Such a minor pet peeve, but...

[Anonymous]

Perhaps this is something that Republicans and Democrats can actually agree on.

Does anyone else get annoyed when you hear Washington referred to (usually by a politician) as "this town?" As in "power is what drives this town," or some other hackneyed line that seems to pop up too often.

Why do people constantly refer to Washington as a TOWN??? We are not a TOWN! We are a CITY! A CITY. A CITY!!!

Thank you. I feel better now.

[jsteele]

Well, according to this website:

http://rahmfacts.com/dossier.html

Rahm Emanuel refers to Washington as "Fucknutsville". So, maybe "town" is better than the alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm....I kind of like "town" -- in that whenever I lived outside of a city (first Cleveland and then DC) and was planning to go into the city, I always said I was "going into town."

Not really what you're talking about, OP, so I guess I can see your point. You don't think people say that about other cities they live in, though? Does it bother you when people say it generally or do you think they're dissing DC in particular?

[Anonymous]

I don't think people are dissing DC when they call it a town. In fact, people do this about a lot of large cities, as in that old Los Angeles line, "you'll never eat lunch in this town again."

I think it's a very dated, very overused attempt to sound cozy, like it's just a little place where we all know each other. Sort of self-deprecating, in a way, like this "little town."

I just HATE IT! (Perhaps because it is so overused. If you don't believe, start listening for it or watching quotes in the post. I swear it's politicians/ political types who do is most often, probably because none of them ever have an original thought or line to say. Sort of like the overuse of "at the end of the day," and please don't get me started on that one....)

[Anonymous]

17:45 again -- I see your point now. It's the preciousness of it all. Got it!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Manhattan -- As in the song "New York, New York, its a wonderful town!"

How about "My kind of town, Chicago is"?

But, since I go nuts over misuses of "whom" , "whomever" and "myself", I can't begrudge you your pet peeve.

[Anonymous]

DC is definitely the "town" because we all know the hinterlands beyond 202 are certainly "country".

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Well, according to this website:

http://rahmfacts.com/dossier.html

Rahm Emanuel refers to Washington as "Fucknutsville". So, maybe "town" is better than the alternatives.

I didn't even know that was a word. If he created it, he's an etymological genius. I will try to use it in a sentence tomorrow.