Skip to main content

Greetings and Salutations!

Two men chat at the bar in rather elegant 1930s style.

Don't you think "Good morning/afternoon/evening," or even the more formal "How do you do?" might be preferable to the now oh so common (in several senses) interjection "Hey!", the clownish "How you doin'?", or the truly insipid "T'sup?"?  I am rapidly coming to detest the latter three in my daily journeys through humanity.  Likewise, let's agree not even to mention the hackneyed "Nice to meet you."  Ugh!  What in the world happened to the simple and (almost always) appropriate, "Hello.  How are you?"?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Comments

  1. Once again, thank you. I do say "Nice to meet you" BUT only in this context and in this way: Someone has told me, prior to meeting the person, very much about the person (for instance a cousin's fiance), so when finally meeting the person (for instance at a family dinner) I can often say, "Hello. It's so nice to meet you. I've heard many lovely things about you. Welcome to the family." Otherwise, it's as you state above.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1) I still don't know how to answer "Howzitgoin'?"

    2) I am particularly annoyed by people who reply to "Thank you" with "Sure" or "Uh huh".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed on both points! "No problem" in response to a thank-you is also highly problematic. Lots of people in the so called "service industry" could do with much more comprehensive training when it comes to interacting with customers and clients.

      Best Regards,

      Heinz-Ulrich.

      Delete
  3. I have never even heard of 'T'sup'. What is it meant to mean? Here in the UK it's 'Alright' (pronounced awwwhite in fake estuary English/ mock Cockney) or 'Alright mate' . I'm all for the maintenance of regional dialects but you soon find out that the speaker has been to Eton College and wouldn't know a real cockney even if he met one.

    Guy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your comment and question, Guy. "T'sup?" or more usually "Sup?" is short for "What's up?" Hear most places these, primarily among members of the male gender under 35. About as ubiquitous and awful as the word "Dude!" has become. God help us all.

    -- Heinz-Ulrich

    ReplyDelete
  5. You might enjoy this. The etymology of 'dude' in the OED is as follows:

    'Late 19th century (denoting a dandy): probably from German dialect Dude "fool"'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I did. Thank you. 'Fool' is an apt description in most cases where chronic use of the word dude is concerned.

      Best Regards,

      Heinz-Ulrich von B.

      Delete

Post a Comment

All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.

-- Heinz-Ulrich

Popular Posts

The Power of Ideas. . .

  T he end is nigh!  The autumn semester/term approaches.  And while we still have almost two months of summer left according to the calendar, "Summer is over and gone," as the crickets sang in Charlotte's Web .  At least for those of us who head back to the classroom in less than a month.   In advance of a meeting with my program director late Monday morning, I spent about 40 minutes total during the weekend to jot down several ideas about planned workshops and related activities for the coming 2024-2025 academic year.  At an opportune moment, I mentioned "I have a few ideas," and opened my leather portfolio.   My director was highly receptive to almost everything I suggested, and we had a very productive planning session for just over 90 minutes.  Just about everything I sketched out on Sunday aligns with his own ideas.  It's nice when meetings go that well, and two related things occur to me in hindsight. One, it pays to exercise...

CSA Pick-Up Style. . .

I t's getting to be that time in the summer!  Yep, the garden fresh vegetables are starting to come in.  Picked up the first half-share of the Grand Duchess' Summer 2024 community supported agriculture allotment late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.  Some delicious looking items that will make a nice salad for dinner this evening.  Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess and Young Master are across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin visiting cousins for the next several days and attending a large annual airshow. while yours truly holds down the fort. More of the usual summertime fare in the attire photos featured.  This particular shirt, while it has not appeared here in quite some time, is one of my favorites.  An item that has been in the seasonal rotation for a dozen years or more.  It ironed up nicely before I put it on and tucked it in.  The chino shorts (with a 6" inseam. . .  I know, I know.) are one of many such khaki pairs currently occupying the bottom...

Thursday Work from Home Style. . .

  A pleasantly sunny and warm, yet comfortable September day working from home.  Perfect weather still for some Madras shorts, leather deck shoes, and a now 20-year old OCBD from Land's End that is finally too worn and frayed in places to wear with a jacket and necktie or suit.  But until a tear develops somewhere, it remains ideal for frumping around the house, albeit tucked in and with a casual belt.  Said shirt is also great for recording, editing, processing, and uploading another episode of my podcast. As I have written here a number of times before today, this particular shirt was one of several 'Original Oxfords' purchased from Land's End when I took my first teaching job outside of Minneapolis, following graduate school, at a small college now long closed due to highly questionable ethical and financial practices. Of that, the less said, the batter.  But I still have and wear several items purchased in 2003-2004 when it became clear that my existing pro...