Things that people say that make them sound too pretentious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Should I take my 4 year old to see the Nutcracker Ballet"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saying they live in North Potomac. Or North Bethesda.

I guess the US Postal Service is pretentious, then.

You again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My pretentious (also charming and eccentric southern) grandmother called her sideboard a hunt board. But she was really into steeple chasing and so would invite the "hunt" back to the house where the buffet was set on the hunt board.

I didn't realize this would be perceived as pretentious until I met people who didn't have grandmothers who were into horses.

I love that. Makes me think of camilla duchess of Cornwall.

[Anonymous]

"I'll ask someone on my staff to add that to my calendar"

(note--i have employees who manage my calendar but it sounds pretentious to describe it this way)

[Anonymous]

I really don't understand the half a second hate. How does that convey pretension?

I say that just like... an expression. I'm not poor but I'm also not a Rockefeller and certainly not someone who wild ever be described as old money.

It's literally just a weird shorthand for a short amount if time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My pretentious (also charming and eccentric southern) grandmother called her sideboard a hunt board. But she was really into steeple chasing and so would invite the "hunt" back to the house where the buffet was set on the hunt board.

I didn't realize this would be perceived as pretentious until I met people who didn't have grandmothers who were into horses.

I love that. Makes me think of camilla duchess of Cornwall.

But a hunt board is different than a sideboard. The hunt board has longer legs because it goes outside (the servants carry it, presumably) and riders get refreshments from it while still on horseback (hence the need for it to be taller).

My Midwestern mom called our sideboard a buffet. When I was shopping online, I found that the thing I wanted was often referred to as an enfilade.

Love,
Someone who had to repress a snicker when a person at a party actually asked me "Do you ride?" I thought that line only existed in jokes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My pretentious (also charming and eccentric southern) grandmother called her sideboard a hunt board. But she was really into steeple chasing and so would invite the "hunt" back to the house where the buffet was set on the hunt board.

I didn't realize this would be perceived as pretentious until I met people who didn't have grandmothers who were into horses.

I love that. Makes me think of camilla duchess of Cornwall.

But a hunt board is different than a sideboard. The hunt board has longer legs because it goes outside (the servants carry it, presumably) and riders get refreshments from it while still on horseback (hence the need for it to be taller).

My Midwestern mom called our sideboard a buffet. When I was shopping online, I found that the thing I wanted was often referred to as an enfilade.

Love,
Someone who had to repress a snicker when a person at a party actually asked me "Do you ride?" I thought that line only existed in jokes.

Ha! you obviously don't have an equestrian family or you'd be long over that joke.

But the first OP doesn't sound horsey either. A steeplechase is a horse race over varied fences. Most popular in Ireland, but the most famous steeplechase is of course the Grand National. We have jump races here too but they tend to be timber and hurdle races, though it is still run by the state steeplechase association. There is a chase at a couple MD and VA race meets I think. It is harder to build a chase course because of the obstacles needed.

The kind of event where the hunt gets invited back for a hunt breakfast is called "hunting." It takes place with a pack of hounds that go out in search of a scent. These days, many/most hunts use a drag and don't chase actual foxes. Hunting in Ireland is just about the most fun you can have but it's also not for the faint of heart. Our hunts can be good sport too but tend to be a bit less risky.

[Anonymous]

OK, and what is a point-to-point (I mean, as long as I have you here)?

[Anonymous]

"I was at the ball-game in the Delta 360 seats. View was good, but the Brie and Lobster dip was too salty."

(I said that once).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Complaining about maintenance for a yacht or plane. (Or in one conversation I was in, both.)

LOL. I make $65K a year and own a plane. Trust me, I complain about the maintenance costs alllll the time.

(I know it's not the same kind of plane, but still funny)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, and what is a point-to-point (I mean, as long as I have you here)?

Usually amateur horseracing over fences. So it's steeplechasing but not at the National Hunt level. Think of it like a local car race track vs. the Daytona Motor Speedway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of these examples qualify as pretentious.

I think it's pretentious when people are speaking English and suddenly pronounce a French or Spanish word like a native speaker. Or if they have a name like Suzanne and insist that you pronounce it "SuzAHN"

Pak EEE stahn

Alex Trebek (Jeopardy) does this all the time and my husband and I always groan. He *has* to pronounce any foreign word with a flamboyant accent, just so the audience knows how intelligent he is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, and what is a point-to-point (I mean, as long as I have you here)?

Usually amateur horseracing over fences. So it's steeplechasing but not at the National Hunt level. Think of it like a local car race track vs. the Daytona Motor Speedway.

Forgot to explain -- National Hunt is the British organization for recognizing jump races. These are the races you see at Cheltenham, Aintree, Ascot, etc. Point-to-point race meets are much more informal. You still have to get a license to ride in an amateur race, so it isn't like anyone can do it...but they aren't professional jump jockeys like you'd see at the big NH meets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think most of these examples qualify as pretentious.

I think it's pretentious when people are speaking English and suddenly pronounce a French or Spanish word like a native speaker. Or if they have a name like Suzanne and insist that you pronounce it "SuzAHN"

Alex Trebek!

Oops, I should have read ahead! Great minds!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have these metal file cabinet/shelf things in our office and some guy insists on calling them "credenzas."

Maybe he insists on calling them credenzas because they are credenzas? The definition of "credenza" is "those desk-height office-furniture things that you put stuff in and that go along a wall".

NP. Interesting. I didn't know that usage. All my life, I've heard it used to describe those wide, heavy dining room cabinets that are about waist or chest high. No one seems to have them anymore.

I've always tended to use words that people find pretentious simply because they're not core vocabulary. They're not ten-dollar words, they're just a little more specific or subtle in meaning than the most broad and commonly used terms. I was always reading old books as a kid, and lived inside my head a lot. I was mocked enough that I learned to censor myself. I don't censor my vocabulary around my kids, so they've absorbed a lot. They don't read much, though.

I think those are called sideboards.

No, buffets.