Anybody who has even been accused of Nitpicking

[Dale]

Whenever I hear the term "nitpicking", I always think of this bit of dialogue from one of my favorite movies, "This is Spinal Tap."

INTERVIEWER: Let's talk about your reviews a little bit...regarding 'Intravenus de Milo': "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth rate of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of
retarded sexuality and bad poetry."

NIGEL: That's nit picking.

[U2]

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

MarkB

Drivers with a car full of kids whose remedy for a tailgater is to slam on the brakes. There's some serious amount of rational thought being banked in those vehicles. And perhaps hearing someone, with otherwise intelligent points, using the word "axed" when they mean "ask." I'm happy to be asked, not too fired up about being axed. You?

[Nanohedron]

Sometimes I get nitpicky about pronunciation. Example: bruschetta. It ain't a German word; please don't pronounce it like one! But my family, knowing better, do anyway, and badly. It's "broo sket ta", not "bra shedda"! Most arghsome to me. Then again, I could always get a life, I suppose.

Then there's the French town of Ypres as pronounced by certain English-speaking individuals. "Wipers"??? It smacks of contempt. After all, how hard is it to say "Eeepkghh"? Sheesh.

[Dale]

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

MarkB

Drivers with a car full of kids whose remedy for a tailgater is to slam on the brakes.


I do not do this. However, when tailgated I ALWAYS respond by setting my speed to EXACTLY the speed limit. No more, no less. Of course, this means I enrage the tailgater by my offense of not speeding. Sooner or later, it will get me killed in a road rage episode. But, I persist in this dangerous behavior because, my friends, I am born to be wild.

Dale

[U2]

MarkB[/quote]

Drivers with a car full of kids whose remedy for a tailgater is to slam on the brakes.


I do not do this. However, when tailgated I ALWAYS respond by setting my speed to EXACTLY the speed limit. No more, no less. Of course, this means I enrage the tailgater by my offense of not speeding. Sooner or later, it will get me killed in a road rage episode. But, I persist in this dangerous behavior because, my friends, I am born to be wild.

Dale[/quote]
I move over so the guy can hurry on home and choke someone else.

[Nanohedron]

Gleaned from googlism.com:

nitpicking is the foundation of modern psychiatry

...Dale?

[TonyHiggins]

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.

I'm a telephone medical advice nurse. This guy called today and said he had a headache. He added, "To be more specific, it's located where my skull is." Fortunately, I've had coursed in anatomy, so I could discern something was going on above the neck.
Tony

[rbm]

MarkB

Drivers with a car full of kids whose remedy for a tailgater is to slam on the brakes.


I do not do this. However, when tailgated I ALWAYS respond by setting my speed to EXACTLY the speed limit. No more, no less. Of course, this means I enrage the tailgater by my offense of not speeding. Sooner or later, it will get me killed in a road rage episode. But, I persist in this dangerous behavior because, my friends, I am born to be wild.

Dale[/quote]
I move over so the guy can hurry on home and choke someone else.[/quote]

Strange but I never have this problem, may be its due to the smallet thing I drive weighing around 2 tons

[MarkB]

Being a reference librarian, I get misuse, improper use of nouns, verbs, etc. all the time. But the word that that always gets me is FILIM(S) as in "you have any filims!"

Answering the telephone at the reference desk, we always introduce ourselves at the desk:

"Good morning, reference desk, Mark speaking, Can I help you."

The person at the other end will state "I don't know if I called the right number or not and I don't know if you can help me, but I have a question concerning uh -a - ummm - a - of something that you may not know of ------- anyway can you help me."

I sit and listen very patiently while this one sided dialogue is going on, and on and on - and it happens quite a few times every shift. And my friends wonder why I hate to answer the phone at home on talk for on one for any length of time.

Just two of my nits!

OH! The word "veHICle" I know that in many places in North America there are HICS in vehicles.

"Pronunciation: Because the primary stress in vehicle is on the first syllable, the (h) in the second syllable tends to disappear." Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 2nd Edition.

MarkB

[Tradman]

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

I guess you have not never lived in the South...

[Jumper]

I do not do this. However, when tailgated I ALWAYS respond by setting my speed to EXACTLY the speed limit. No more, no less. Of course, this means I enrage the tailgater by my offense of not speeding. Sooner or later, it will get me killed in a road rage episode. But, I persist in this dangerous behavior because, my friends, I am born to be wild.

Dale

I learned from my sister, a professional driver, that the best way to deal with tailgaters is to turn my windshield washer on, and set the wipers on their highest speed. When moving at 60MPH [100KPH] this throws washer fluid over the car onto the tailgating driver's vehicle.

The best part is that you can just pretend your windshield needed cleaning, and look innocent and puzzled when the enraged tailgater zooms around you.

Is this passive-aggressive behavior?

-Jonathan-

[Nanohedron]

If it is, it's mitigated by giving free washer fluid to the tailgater. Everyone wins.

[Nanohedron]

Ah, Jumper, you got me!

Nitpick: Dale's driving could be considered passive-aggressive, and the washer fluid thing is a veiled something else...throwing things at people isn't exactly passive, other than harnessing velocity to extend the range.

I've done the P-A thing many a time; I like the idea of casting noxious fluids, too. There's something primal and insect-like about it. I'll have opportunities aplenty to give it a try.

[Wombat]

I do not do this. However, when tailgated I ALWAYS respond by setting my speed to EXACTLY the speed limit. No more, no less. Of course, this means I enrage the tailgater by my offense of not speeding. Sooner or later, it will get me killed in a road rage episode. But, I persist in this dangerous behavior because, my friends, I am born to be wild.

Dale

If you really want to take a drive on the wild side, there's a variation on this tactic that works a treat. Begin by slowing down to the speed limit. Then, very gradully, slow down even more. Slow down until you are almost stationary if that's what it takes.

Yes, I know it's dangerous. Whatever you do in response to tailgating is dangerous both in terms of the accident risk and the risk of becoming a victim of road rage. Actually, the tactic of slamming on the brakes isn't as dangerous to those in the car of the driver who does it as is commonly thought; well, not if it is done properly. (Remember, whatever you do is risky.) To minimise risk, accelerate suddenly before braking and immediately after braking. I don't however recommend this. It's very dangerous to innocent oncoming drivers who might suddenly find themselves confronted by a vehicle skidding into their path.

[rebl_rn]

Being a reference librarian, I get misuse, improper use of nouns, verbs, etc. all the time. But the word that that always gets me is FILIM(S) as in "you have any filims!"

My Irish friends (several of them) all say "filims" - and it was the first time I had ever heard that word pronounced that way - I just thought it was an Irish thing...I found it kind of charming, actually.

Living near that fine, flat state, I am sick of hearing it pronounced "Illinoise". I've heard people from both sides of the border prounce it that way. Very annoying.

Beth