The use of the English language on either side of the Atlantic

[Seaviewer]

I notice that the term "jab" seems to be prevalent in the UK (as here) but they seem to prefer "shot" in the US.
I must say that I'm becoming increasingly irritated by the word "jab". It's bad enough when referring to the act of injection (although the imagery seems unnecessarily violent) but using it as a synonym for the vaccine itself doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Angela Channing]

I was listening to an American podcast (The FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast) and a contributor used the word "dove" (rhymes with stove) as the past tense of dive. I thought he should have said "dived" but I looked it up and what he said is correct in American English but it just sounds wrong.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I’ve actually heard both dove and dived used in the U.S. over the years. I was never really sure which one was grammatically correct.

 

[Seaviewer]

I was listening to an American podcast (The FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast) and a contributor used the word "dove" (rhymes with stove) as the past tense of dive. I thought he should have said "dived" but I looked it up and what he said is correct in American English but it just sounds wrong.

I've heard that, too. It sounds strange to my Australian ears as well but, as you say, acceptable in America.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I was listening to an American podcast (The FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast) and a contributor used the word "dove" (rhymes with stove) as the past tense of dive. I thought he should have said "dived" but I looked it up and what he said is correct in American English but it just sounds wrong.

It reminds me of the word "snuck" for the past tense of "sneak" where there's a completely different logic behind the past form compared with our "sneaked".

"Snuck" seems to be taking hold in the UK. I've heard it more and more in recent years. So I wouldn't be surprised if "dove" also creeps into our lexicon over time.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Snuck and sneaked is another good example. I hear both used here a lot. “I snuck in” or “I sneaked in.” Again I’m not sure which one is correct but I do see them both getting used.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Snuck and sneaked is another good example. I hear both used here a lot.

Oh, that's interesting. Have you noticed any kind of split in the demographic that uses it?

In general I've noticed more younger people saying "snuck" in the UK. Similar to how some younger Brits started using "gotten" at some point in the last decade, even though it hadn't been used in the UK for centuries.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I can’t honestly say I’ve heard it from a specific demographic, no. It seems to be across the board, at least from what I’ve noticed anyway. But I do know what you mean, as these things do often tend to have a lot to do with age groups.

 

[DallasFanForever]

GOAT is a perfect example of this I think. To me a goat was always an animal or someone that did something really stupid under pressure. But now goat mean “Greatest of all Time,” when referring to sports most specifically. And I think using goat in that context resonated mostly with younger people.

 

[Daniel Avery]

Sometimes the pronunciation of a word depends on the activity it describes.

If you're taking a bath, sunbathing, or perhaps posing for an art class, you are naked.

If you're up to no good, then you're nekkid.

 

[Angela Channing]

If you're up to no good, then you're nekkid.

If you mean what I think you mean, then you're not up to no good, you're up to something awesome!

 

[Seaviewer]

I wouldn't be surprised if "dove" also creeps into our lexicon over time.

Then there's "strove" vs "strived" as past tense of "strive". I think the former is actually more common

Sometimes the pronunciation of a word depends on the activity it describes.

If you're taking a bath, sunbathing, or perhaps posing for an art class, you are naked.

If you're up to no good, then you're nekkid.

I heard something like that said on Designing Women once. I think it was Julia and Suzanne's half-brother. He said "naked" means you have no clothes on, but "nekkid" means you have no clothes on - and you're up to something.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Interesting! I never heard the “naked” versus “nekkid” thing before this thread.

 

[Richard Channing]

I don't know if this is an American thing but I've only heard American's say it: "On accident" as opposed to "on purpose" and instead of "by accident".

 

[DallasFanForever]

I don't know if this is an American thing but I've only heard American's say it: "On accident" as opposed to "on purpose" and instead of "by accident".

I’m not really sure if this is an American thing either to be honest but I have heard it used here a few times over the years. But I would say more often than not “on purpose” or “by accident” are much more common.

 

[Seaviewer]

It sounds strange to me to hear "on Christmas" instead of "at Christmas". It finally occurred to me that they were referring specifically to Christmas Day rather than the overall Christmas season.