose who were taught that way.

This means this doesn't belong here, as 'irrational', just irritations.

Another irritation, not game related, but game store related.



If your website says, "We have 3 boxes of model X in stock and it costs Y."

Why in the holy feth, would you tell me, "Those numbers and prices are only available if you buy it from our website, not our retail store."


Also, if you buy models from their site, which has exorbitant shipping prices, and decide to pick the model up from the store...they say when you get there, "Would you mind grabbing one off the shelf and bringing it up here to the counter?"

English is several languages in a trenchcoat and carrying a cudgel to beat-up the next language it comes across.

Also, Lathe it is probably down to accounting and how they have to keep inventory separated for tax and Profit/Loss reasons especially if the physical and the online is actually a different corporate entity. It is all like "taxy-waxy".... maybe.....

 Easy E wrote:
English is several languages in a trenchcoat and carrying a cudgel to beat-up the next language it comes across.

Also, Lathe it is probably down to accounting and how they have to keep inventory separated for tax and Profit/Loss reasons especially if the physical and the online is actually a different corporate entity. It is all like "taxy-waxy".... maybe.....

Yeah. I get it, it's just annoying.

Walking in 105° heat before getting to the shop probably didn't help my mood.

 Easy E wrote:
English is several languages in a trenchcoat and carrying a cudgel to beat-up the next language it comes across.

Fun fact, Dutch is just English minus French! (Ok it’s not exactly that, but it is a language from the same Germanic branch with far less French influence from my memory, it’s considered the easiest language for English speakers to learn).

 The_Pilot wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
English is several languages in a trenchcoat and carrying a cudgel to beat-up the next language it comes across.

Fun fact, Dutch is just English minus French! (Ok it’s not exactly that, but it is a language from the same Germanic branch with far less French influence from my memory, it’s considered the easiest language for English speakers to learn).

Eh, close. Afrikaans is the easiest to learn. But honestly, who really wants to learn a language with such a stigma attached?

 DarkBlack wrote:


Also, dice is the plural of die.

As a player of DND, that one gets me every time. "Can I borrow your 8 sided dice?" "Sure, how many?" "Just one." [Begins 45 minute diatribe....]

 Skinnereal wrote:
English IS Latin, and lots of other languages. If we get taught why a word is what it is, we can often tell what the word is without having heard it before. It was an official language of 'England' for 400 years. The Romans left a lot behind, like their language.
So, when it gets mauled and the meaning changes, it irritates whose who were taught that way.

This means this doesn't belong here, as 'irrational', just irritations.

Modern English is the result of Norman (French) knights seducing Saxon barmaids, and afterwards the resulting mess went on to mug other languages in dark alleys to search their pockets for spare vocabulary. Saying 'it's just Latin' is incorrect. AT BEST it can be considered a bastard descendant of Latin, via France, and then changed so much over the next thousand years that modern English is effectively a completely different language than Old English.

 Vulcan wrote:

 Skinnereal wrote:
English IS Latin, and lots of other languages. If we get taught why a word is what it is, we can often tell what the word is without having heard it before. It was an official language of 'England' for 400 years. The Romans left a lot behind, like their language.

Saying 'it's just Latin' is incorrect.

I didn't. I said "English IS Latin, AND lots of other languages".
My name is probably a mix of Celtic, Latin, Old English, Scottish and Saxon. My home village has a Danish name, yet is 4 miles from the centre of England. A lot of the neighbouring towns and villages still have Old English names. My job title is a mix of mostly French and German. My field of work has a lot of terms of Latin and Greek origin.

Knowing these things helps to be able to pronounce them, if nothing else. Knowing the devivations of words I know, I can adapt that to work out the meanings of others as I hear them.
A pedophile is someone who likes walking, or feet

For a factually accurate take? YouTube, Horrible Histories, Words We Get From.

Enjoy!

 Skinnereal wrote:

 Vulcan wrote:

 Skinnereal wrote:
English IS Latin, and lots of other languages. If we get taught why a word is what it is, we can often tell what the word is without having heard it before. It was an official language of 'England' for 400 years. The Romans left a lot behind, like their language.

Saying 'it's just Latin' is incorrect.

I didn't. I said "English IS Latin, AND lots of other languages".
My name is probably a mix of Celtic, Latin, Old English, Scottish and Saxon. My home village has a Danish name, yet is 4 miles from the centre of England. A lot of the neighbouring towns and villages still have Old English names. My job title is a mix of mostly French and German. My field of work has a lot of terms of Latin and Greek origin.

Knowing these things helps to be able to pronounce them, if nothing else. Knowing the devivations of words I know, I can adapt that to work out the meanings of others as I hear them.
A pedophile is someone who likes walking, or feet

Thus the importance of understanding not just HOW languages change over time, but THAT languages change over time.

+ "Hey dude, remember to build a list for the game. I know this is the fifth time I remind you, but just want to make sure."
- "Yeah, man, I know."

Game day
Friend arrives home.
+ "Alright, we're set. What units are you bringing?"
- "Oh, I didn't make a list."

 Frozium wrote:
+ "Hey dude, remember to build a list for the game. I know this is the fifth time I remind you, but just want to make sure."
- "Yeah, man, I know."

Game day
Friend arrives home.
+ "Alright, we're set. What units are you bringing?"
- "Oh, I didn't make a list."

Oh, yes, it's a variation on the "doesn't give a feth about my time" theme. As if the best moment to start perusing the armybook muttering "what options do I even have...?" was when I am sitting opposite wasting my time on waiting for the game to begin.

Cyel wrote:

 Frozium wrote:
+ "Hey dude, remember to build a list for the game. I know this is the fifth time I remind you, but just want to make sure."
- "Yeah, man, I know."

Game day
Friend arrives home.
+ "Alright, we're set. What units are you bringing?"
- "Oh, I didn't make a list."

Oh, yes, it's a variation on the "doesn't give a feth about my time" theme. As if the best moment to start perusing the armybook muttering "what options do I even have...?" was when I am sitting opposite wasting my time on waiting for the game to begin.

My favorite is the "Whoops, I misheard you defense."

"Oh you said 1500 points, I only brought by 2000 point list, guess I can drop 500 points out... just give me few minutes."

And it's never just a few minutes.