Overtaking on the inside? It's not undertaking!!!

[CarZee]

{Pedantry}
{Condescending}
This is a pet hate of mine and I'm afraid I picked up on a lot of people (including PetrolTed ) using the expression "undertaking" to mean overtaking on the inside.



To overtake means "to get ahead of", it doesn't mean "to pass on the outside of". Therefore to pass on the left (inside) is not the opposite of overtaking!

Even if it were, overtake and undertake are not opposites of one another!

Whether you pass on the left or right it's still either overtaking on the outside or overtaking on the inside - never undertaking. Unless you're undertaking an overtaking manoeuvre. You see?

Here endeth the sermon.
{/Condescending}
{/Pedantry}

[Podie]

CarZee... does word "colloquialism" mean anything to you?

[loudpedal]

CarZee,

when I was a nipper and first heard the expression 'undertaking', I asked what it meant. My Dad kindly explained that it was called 'Undertaking' because it was so dangerous, the services of an undertaker were often required.

Simple really...

[niggle]

I prefer 'overtaking an inconsiderate motorist'

[plotloss]

quote:
I prefer 'overtaking an inconsiderate motorist'

Passing a cnut?



Matt.

[Windsorphil]

Well whatever you call it, I had to do a lot today...I joined the M25 at J13 - the road was closed between J14 & 13 in both directions so there was no traffic at all as I joined heading down to J10. But still even though there was three empty lanes people were staying in the outside lane - doing 70 mph.
I did most of my journey in lanes 1 & 2 at significant speed (so, so refreshing,especially with some good tunes)and I overtook/undertook/wentpast/droveby/negotiated/passedontheinside no end of numpties all hogging lanes with plenty of space to the left of them!

[CarZee]

quote:CarZee... does word "colloquialism" mean anything to you?

There's a significant difference between speaking colloquially and the deployment of a word which actually means something entirely other than what you intend it to mean as in this case.

Colloqialism is a regional variation or peculiarity in conversational language.

Assigning an arbitrary meaning to a word which has an existing other meaning is called 'humpty-dumptying'.

You know perfectly well that 'undertaking' has it's own quite different meaning. Feel free to look that up and reel in horror when overtaking on the inside isn't mentioned - even (IIRC) in the OED current usage dictionary.

It might well have been passed down by one generation of linguistic n'er-do-wells, but that don't make it right.

>> Edited by CarZee on Friday 26th July 10:35

[SBD]

Carzee if you don't have enough to do I have plenty here you could be getting with

And I thought the rest of you would have known better by now than to humour the pedagogue!!

[manek]

quote:

quote:CarZee... does word "colloquialism" mean anything to you?

There's a significant difference between speaking colloquially and the deployment of a word which actually means something entirely other than what you intend it to mean as in this case.

Colloqialism is a regional variation or peculiarity in conversational language.

Assigning an arbitrary meaning to a word which has an existing other meaning is called 'humpty-dumptying'.

You know perfectly well that 'undertaking' has it's own quite different meaning. Feel free to look that up and reel in horror when overtaking on the inside isn't mentioned - even (IIRC) in the OED current usage dictionary.

It might well have been passed down by one generation of linguistic n'er-do-wells, but that don't make it right.

>> Edited by CarZee on Friday 26th July 10:35

Ah, the 'top-down' school of linguistic evolution.

Although I agree about the use of 'undertaking' in this context...

[Podie]

colloquialism

n : a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech


hmm... see your point, but words change their meanings as our language continues to evolve. For example; "shrapnel" is on the OED as meaning undesirable loose change... hence undertaking may well make it into the OED for that reason - people use it in everyday language.

It may not be big / clever / correct - but few things are...

Besdies, who rattled your cage? - You seem a little miffed old bean...

[PetrolTed]

I believe in the growth and progression of language through common usage. Undertaking is understood by many to describe the process to which we're referring.

Numpty and 'bolt-on-boy' are words that have entered our common lexicon and undertaking I would class in a similar manner.

So ya-boo-sucks

[incorrigible]

quote:
It might well have been passed down by one generation of linguistic n'er-do-wells, but that don't make it right.

How can you have a go a people's use of English and then come out with that
Unless you're from the deep south (not Cornwall) it's "doesn't"

[craigalsop]

quote:
I believe in the growth and progression of language through common usage. Undertaking is understood by many to describe the process to which we're referring.

Numpty and 'bolt-on-boy' are words that have entered our common lexicon and undertaking I would class in a similar manner.

So ya-boo-sucks

To be fair to CarZee though, numpty hasn't changed its meaning in its transition from Scots dialect to mainstream English. Undertaking on the other hand, already had 2 quite separate meanings before this. Still, enough people do it, and it will be right....

Craig

>> Edited by craigalsop on Friday 26th July 12:37

[manek]

quote:

quote:
It might well have been passed down by one generation of linguistic n'er-do-wells, but that don't make it right.

How can you have a go a people's use of English and then come out with that
Unless you're from the deep south (not Cornwall) it's "doesn't"

I think he was being colloquial

[incorrigible]

Not a linguistic n'er-do-well ??

[scruff400]

What wrong with being catachrestical or tralatitious or parabolic or allegorical or allusive or anagogical or ironical...

You boys!!

[incorrigible]

Scruff
S
hould I answer or were you being rhetorical ?

Need to metaphoricaly use a euphamism somehow

[manek]

quote:
Scruff
S
hould I answer or were you being rhetorical ?

Need to metaphoricaly use a euphamism somehow

That'll be 'metaphorically use a euphemism', then.

[incorrigible]

I don't put spelling and grammar / pronunciation in the same catagory
(unless it's the distinction between "your" and "you're" or "their" "there" and "they're" (that really does wind me up))

There's a big difference between unable to spell "Euphemism" and saying "isn't it" instead of "init"

But then again, I think 120mph down an A road is OK but 35mph past my house is call for capital punishment

[hertsbiker]

well as long as "Safety camera" doesn't become the generally used phrase for "thieving tax machine" I don't care...

Oh, it already has.