Banal expressions

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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While we are on the subject of "zee" vs "zed", I would be interested in comments on a related topic- modern jargon that doesn't make a lot of sense (to me). I'll start the ball rolling with the term "learning curve", why a curve, who thought up this term, is it an accurate description of how we learn? Any other jargon of questionable meaning?
 

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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While we are on the subject of "zee" vs "zed", I would be interested in comments on a related topic- modern jargon that doesn't make a lot of sense (to me). I'll start the ball rolling with the term "learning curve", why a curve, who thought up this term, is it an accurate description of how we learn? Any other jargon of questionable meaning?

Learning curve is an accurate term. Think of the bel curve. As you learn a new topic the first little bit goes quite fast and then slows down as you progress. Like snowboarding, it takes a couple of hours to learn how to get down the bunny hill but will be a season or two before you get down a black diamond run without falling on your butt.
Lay of the land comes from geography as in exploring a new area and seeing the ups and downs. Many terms had a usefull meaning at one time but have been preempted for unrelated topics over the years, Some are military acronyms that have come into common usage.
FUBAR-fu@#ed up beyond all recognition
SNAFU_ situation normal, all fu@#ed up.
 

taxslave

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I forgot one off. Comes from manufacturing meaning that you are making only one item as opposed to a run of the same thing.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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Learning curve is an accurate term. Think of the bel curve. As you learn a new topic the first little bit goes quite fast and then slows down as you progress. Like snowboarding, it takes a couple of hours to learn how to get down the bunny hill but will be a season or two before you get down a black diamond run without falling on your butt.
Lay of the land comes from geography as in exploring a new area and seeing the ups and downs. Many terms had a usefull meaning at one time but have been preempted for unrelated topics over the years, Some are military acronyms that have come into common usage.
FUBAR-fu@#ed up beyond all recognition
SNAFU_ situation normal, all fu@#ed up.

Well there you go, you learn something new every day. Fubar is new to me. Snafu, I've known about for 40 years.
 

Niflmir

A modern nomad
Dec 18, 2006
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Well there you go, you learn something new every day. Fubar is new to me. Snafu, I've known about for 40 years.

FUBAR supposedly comes from an american army jargon and is supposed to stand for "F*ed up beyond all recognition" but was popularized in modern times by programmers.

Not sure about snafu...

I don't like how people use "literally" these days. I once saw an interview with a flight pilot who said, "The missile literally punched me out of the sky." I am pretty sure he meant figuratively.
 

Francis2004

Subjective Poster
Nov 18, 2008
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I don't like how people use "literally" these days. I once saw an interview with a flight pilot who said, "The missile literally punched me out of the sky." I am pretty sure he meant figuratively.

Agreed about "literally"..:smile:

My daughter or her friends uses it all the time. We review if it really "literally" happened.
 

AnnaG

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Jul 5, 2009
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FUBAR supposedly comes from an american army jargon and is supposed to stand for "F*ed up beyond all recognition" but was popularized in modern times by programmers.

Not sure about snafu...

I don't like how people use "literally" these days. I once saw an interview with a flight pilot who said, "The missile literally punched me out of the sky." I am pretty sure he meant figuratively.
That was literally worth a giggle. Snafu is "situation normal; all f'd up"

Cops invent strange phrases. "Speed was a factor" Well, excuse me but speed = velocity, and if there was no velocity involved there would be no movement and hence, no infraction (other than possibly blocking traffic).
 

JLM

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That was literally worth a giggle. Snafu is "situation normal; all f'd up"

Cops invent strange phrases. "Speed was a factor" Well, excuse me but speed = velocity, and if there was no velocity involved there would be no movement and hence, no infraction (other than possibly blocking traffic).

You can say that again Anna, and while we are on the subject I'm going to veer off a little to say that I get so sick of hearing "speed doesn't cause accidents"- maybe not, but that is irrelevant, when accidents do occur, speed certainly ascerbates the damage resulting, so while speed may not cause accidents, it sure as hell causes our insurance rates to sky rocket. Phew- got that off my chest.!!!!!!!!!!
 

AnnaG

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You can say that again Anna, and while we are on the subject I'm going to veer off a little to say that I get so sick of hearing "speed doesn't cause accidents"- maybe not, but that is irrelevant, when accidents do occur, speed certainly ascerbates the damage resulting, so while speed may not cause accidents, it sure as hell causes our insurance rates to sky rocket. Phew- got that off my chest.!!!!!!!!!!
I get tired of hearing it, too. But I disagree, speed DOES cause accidents; the wrong speed. If people tell me it doesn't, I simply tell them try a higher velocity than road conditions allow. Go buzz around a 90º corner at 90 kliks an hour and they can see first hand what speed does.

Grassroots is another term that annoys me. lol Yes, grass has roots. My grass has roots. It grows its roots in my lawn.
People seem to use the term "infrastructure" loosely, also. Infra- means, below, underneath. The couldn't just stick to "foundation"? They had to invent this "infrastructure" word? Were people mistaking the definition of "foundation"? Funny people. :D
 

Niflmir

A modern nomad
Dec 18, 2006
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Speed doesn't cause accidents, momentum does. :p

How about "Thinking outside of the box," these days if you are thinking outside of the box, you are thinking inside of the box.
 

AnnaG

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Speed doesn't cause accidents, momentum does. :p

How about "Thinking outside of the box," these days if you are thinking outside of the box, you are thinking inside of the box.
Reconstruct the box. :) Reform it into a cylinder instead. :D
 

SirJosephPorter

Time Out
Nov 7, 2008
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While we are on the subject of "zee" vs "zed", I would be interested in comments on a related topic- modern jargon that doesn't make a lot of sense (to me). I'll start the ball rolling with the term "learning curve", why a curve, who thought up this term, is it an accurate description of how we learn? Any other jargon of questionable meaning?


I read this thread just now and I was going to respond to it (how the term ‘learning curve’ is quite appropriate, but taxslave stole my thunder.

I would like to add one point to his post as to how the term learning curve is quite appropriate. In mathematics, there a concept called ‘asymptote’. Asymptote is the Y value which a curve will attain at the X value of infinity.

So as X become larger Y will also become larger and will approach the asymptotic value, without ever attaining it (not all the curves show this property, some do).

Learning is similar to that concept. As you learn about a subject (learn Physics, or learn to play chess), you gain more and more knowledge, you become more and more of an expert in it, without ever achieving perfection. You approach perfection asymptotically.
 

Niflmir

A modern nomad
Dec 18, 2006
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Leiden, the Netherlands
I read this thread just now and I was going to respond to it (how the term ‘learning curve’ is quite appropriate, but taxslave stole my thunder.

I would like to add one point to his post as to how the term learning curve is quite appropriate. In mathematics, there a concept called ‘asymptote’. Asymptote is the Y value which a curve will attain at the X value of infinity.

So as X become larger Y will also become larger and will approach the asymptotic value, without ever attaining it (not all the curves show this property, some do).

Learning is similar to that concept. As you learn about a subject (learn Physics, or learn to play chess), you gain more and more knowledge, you become more and more of an expert in it, without ever achieving perfection. You approach perfection asymptotically.

Funny, I was going to show a plot with the same idea.