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Thanks, Spoffy, interesting stuff! I like seeing language evolve (apart from when I don't - ie when usages I don't like gain a toehold in the language!)

Same here - particularly when there is already a perfectly good word or phrase that means (to all intents and purposes) the same thing as the 'new' one!

Orson

I agree with your view on priorities. Mine are:

1. Family
2. Cricket
3. Work (part-time)

So, like most people, family is my top priority.

Spoffy

I should like to echo Malone's comments on your interesting posting.

Alan

I agree with you about "forward" planning.

Of course, language only evolves when, according to its current speakers, a word is "misused". In my last years of teaching I began to see the word "loose" used a lot when "lose" was needed (e.g. "loose a lot of money"). This drove me nuts, but who's to say that in 100 years "lose" won't be looked at an an archaic form of "loose"? None of us will be around to protest.

Buddy, sometimes I dread to think what sort of language, terminology, will be floating around when I am not longer there...other times I wish I believed in time travel and I could return to have a sneaky peek, a sneaky listen!
I had to give up on some of my pet hates, No matter what I tried, my mother refused to accept that 'aggravating' didn't mean the same as 'annoying' - it was probably down to her regular usage that the terms merged a little in British usage.
I made my children give up on the correct plural versions of Italian food items - if British supermarkets stock 'paninis', what's it got to do with us? 'Raviolo' may be a perfectly legitimate word, but I can't see it featuring much in my house...

Bump for the benefit of Alanfi

I don't think I'm mellowing in my old age, but no particular words or phrases have upset me this week. I wouldn't want my inner pedant to get too relaxed, so I think I will have to pay more attention to what's in the paper, what's mentioned on the news and so on. (Don't worry, I won't be reaching out to you all with my findings...)

I see that the Americans don't die now, they pass. Passed away as a euphemism is bad enough, but passed! Exam, driving test? I am now going to the comfort room.

Alanfi, the Americans have been passing for years, decades, now - the scary thing is that many British people seem quite happy to join them! An English vicar was interviewed in one of the weekend papers, and he felt obliged to remind us that people actually die. When it comes to 'passing', I'll pass...

We also kick the bucket, so there's that.