Inkstainedwretch
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,037
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- United States
I feel the same way about the word "debrief." I first heard it used after the early manned space flights. On return, the news said that the astronauts were being "debriefed." Young though I was, this struck me as senseless. Like, did NASA give them a briefing before the mission and then they took the briefing back? I remember that David Brinkley was bemused by the term as well.The American use of the term 'un' has become common place here. When fuel, as in petrol (gas) became know as unleaded, it grated on the ear of older people simply because if the additive in the fuel is left out, how can you unlead something that wasn't there in the first place. Alas, unleaded is now an everyday common place word.
In retaliation, I always ask for petrol when I'm in one of those, pay before you buy, gas stations in America. Nobody has ever said "What?" Drat.