The All New Gripes Thread

[Archive4]

I rather think we are getting tied up in nots.

How many would you like?

 

[sonnetpete]

Knot a boy scout by some chance?

 

[Archive4]

Knot a boy scout by some chance?

No, I was a fisherman, not a fisher of men, someone else had that honour!

 

[sonnetpete]

No, I was a fisherman

Ah, that's why I spotted a reef knot...

 

[Lazarus]

As it's hot and I'm feeling grumpy (He's going home soon) here's another irritation.

Why do Business commentators always smugly speak of rates in the manner "Half of one percent", or "Half a percentage point"?


By their logic, it would be equally valid to say "A quarter of two percent".


Why not stick to "Half a percent", like what normal people do?

 

[Llew]

Same here, sounds overly precious to me. Although strictly speaking, percent as a word isn't a quantity until you qualify it with an amount, like one, or 50 etc. So half a percent is rather meaningless.

Still agree that for everyday use, half a percent will do for me.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Same here, sounds overly precious to me. Although strictly speaking, percent as a word isn't a quantity until you qualify it with an amount, like one, or 50 etc. So half a percent is rather meaningless.

Still agree that for everyday use, half a percent will do for me.

What did the Romans do for us ?

Per cent - by a specified amount in or for every hundred. From the Latin phrase 'per centum'.

Percent is more common in US usage; per cent is more common in British usage.

 

[PaulR]

Talking of commentators, amongst the many things that irritate me is when they talk about "one pence". Pence is plural FFS, what you really mean is "one penny" you ignoramus.

"Amongst the many things"? Ok, since you ask:

Commentators seeking to imply extra accuracy talk about the epicentre of something. Epicentre has a strict definition in geology of being the point on the earth's surface which is directly above the centre of an earthquake. So, when they say so-and-so was the epicentre they're actually saying that it's further away than the centre - the exact opposite of what they think they're saying.

Then there's decimating. The morons seem to think that this is widescale in coverage. In fact it refers to a one in ten reduction. So when a forest is decimated by a fire there's actually only one tenth gone..

Oh, and what about "there's"? This is short for "there is" (sometimes there has) and refers to a single item, event or whatever. If it's more than one then use "there are" or "there're".

I might have fulminated on about this before in which case I apologise for raking over old coals.

 

[2cvbloke]

What did the Romans do for us ?

Per cent - by a specified amount in or for every hundred. From the Latin phrase 'per centum'.

Percent is more common in US usage; per cent is more common in British usage.

By that logic, shouldn't we update it to "per penny"?

 

[Llew]

Per cent - by a Specified amount in or for every hundred. From the Latin phrase 'per centum'.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Per cent - by a Specified amount in or for every hundred. From the Latin phrase 'per centum'.


The concept of considering values as parts of a hundred is originally Greek.

 

[PaulR]

All this talk of per cent (%) makes me wonder why we don't use per mille (‰) more.

Or even at all...

 

[Vipersan]

Well ..I too can gripe ..

%

imo is often used in a perverse fashion..and it grates..
One CANNOT give 110% ...
it's impossible ..

In the same vein...
It really annoys me when someone says 'they got me doing twice as much today' ...
You hear folk say I did two days work today ..
again ..
NOT POSSIBLE ...
You can only do a days work in a day..

;)

 

[Topper]

Well ..I too can gripe ..

%

imo is often used in a perverse fashion..and it grates..
One CANNOT give 110% ...
it's impossible ..


;)

I am with you on that Evan, these athletes and footballers that say 1000% or 500% , you cannot have more than 100%

 

[hairybadger]

I am with you on that Evan, these athletes and footballers that say 1000% or 500% , you cannot have more than 100%

Fractional reserve banking Put a pound in a savings account and see how many times the same pound is loaned out. There is now more than 100% of the original deposit in circulation! Magic

 

[Vipersan]

Fractional reserve banking Put a pound in a savings account and see how many times the same pound is loaned out. There is now more than 100% of the original deposit in circulation! Magic

..and I swear this is why the worlds finances are fooked..
lol

 

[hairybadger]

As it's hot and I'm feeling grumpy (He's going home soon) here's another irritation.
Why do Business commentators always smugly speak of rates in the manner "Half of one percent", or "Half a percentage point"?

By their logic, it would be equally valid to say "A quarter of two percent".
Why not stick to "Half a percent", like what normal people do?

There is possibly something being lost in translation. Financial language quite often uses "basis points", 100 basis points being 1%, so when they say "half of 1%" what they really want to say is "50 basis points" but they're making the language more clear for the general consumer, the subsequent jump to "half of one percent" being a logical jump too far Or maybe it's just a conspiracy to annoy Yorkshiremen

 

[sonnetpete]

what they really want to say is "50 basis points" but they're making the language more clear for the general consumer

Not for this consumer....

 

[Topper]

Fractional reserve banking Put a pound in a savings account and see how many times the same pound is loaned out. There is now more than 100% of the original deposit in circulation! Magic

And that kind of toxic banking practice is exactly the reason we suffered the banking crash in 2009, the practice is supposedly legal however I have yet to meet a man in the street that can offer any kind of logical justification for such practices.

 

[Lazarus]

Agreed, SP: They are trying to sound knowledgeable but failing miserably.