Peter Jones - No!!!!!

Shadow Leader

Shadow Leader

At the Start
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Nov 9, 2003
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I cringed a lot tonight when half watching the start of tonight's new series of Dragon's Den and Peter Jones came out with a comment about being "incentivised" to do something - wtf?!?!?

In fact, I gave out about it in a big way to my brother who told me I was talking crap and that it was indeed a word - I argued back that I was sure that if it was a word it was only an americanisation. Lo and behold he told me a little later, rather disgruntled - "you geek, you appear to be right - I looked it up on the net and if it does exist, it's americanised"

:D

(according to the Oxford English Dictionary it doesn't exist!!!)







- and yet the bloke's a multi-millionaire - t'ain't fair!!!!!! At least I know my English!!!!!!!!
 
It was the look on my brother's face when he told me what an "utter geek" I was.....made me laugh!!!

I'm glad I'm not going mad and that I was right!
 
....very possibly! It's a word he likes to apply to me though - in response to comments like the original one, or because I often have my nose in a book....


(it's only to cover his sense of inadequacy I'm sure, since at the age of 28 he's still pretty much locked into his X-Box all day and all night....)
 
I really don't know whether or not it's wise to print this but :

(from the OED)

geek


/geek/
• noun [SIZE=-1]informal,[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]chiefly N. Amer.[/SIZE] 1 an unfashionable or socially inept person. 2 an obsessive enthusiast.
[SIZE=-1]— DERIVATIVES[/SIZE] geeky [SIZE=-1]adjective[/SIZE]. [SIZE=-1]— ORIGIN[/SIZE] from the related English dialect word geck ‘fool’.
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:eek::confused:
 
I believe AC is actually correct as I had the dubious honour once upon a time ago of marking English scripts for Cambridge. Our instruction was clear, and that was that we could award a mark for "American English" in view of the fact that English was an evolving language. It might make the traditionalists cringe a bit, and the mandarins at Cambridge weren't totally happy with it, but did none the less accept the validity of it.

I'm not totally sure about the OED's definition of geek though. I think they've been a bit harsh as I'm not sure the word is really used in a quasi abusive form. Indeed, under certain circumstances I tend to think a geek can be semi endearing (depending on the subject matter) and often exhibits an element of self-depracation. To some extent the word has probably evolved in line with the person with whom its most commonly associated with - Bill Gates? which would invalidate the original derivation. I think something along the lines of "an inoffensive obessesive, concerned with the matters of detail associated with a largely unfashionable pursuit, or aspect of life beyond most people's comprehension or interest" would be more appropriate today.
 
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'Incentivise' may well be an American word (in which case surely it should have a 'z' rather than an 's') but it's certainly in regular business use over here so I'd imagine it will be in the OED pretty soon.

I'm less insular about such matters these days. There was a time I'd deplore the americanisation of English but I prefer a lot of it to the inane linguistic mutations we end up with thanks to texting and general dumbing down of television, etc.
 
I believe AC is actually correct
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Don't sound so bleedin' surprised.

I work for American firms. Incentivise is used like snuff at a wedding. I once heard a Californian say 'We need to incentivize the Sales team to monetize the unrealised value potential of our intellectual property.'

I think he meant he wanted them to sell some more softwate than heretofore.
 
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If there's one thing I can't abide, it is Americanization of the English language.

Someone should take Peter Jones outside, and kick his fanny up and down the sidewalk.
 
an capall said:
I once heard a Californian say 'We need to incentivize the Sales team to monetize the unrealised value potential of our intellectual property.'
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AC - thank you for reminding me why I escaped from the US many years ago! :D

Mind you when I was still gamefully employed in corporate over here they came out with new buzz words every year and had to revise all the brochures and seminar texts to incude such gems as 'synergy', 'moving forward', 'solutions'. None of these would then be used in the way orginally intended but over used until you wanted to gag.

Still, at least those are words!
 
Isinglass said:
Mind you when I was still gamefully employed in corporate over here they came out with new buzz words every year and had to revise all the brochures and seminar texts to incude such gems as 'synergy', 'moving forward', 'solutions'. None of these would then be used in the way orginally intended but over used until you wanted to gag.

Still, at least those are words!
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Unlike "gamefully" :D:cool:
 
rorydelargy said:
Unlike "gamefully" :D:cool:
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I have to admit, rory, my response was going to be a lot smuttier than yours!

Some of those from the BBC link I quite like actually! I recently watched '12 Angry Men' for the umpteenth time (luvvit) and phraseology like that was being satirised even then (mid 1950s).
 
Oh Fuck. I reckon at least 35 of those BBC items are familiar to me in that I have heard them used on several occasions.
 
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