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Elster88 May 31 2009 07:34 PM

I couldn't find the nothing thread. Here's a question: How come its called "untracked"? As in, Sidney Crosby is frustrated, having trouble getting untracked in this game. How come it's not called getting "on track"? "Untracked" to me intuitively sounds like someone going from good to bad rather than from bad to good.

Nymr83 May 31 2009 07:48 PM

who is Sidney Crosby? (kidding)

Elster88 May 31 2009 07:52 PM

I think she's a famous opera singer from Canada.

Swan Swan H May 31 2009 09:28 PM

This from a guy with a wrestler as his avatar.

soupcan Jun 01 2009 06:46 AM Re: Question

="Elster88"]I couldn't find the nothing thread. Here's a question: How come its called "untracked"? As in, Sidney Crosby is frustrated, having trouble getting untracked in this game. How come it's not called getting "on track"? "Untracked" to me intuitively sounds like someone going from good to bad rather than from bad to good. Because the announcers are stoopid. It is called getting 'on track' It's like someone who says 'I could care less' instead of 'I couldn't care less'. Well, if you could care less, then you actually care a little don't you, dumbass? They have the phrase confused and don't care to think enough about whether it actually makes sense or not.

Edgy DC Jun 01 2009 07:00 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 01 2009 07:39 AM

It may (or may not) have started as an eggcorn, but I don't mind "untracked." It works as a metaphor. Breaking out of your rut and expressing yourself freely in three dimensions. It <a href="http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002148.html" target="_blank">predates televised sports</a>, but it's usage is almost exclusively sports related.

TheOldMole Jun 01 2009 07:30 AM

I don't mind 'I could care less.' I take it as a comic understatement. Something like "I could care less if I really tried, but that would be too much work." I'm more bothered by "literally" meaning "figuratively" -- "I was literally glued to my chair."

RealityChuck Jun 01 2009 07:37 AM

And "literally" meaning "figuratively" has been used for at least a century and a half. As the philosopher once said, "Sometimes a word has two meanings."

soupcan Jun 01 2009 07:56 AM

="TheOldMole"]I don't mind 'I could care less.' I take it as a comic understatement. Something like "I could care less if I really tried, but that would be too much work." Ugh. 'Could care less' bugs the snot outta me. I understand what you're saying, but I have a hard time believing that those who say 'could' instead of 'couldn't' are doing it for the comic understatement. They're doing it because they aren't thinking about what they are saying - just repeating something that they think they heard.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 01 2009 10:32 AM

="RealityChuck":3qjpjjv1]And "literally" meaning "figuratively" has been used for at least a century and a half. As the philosopher once said, "Sometimes a word has two meanings."[/quote:3qjpjjv1] Citation, bitte... even in the misuse-when-common-enough-becomes-proper-use (nuclear-becomes-NEWK-u-ler) way, I've yet to see an accepted use of "literal" like so. Benjamin Grimm Jun 01 2009 11:26 AM When people misuse "literally" I don't think they're intending to say "figuratively." I think, instead, they don't know what literally means and use it for emphasis. "I was literally climbing the walls" means, "I was extremely agitated." I don't think the misuse of "literally" has become accepted. "Literally" and "figuratively" still have separate meanings. If people know what "literally" meant, they'd be much less likely to misuse it. Edgy DC Jun 01 2009 11:36 AM Ms. Edgy had an overdramatic boss when she worked in the theater who always abused that. She would occasionally call him out on it. Boss: That show was dreadful. I was gagging in the aisles. Literally. I was literally gagging in the aisles. Ms. Edgy: Really? Boss: Really! Ms. Edgy: You were literally gagging in the aisles? Boss: I was! I was... oh, shut up. She eventually wrote a hilarious one-man show about him, but is afraid to produce it, lest he find her and kill her. LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jun 01 2009 11:59 AM ="Benjamin Grimm"]When people misuse "literally" I don't think they're intending to say "figuratively." I think, instead, they don't know what literally means and use it for emphasis. "I was literally climbing the walls" means, "I was extremely agitated." I don't think the misuse of "literally" has become accepted. "Literally" and "figuratively" still have separate meanings. If people know what "literally" meant, they'd be much less likely to misuse it. I think I find this one especially tough to swallow because it's not simply an error of degree, or precise expression-- the misuse expresses the literal opposite of what the speaker intends to say. When I hear it, it grates-- though I'm usually loath to correct anyone (Grammar Nazi-ing is a particularly priggish form of rudeness, I find), I'll stop non-strangers midsentence on this one if I'm in a crap enough mood. When I see it in writing? Said writing's going straight into the figurative circular file, literally. Centerfield Jun 01 2009 02:15 PM "for all intensive purposes" metirish Jun 01 2009 02:19 PM ="Centerfield":vxry76lh]"for all intensive purposes"[/quote:vxry76lh] isn't that For all intents and purposes Frayed Knot Jun 01 2009 02:37 PM I think that was his point. My favorites from the old forum were: - calling a stuck-up ballplayer a "pre-Madonna" or - saying something no longer worth discussing was "a mute point" Starting to get the idea why we left? metirish Jun 01 2009 02:39 PM ="Frayed Knot":2k5ogzwh]I think that was his point. My favorites from the old forum were: - calling a stuck-up ballplayer a "pre-Madonna" or - saying something no longer worth discussing was "a mute point" Starting to get the idea why we left?[/quote:2k5ogzwh] Oh , I get it....sorry.... I for one used the " mute point" here before....IIRC Grim made a funny poke about it. TheOldMole Jun 01 2009 06:22 PM ] And "literally" meaning "figuratively" has been used for at least a century and a half. It's bothered me for that long. TheOldMole Jun 01 2009 06:25 PM ]As the philosopher once said, "Sometimes a word has two meanings."