AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,086
Jul 4, 2014 6:57:02 GMT
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Post by AllieC on May 17, 2023 0:26:32 GMT
Seeing the phrase on a celebration post made me think. This in no way a dig at Essiejean because lots of people use it but it's something I hate and wondered if others thought the same.
A few years back a colleague of mine was shot and murdered by her partner and since then the phrase is really jarring for me. We had commentators in our national netball coverage using it all the time (when someone was going for a goal) and I tweeted one of the main offenders who took it on board and spoke to the rest of the team and they have pretty much cut it out.
My experience of knowing someone who was shot would be very rare in Australia but not in America it got me pondering. Given so many of you would know of someone who has been affected by gun violence, what do you all think? Am I a woke snowflake or do you feel the same?
PS: don't use the first option, for some reason the poll puts the question as one of the options.
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quiltz
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,840
Location: CANADA
Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on May 17, 2023 0:48:43 GMT
I equally hate "rule of thumb" as to the origin of that phrase.
Men were allowed to swat their wives with a strap that was a thick as the thumb of the man.
HATE HATE HATE this phrase.
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Post by librarylady on May 17, 2023 1:09:44 GMT
I have heard it all my life and never even think of a gun when I hear it. I can see that it might jar you if it is not a phrase you hear. I don't think it is used so often now as it was in the past.
ETA: I had a classmate killed by his brother when I was about 10 (using a gun). My sister used a gun to end her life---so, yes, I know gun violence.
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Post by aj2hall on May 17, 2023 1:13:46 GMT
I'm not sure but there are a lot of common expressions with violent words or references to weapons. kill the messenger, get away with murder, jump the gun, bite the bullet, something to shoot for, under the gun, go in with guns blazing, going ballistic, loose cannon, bring out the big guns etc
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Post by katlady on May 17, 2023 1:16:32 GMT
I have heard it all my life and never even think of a gun when I hear it. I can see that it might jar you if it is not a phrase you hear. I don't think it is used so often now as it was in the past.
ETA: I had a classmate killed by his brother when I was about 10 (using a gun). My sister used a gun to end her life---so, yes, I know gun violence.
I am sorry about your sister and classmate. I don’t think of guns either when I hear the phrase. I don’t hear it often, but to me it just means “Do it!” when you are indecisive about something.
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Post by Laurie on May 17, 2023 1:21:43 GMT
Triggers aren’t exclusive to guns. We make thousands of trigger transformers a week at work and they have nothing to do with guns.
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Post by peano on May 17, 2023 3:29:24 GMT
I'm not sure but there are a lot of common expressions with violent words or references to weapons. kill the messenger, get away with murder, jump the gun, bite the bullet, something to shoot for, under the gun, go in with guns blazing, going ballistic, loose cannon, bring out the big guns etc Since Sandy Hook, I've become more sensitized to the common US usage of violence words/references to weapons. I know much of the terminology stems from military usage, as much as American frontier usage, but either way, it's hard for me to just brush it off.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 17, 2023 4:33:33 GMT
Just the other day I either read it or heard it and realized where the saying probably came from. I will not likely use it again.
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Post by KiwiJo on May 17, 2023 4:58:29 GMT
It’s not a phrase that people around here use very much at all; I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it in real life. It’s always seemed to me to refer to a gun trigger, probably because we don’t use the phrase and very very few people here have a gun. That said, I don’t think it’s a problem really, as it is clearly just a saying; it doesn’t mean the person is literally going to pull a trigger. As has been pointed out, there are lots of equally “violent” sayings.
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Post by KiwiJo on May 17, 2023 5:05:45 GMT
I equally hate "rule of thumb" as to the origin of that phrase. Men were allowed to swat their wives with a strap that was a thick as the thumb of the man. HATE HATE HATE this phrase. hmmm…. It seems to be undetermined how the phrase came about, but the thing about the thickness of a strap is generally regarded as not true. Wikipedia Baltimore Sun University of Oregon
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Post by hopemax on May 17, 2023 5:31:24 GMT
The etymology of trigger is: the release of a spring or catch to start a mechanism. It comes from the Dutch word trekken meaning “to pull.” So yes, in this case, I do think snowflake, because it’s not a term unique to a gun. The gun part is just an example.
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Post by Basket1lady on May 17, 2023 5:57:14 GMT
I equally hate "rule of thumb" as to the origin of that phrase. Men were allowed to swat their wives with a strap that was a thick as the thumb of the man. HATE HATE HATE this phrase. Interesting. I’ve always associated it with using a thumb as a unit of measurement. That’s where I learned that the phrase came from. But with your association, I can see why you dislike the phrase. For the OP—I think your phrase also has a lot of bad connotations. I don’t think I use it, but don’t really consciously avoid it either. I think it’s usage has fallen out of fashion.
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Post by gar on May 17, 2023 7:06:12 GMT
It's obviously a phrase that has taken on new meaning for you but it hadn't occurred to me before that it was any worse than many other everyday phrases that perhaps have dubious history but have evolved to have other meanings. I'm sorry about your colleague - I can see why it would upset you.
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Post by littlemama on May 17, 2023 10:09:23 GMT
I think it is one of those phrases that has evolved into a different meaning. I abhor guns, but that phrase doesnt bother me- when used in the "newer" meaning
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 17, 2023 10:29:13 GMT
Another is 'it is worth a shot's or 'I'll take a shot at it'
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 17, 2023 10:31:06 GMT
I equally hate "rule of thumb" as to the origin of that phrase. Men were allowed to swat their wives with a strap that was a thick as the thumb of the man. HATE HATE HATE this phrase. Interesting. I’ve always associated it with using a thumb as a unit of measurement. That’s where I learned that the phrase came from. But with your association, I can see why you dislike the phrase. For the OP—I think your phrase also has a lot of bad connotations. I don’t think I use it, but don’t really consciously avoid it either. I think it’s usage has fallen out of fashion. Speaking measurements, horses are measured from ground to whithers in 'hands' which is equal to about four inches ...
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,352
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:10 GMT
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Post by artbabe on May 17, 2023 10:45:12 GMT
I equally hate "rule of thumb" as to the origin of that phrase. Men were allowed to swat their wives with a strap that was a thick as the thumb of the man. HATE HATE HATE this phrase. hmmm…. It seems to be undetermined how the phrase came about, but the thing about the thickness of a strap is generally regarded as not true. Wikipedia Baltimore Sun University of Oregon I was going to say this. The wife beating origin of the phrase is not true. My hated phrase: I have no dog in this fight. Dog fighting is so horrible.
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Post by peasapie on May 17, 2023 10:50:50 GMT
I have heard it all my life and never even think of a gun when I hear it. I can see that it might jar you if it is not a phrase you hear. I don't think it is used so often now as it was in the past.
ETA: I had a classmate killed by his brother when I was about 10 (using a gun). My sister used a gun to end her life---so, yes, I know gun violence.
I agree - not a phrase used often in my experience, so maybe folks are thinking the same as AllieC about its appropriateness. I never thought about it, but now that I have, it seems outdated at best.
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AllieC
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,086
Jul 4, 2014 6:57:02 GMT
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Post by AllieC on May 17, 2023 11:17:03 GMT
Thanks for all the input. Like I said, I was interested to see what people thought.
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Post by paulao on May 17, 2023 13:45:07 GMT
I also hate “beating a dead horse” because of my love for horses.
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Post by Zee on May 17, 2023 19:18:54 GMT
Another is 'it is worth a shot's or 'I'll take a shot at it' But you do take a shot in basketball... I'm not a fan of everyone being "triggered" by phrases that have been in common use for a hundred plus years. SEE WHAT I DID THERE I do understand removing speech with negative connotations. I'm a bit torn on this.
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Post by lucyg on May 17, 2023 22:13:40 GMT
I think our language is full of old references that may make some of us squirm these days. They don’t bother me. I like the anachronisms and other outdated language.
Also, it may be less in use in Australia than in the U.S., so it sounds more violent/inappropriate to you.
And yes, I lost my husband to gun violence.
I still don’t have a problem with the phrase ”pulling the trigger.”
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Post by elaine on May 17, 2023 22:25:23 GMT
I was listening to one of the Slough House/Slow Horses books while walking the dogs this morning after reading this thread. It is a British book series by a British author and “dodged a bullet” was used. So, not just Americans know and use these gun-related idioms.
I really don’t feel one way or the other about them. I don’t like idioms that target certain groups of people (“Jew them down”) , but idioms that reference firearms in general aren’t a blip on my radar.
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Post by AussieMeg on May 17, 2023 22:38:01 GMT
It's not a phrase that I would use, and I don't really hear it used here. My answer was "It's never crossed my mind but food for thought." I can absolutely see how the phrase would be jarring for someone who has lost a friend or loved one to gun violence or suicide or even accidental gun death.
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 7,799
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on May 18, 2023 6:10:50 GMT
... A few years back a colleague of mine was shot and murdered by her partner ... ... My experience of knowing someone who was shot would be very rare in Australia but not in America it got me pondering. Given so many of you would know of someone who has been affected by gun violence ... I don't fit your stereotype. As an American, "my experience of knowing someone who was shot" is non-existent. Also, I don't use the idiom & have not heard it (only read here) in decades.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on May 18, 2023 11:20:00 GMT
I do think of guns sometimes when hearing this phrase. It’s not a phrase I really use, though.
I’ve never known the origins of the “rule of thumb” really is so that is interesting. I don’t use that phrase often, either.
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Post by auntkelly on May 18, 2023 12:33:57 GMT
Common sayings do not upset me. (I almost said common sayings do not trigger an emotional response, but then I thought that might be insensitive on this thread).
My father died of a heart attack when I was three and that was the most traumatic event of my childhood, but it does not bother me when people say “serious as a heart attack” or “you scared me so bad I almost had a heart attack.”
I literally felt the explosion of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City and lost friends in the explosion but it doesn’t bother me when people say “I bombed a test,” or “she was so mad she about exploded.”
I’m not at all saying your emotional response to the phrase “pull the trigger” is not completely justified, but I do think many common phrases in the English language could incite an emotional response for certain persons. I just don’t think it’s realistic to expect people to stop using all of those common phrases.
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Post by Jockscrap on May 18, 2023 14:01:01 GMT
Another is 'it is worth a shot's or 'I'll take a shot at it' In Scots, ‘take a shot’ or ‘have a shot’ means to try something. ‘Can I have a shot of your bike’. It’s a very common expression.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 18, 2023 15:47:21 GMT
I was listening to one of the Slough House/Slow Horses books while walking the dogs this morning after reading this thread. It is a British book series by a British author and “dodged a bullet” was used. So, not just Americans know and use these gun-related idioms. I really don’t feel one way or the other about them. I don’t like idioms that target certain groups of people (“Jew them down”) , but idioms that reference firearms in general aren’t a blip on my radar. Gyp falls into that category.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 18, 2023 15:52:06 GMT
Another is 'it is worth a shot's or 'I'll take a shot at it' In Scots, ‘take a shot’ or ‘have a shot’ means to try something. ‘Can I have a shot of your bike’. It’s a very common expression. In general that is what it is for here, also. But guns and shootings have become so prominent, I seem to notice more. Not a problem for me, though..
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