Things that people say that make them sound too pretentious

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My favorite are the people who you have known for years and were called "Kathy" and now insist on Kathleen (even though you've been calling them Kathy for twenty years or more) or the likes...Bob becomes "Robert" etc.

Maybe they've hated "Kathy" for 20 years, and they finally decided that enough was enough.

This is the same forum where people had negative attitudes about older men who still went by the juvenile nickname "Jimmy." You can't win for trying with some people.

I stopped using my horrible juvenile nickname when I hit my late thirties. I hate all versions of my name, but I tried to pick the most neutral version.

[Anonymous]

"And then she stepped on the ball..."

Said with clenched jaw about the squash court.

[Anonymous]

When they name their first son "Thurston".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I spoke to Mother yesterday" -- said to someone who is not your sibling.

"I went to school in Boston" -- hoping for the listener to ask. "Oh yeah, which one?"

"Cinema"

YES! Cinema I hate when people say that, give me a break. Of they won't use the word movie (too middle class) so refer to cinema or film, God forbid they say movie!

Air kissing- so affected

Saying "big 3"...haven't we moved beyond that already!

All lacrosse parents who speak non stop of their kids being recruited is pretentious to me (and yes I know I will be insulting a good many of you out there)...sorry.

Generally people (I know way too many) who are just so self important

[Anonymous]

Was at a parry on Sat. and all these nimwits were talking about was how their Christmas plans to the CARIBBEAN (only pronounced a certain way) are ruined!

I was too stunned for words watching them throw a tantrum, saying "there's no where left to go now" like big disgusting grown babies. It made me literally sick.

THAT is pretentious to a new level and makes me glad I am not filthy rich.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

See this kind of thing would never occur to me that people are taking personally. To be fair, he is Canadian and this is a common thing there. When you are more well travelled or grow up surrounded by various nationalities and languages it becomes second nature to pronounce things correctly and you don't do it to piss people off, you do it because that is how the words are pronounced. When people don't pronounce words correctly (eg EYE-RACK instead of Iraq) that is when you get made fun of like "I'm going to pronounce your FOREIGN words the 'MERICAN way!"

People often do it to remove ownership of the word. They mispronounce it on purpose, at least the military guys I work with do, on purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who says "theater" with their teeth clenched is pretentious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saying "lanai" instead of porch or deck.

This is normal in Florida, FYI.

It's incredibly pretentious. Just say, "deck" or "porch."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

See this kind of thing would never occur to me that people are taking personally. To be fair, he is Canadian and this is a common thing there. When you are more well travelled or grow up surrounded by various nationalities and languages it becomes second nature to pronounce things correctly and you don't do it to piss people off, you do it because that is how the words are pronounced. When people don't pronounce words correctly (eg EYE-RACK instead of Iraq) that is when you get made fun of like "I'm going to pronounce your FOREIGN words the 'MERICAN way!"

Um, ok. I've lived around the world all my life and speak three foreign languages. I don't make a big point of pronouncing foreign words with a big foreign flourish, a la Alex Trebek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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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.

We have another winner for most pretentious post!

True about the Hunt board - it was carried outsie to be used by those still on horseback and is significantly taller than a normal sideboard. Its not prententious to know this. People acquire knoledge in many ways and knwoing things dioesnt make you prententious. How you say it may, acting as if everyone shuld know that is obnoxious, bu tknowing facts in and of themselves is not pretentious.

As for someone asking "do you ride," there is nothing prententious about it. If you ride, you ride. I dont ride but all kinds of folks ride and its a perfectly harmless question..

PP with the horsey grandmother here- you are right I was not into the horses or the events, but I loved her hunt board because it made the best fort with those longer legs. Now that I think about it there was a sideboard and a china cabinet in that furniture set.

I appreciate the horse event tips as it looks like my daughter inherited the horse bug. And now I am know to ask people if they ride so that I can pick their brains about the many things I do not know. I haven't really met any pretentious horse people though. They are just very precise about their sport.

Horse person here! We're not a pretentious bunch, though there are some who prefer their horses to people, and I steer clear of them. And asking people if they ride is the same as asking if they play soccer, or hike, or whatever. Welcome to the riding club!

[Anonymous]

I hate "North Bethesda," because it's a fake place. It did not exist until some yuppies petitioned for their mailing address to be changed. If they wanted to be correct it should have been named South Rockville, because that's what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Saying "lanai" instead of porch or deck.

Well I do this, more to make fun of my front porch....I was sitting out on the Lanai when in reality it is a stoop.

With that said, it is not pretentious in Hawaii.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saying "lanai" instead of porch or deck.

Well I do this, more to make fun of my front porch....I was sitting out on the Lanai when in reality it is a stoop.

With that said, it is not pretentious in Hawaii.

This is a good point. You don't always know whether a person using a word is being the opposite of pretentious, if it's an often-used word for where and how they grew up.

Actually, a word that has pretentious origins and is commonly used is "townhome." It's a townhouse.

[Anonymous]

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/enchilada/n9970

Also, from another forum, "take advantage of travel opportunities" -- I think that means "go on a trip"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Saying "lanai" instead of porch or deck.

Well I do this, more to make fun of my front porch....I was sitting out on the Lanai when in reality it is a stoop.

With that said, it is not pretentious in Hawaii.

This is a good point. You don't always know whether a person using a word is being the opposite of pretentious, if it's an often-used word for where and how they grew up.

Actually, a word that has pretentious origins and is commonly used is "townhome." It's a townhouse.

It's a rowhouse.