So

[Swamp Thing]

Just state your assumptions.

Everything is made of inelastic pieces of string, obviously.

 

[Nic Robinson]

Does smugness have a bearing on the calculation?

 

[Mike Reed]

I had a long discussion with some fellow historians recently about the past, present and the future. It was a tense debate !

 

[stevec67]

I went on a climbing trip to the Alps. It rained so we couldn't get out on the hills. We were loitering within tents.

 

[Swamp Thing]

 

[Joe P]

This picture has nothing to do with the thread but Swampy's comic prompted me to post it.

Joe

 

[Mike Reed]

We were loitering within tents.

Pity about the final 's'

 

[Mike Reed]

My dog only responds to Spanish but he IS Espanol

 

[Swamp Thing]

So not the first collaboration...

 

[Marchbanks]

So not the first collaboration...

Ooh, I recorded that! Not at home, I mean in the studio...

I guess this is the one that you were alluding to -

 

[mjw]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...s-with-so-annoying-people-told-20180517173099

 

[Mike Reed]

No idea what the 'Daily Mash' is, but it puts into vernacular what has been the overriding theme of this thread; i.e. that it's pretentious affectation, grammatically all at sea and comes from the mouths/keyboards of linguistic plonkers.

 

[Marchbanks]

I'm afraid I struggle with 'vernobular', 'affection' and all those other difficult words you use with more than two sibbellels - do you mean 'Nail. Head.'?

 

[Yank]

"This was first noted by Michael Lewis in The New New Thing (1999)- “When a computer programmer answers a question, he often begins with the word ‘so’.” As to how this came about, it is thought that given the international composition of the typical Silicon Valley work site, where a large number did not speak English as their first language, it became the simple “catchall” word of transition. Over time and frequent usage, it eventually became like a tic and just part of the common speech pattern of those in that industry and then spreading beyond."

Before the recent backlash, I think some corporate types and media talking heads were actually being trained or encouraged to do this. They think it adds "authority" to the response.

 

[Wilson]

I find that it can come across as arrogant.

“So, let me dumb this down for you people.”