Anybody who has even been accused of Nitpicking

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 2:42 pm

Finally a website for the nitpickers of the world, where you can keep track and score of a zillion things in the world.

http://www.nitpickers.com/

Who are you and what is your favourite subject/person/thing to nitpick about?

MarkB

madguy · Post by **madguy** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 2:51 pm

The misuse of the English language, especially by "supposedly" college educated people.
I "brang" this with me???!!!

~Larry

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 3:17 pm

The definition on the nitpick page is "A nitpick is a mistake, anomoly, or a small detail in a movie." Here are two from my boyhood-both from cowboy movies. In one a letter was to be sent via stagecoach. There was a closeup of the letter and it had a current stamp on it. In another, a bunch of "indians" were hiding behind a small hill waiting for the cowboys, I guess. They raised their heads up to look over the hill. You could see the upper part of theri arms were bare and you could clearly see the vaccination marks on them.

Steve

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 6:40 pm

I *****HATE***** the use of the word 'task' as a verb. Other bizspeak is almost as bad, but that one makes me see red!

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 6:53 pm

Re: the "verbing" of the language: Impact. Besides a noun, it is an adjective (impacted). When did it become a transitive verb? Whenever I hear or read about impacting such-and-so, I envision a collision or its outcome. But, as has been said before, usage ultimately determines meaning.

*rant rant rant*

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:01 pm

I think I may fall into this catagory.

Anytime I watch a movie, if something is really wrong, particularly historically, I just can't really really like it......(Braveheart)

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:04 pm

Newcular. That just about sums it up.

Robin

zoie · Post by **zoie** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:22 pm

Double negatives. My brain goes through the old - X - = +.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:54 pm

Nit picking is *always* appropriate so long as one always conforms to the law of diminishing fleas. In other words, it is always appropriate up to the point where further scratching will do more damage to the flea carrier than to the fleas.

Oh BTW, my particular peeve is subtle mixed metaphors.

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 5:43 am

Nanohedron wrote:Re: the "verbing" of the language: Impact. Besides a noun, it is an adjective (impacted). When did it become a transitive verb? Whenever I hear or read about impacting such-and-so, I envision a collision or its outcome. But, as has been said before, usage ultimately determines meaning.

*rant rant rant*

OHHHHH IT MAKES ME ANGRY.

How about "journaling".

"Hi what are you writing?"
"I'm journaling."

SOB. I'm angering at the thought.
In a second I'm coffeeing.

But I notice that people don't get too upset about Microwaving.

rbm · Post by **rbm** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 5:52 am

Wombat wrote:Nit picking is *always* appropriate so long as one always conforms to the law of diminishing fleas. In other words, it is always appropriate up to the point where further scratching will do more damage to the flea carrier than to the fleas.

Oh BTW, my particular peeve is subtle mixed metaphors.

I always thought it was to do with lice! when I was small we used to have a nit-nurse come and inspect our heads at school for nits the lice eggs.

edit - thinking on up here in the north she was known as a biddylady, so if she was auburn, whould that make her a redbiddy?

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 6:05 am

I don't know if this is really a nitpick, but it grates & chafes when people ask for help without giving enough detail of the scenario, item, whatever.

Like: I have a violin, is it valuable?

Or: I want to start playing whistle, what do you suggest?

It takes all my powers of selfcontrol (which as some here can attest are not overly good) not to wind them up with a useless and potentailly dangerous answer.

pixyy · Post by **pixyy** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 6:06 am

rbm wrote:
I always thought it was to do with lice! when I was small we used to have a nit-nurse come and inspect our heads at school for nits the lice eggs.

Indeed!
From Websters:

Main Entry: 1nit
Pronunciation: 'nit
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English nite, from Old English hnitu; akin to Old High German hniz nit, Greek konid-, konis
Date: before 12th century
: the egg of a louse or other parasitic insect; also : the insect itself when young

....

Thus the picking of nits; focussing on minute but irritating details

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 6:20 am

rbm wrote:
Wombat wrote:Nit picking is *always* appropriate so long as one always conforms to the law of diminishing fleas. In other words, it is always appropriate up to the point where further scratching will do more damage to the flea carrier than to the fleas.

Oh BTW, my particular peeve is subtle mixed metaphors.
I always thought it was to do with lice! when I was small we used to have a nit-nurse come and inspect our heads at school for nits the lice eggs.

Correct, hence the remark about mixed metaphors. But seriously, the point of the principle of diminishing fleas applies to metaphorical nitpicking, even if it doesn't apply to real nitpicking.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 7:45 am

cowtime wrote:I think I may fall into this catagory.

Anytime I watch a movie, if something is really wrong, particularly historically, I just can't really really like it......(Braveheart)

"There's a twister coming, at least an F-4." (Twister)

Wrong on at least two points:

1. This incident in the movie happened in 1968. The Fujita scale didn't come into effect until 1971.

2. The Fujita scale is used to rate tornado intensity by its damage, and therefore is applied after the fact.