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Phrase-ology and anachronisms

MiraedeMiraede
in The Universal Membrane
I'm a nurse IRL so when I hear the term "prone" I'm supposed to imagine someone face down, lips glued to the floor. The medical term for what I actually envision is "supine", lying on your back with eyes to the stars. Instead of me reinforcing real life into my gaming world, I've found myself at work second-guessing the correct terminology because my dopey mind learned it here imagining incorrectly first.

Not here, but another IRE game, I started incorporating words like "hence" and "discern" into IRL conversations. NOT INTENTIONALLY. I wish I could say hilarity ensued (haha "ensued" is another one!) but usually I was met with genuinely worried glances.

Anyone else had embarassing moments?

Comments

  • XideronXideron
    Ages ago in high school, I nearly got in trouble for calling the first-year French students neophytes. Thankfully the French teacher knew what the word meant, but for about five seconds I was the subject of around twenty scrunch-nosed, brow-furrowed glares.

    Then there was one time I was assessing a rather shoddily put together group project as an instructor's aide. The group was floundering for time and eventually said that they were nearly ready. In a rather sarcastic, joking manner(and sans Rocky Horror pause), I said "Oh I'm quivering in anticipation." I'll never forget the confused, deer-in-the-headlights look they all gave me.

    More in line with Achaean terminology though, I was explaining how to troubleshoot code one time and said something along the lines of, "You'll want to comment one section out at a time to discern where your problem lies" and someone in the group looked at me and asked in that sort of innocent manner that denotes genuine ignorance what discern meant. Turns out they thought I was using an acronym of some sort.
  • SynbiosSynbios
    Xideron said:
    Ages ago in high school, I nearly got in trouble for calling the first-year French students neophytes. Thankfully the French teacher knew what the word meant, but for about five seconds I was the subject of around twenty scrunch-nosed, brow-furrowed glares.

    Did the word 'neophyte' mean anything offensive in French?

  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    It's just seen as derogatory by some, same as calling someone "amateur" or "noob".
  • LucianusLucianus
    Yeah. My head keeps telling me they're suppose to be supine way back when I first started mudding. 
    That is not an ordinary star, my son. That star is the tear of a warrior. A lost soul who has finished his battles somewhere on this planet. A pitiful soul who could not find his way to the lofty realm where the great spirit awaits us all.
  • TorinnTorinn
    edited August 2017
    Hmm I'm not sure but are there any moves that actually specify they are on their backs?  I've always just thought they were on the ground in various ways, not necessarily supine
    Deucalion says, "Torinn is quite nice."
  • LucianusLucianus
    Was hard to imagine knights doing a disembowel to people lying face down... or a monk breaking a person's back via knee-to-gut.  Or.... vivisect from behind.
    That is not an ordinary star, my son. That star is the tear of a warrior. A lost soul who has finished his battles somewhere on this planet. A pitiful soul who could not find his way to the lofty realm where the great spirit awaits us all.
  • KryptonKrypton shi-Khurena
    "Prone" in Achaea is definitely supine.

    Stuff like Subterfuge Execute shows you having to flip them onto their stomachs as part of the process, etc.

    I just think of the definition "vulnerable" for prone when I see it, rather than "literally face-down".
  • AhmetAhmet Wherever I wanna be
    Prone doesn't always mean face-down, only when used in a medical context! Cause words. English.
    Huh. Neat.
  • ZackeryZackery
    I use words like discern and ensue all the time in real life.. you all are making me self-conscious about my diction now. Where Achaea messes me up is I start using the British spelling of words at work instead of 'Merican.
  • SolnirSolnir
    I get ridiculed constantly at work for having british spelling. :(
  • KyrraKyrra Australia
    UK English is proper! Also everyone needs to be on metric. Celcius all the way. 

    Regarding the OP though, I struggle a lot with not using 'Greetings' when starting emails etc
    (D.M.A.): Cooper says, "Kyrra is either the most innocent person in the world, or the girl who uses the most innuendo seemingly unintentionally but really on purpose."

  • XideronXideron
    Synbios said:
    Did the word 'neophyte' mean anything offensive in French?
    Krypton said:
    It's just seen as derogatory by some, same as calling someone "amateur" or "noob".

    It was more along the lines of I was calling them something that they had no idea what the word meant, and thus by default, assumed I was insulting them. At my High School, the French class was known for being easier than the Spanish class, so you got a mix of folks like myself(who actually enjoyed the French language and culture), folks that just didn't care about learning a second language, folks that felt they couldn't pass Spanish and had to take French to graduate, and folks that thought they were being edgy by taking french. The first years I addressed were made up almost exclusively of the second and third group.
    Zackery said:
    I use words like discern and ensue all the time in real life.. you all are making me self-conscious about my diction now. Where Achaea messes me up is I start using the British spelling of words at work instead of 'Merican.
    Solnir said:
    I get ridiculed constantly at work for having british spelling. :(

    I get that too, so I feel your pain. :s  It also makes it much more difficult working in css code when I type something like "colour:#ffa900;" and then I have to wonder why it isn't working for a solid five minutes. Also, horrifically enough, the last time I went up to visit my girlfriend's family in Canada, her nephew was being taught the American form of spelling in school rather than the British(like what she learned), and as I found in the local newspaper, it was really upsetting some folks up there.
  • RispokRispok
    Whilst lying on your back with radius and ulna in neutral position, your hand can hold a spoonful of soupine. I also taught my older brother to insult people by calling them popinjays and slubberdegullions (help middle achaean).
  • ShimiShimi
    Zackery said:
    I use words like discern and ensue all the time in real life.. you all are making me self-conscious about my diction now. Where Achaea messes me up is I start using the British spelling of words at work instead of 'Merican.
    I have to agree, I do have a broad vocabulary so really using these words in everyday life comes naturally to me. I will say however once I hit a point I have to start explaining the meanings of my words to people I stop and "dumb down" my speech. If anything, I view Achaea as an excellent place to keep expanding my knowledge and practice proper writing. Definitely have issues remember to switch back to 'Merican when writing though...
  • BoosteyaBoosteya
    I have no reason to care about proper American. Alas?
    Miin-aan baash kimini-sij-i-gan bitooyin sij-i-gan-i bukwayszhiigan = blueberry π
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