Do NOT Say

[Ravang]

Do not say...

#1:

[H]

"UFO" - if you believe its a space ship, its identified.

Believing it is doesn't necessarilly make it so. When an operator calls, " Unidentified aircraft on heading..." it's* already identified as an aircraft but not which one. Even when you pull your ID out of your pocket to prove who you are, it's only assumed you are human.
* [please note the apostrophe insertion]

"I could care less"

I have frequently wrestled with this statement; to avoid the dumbfounded look from the utterer, I usually just take the assumption that they actually care very much about what you just told them aside from their aloof persona.

"Can I borrow a kleenex?" - No.  I don't want it back when you are done.

I must sadly inform that I've known someone who actually saved the used ones for reuse; to my knowledge, however, she only saved her own.

"Motorized Cable Car" - Is it motorized, or is it a cable car?

Sorry, non-motorized cable cars can also be manufactured.

"Growing shortage" - why not a shrinking overload?

Technically, the shortage could be decreasing if its subject is growing. Both shortages and overloads could shrink but the growing overload would be of concern.

"March for world hunger" - isn't there enough world hunger already?

...but if we can limit it to March we may get it cornered.

"Then I took another dump."  (a friend who meant "fall" while skiing)

If it was a particularly frightful fall, perhaps he meant what he/she said.

"Could I just have an inch of your stool?"

Was this the same friend?

8-)

[DaveSims]

#1 - I believe it is referring to mediocre rise, not meteor.

#5 - Is usually "couldn't" care less, but these days the "n't" usually gets lost in the pronunciation.  

[Ravang]

"UFO" - if you believe its a space ship, its identified.

Believing it is doesn't necessarilly make it so. When an operator calls, " Unidentified aircraft on heading..." it's* already identified as an aircraft but not which one. Even when you pull your ID out of your pocket to prove who you are, it's only assumed you are human.
* [please note the apostrophe insertion]

"I could care less"

I have frequently wrestled with this statement; to avoid the dumbfounded look from the utterer, I usually just take the assumption that they actually care very much about what you just told them aside from their aloof persona.

[quote] "Can I borrow a kleenex?" - No.

[Mushroom_Farmer]

 I always say, "Couldn't care less." Another one I'm tiring of is the overuse of "Virtual." Either it is or it isn't.
"Meteoric rise." I've heard that one too. Never really thought about it until now.

[a1]

[machineman9]

[quote]
#3: "UFO" - if you believe its a space ship, its identified.

[beaky]

I don't see how "UFO" is self-defeating: you see a flying object, but you don't know for sure what it is. It's unidentified.  It takes more than knowing it's an object of some kind to say it's identified.

But if the point is "stop using 'UFO' interchangeably with 'alien spacecraft!'" I'm with you.  >:(

As for rising meteors: if you are facing towards where they are coming from, they will appear to rise above the horizon ahead. I think that old expression also refers to a great, rapid arc of some kind, in general terms... but neither explanation can get rid of the fact that despite appearances, they are falling.  

Many of these other ones I've never heard... and never want to.