The Innovative Usage Thread

[Zaarin]

Apparently, in Britain, it does have the meaning you were thinking of, but in the US, yes, it means to be extremely lucky. I guess for us, it's like to be so lucky that you couldn't be any luckier and have thus run out of luck to have (i.e. exhausted your supply of luck)?

Must be regional, because I (in America) have only heard "lucked out" to mean "out of luck." :/

[Travis B.]

To me, to luck out means to get lucky, and I'm from the Inland North.

[alynnidalar]

Same for me. I mentally associate it with "to cash out" in gambling terms (that is, to turn in your chips for money when you're done gambling), but that's probably just a weird connection my brain made, I doubt that's the actual origin of the phrase.

[KathTheDragon]

I'm from the south of England and I've only heard it to mean "be very lucky".

[Pole, the]

John Oliver saying “addups” instead of “adds up".

[linguoboy]

Has anyone else heard you welcome for you're welcome from speakers who don't otherwise have any conspicuous AAVE features in their speech?

[Vijay]

I'm not sure.

Has anyone else seen "vegetable fat" being used to mean 'hydrogenated vegetable oil'?

My understanding is that in India, dalda is generally used to mean that, and vanaspati/banaspati/vanaspathy/whatever is used to mean 'margarine' (the first vowel in dalda and the second vowel in those words is apparently supposed to be (historically) long).

[linguoboy]

Has anyone else seen "vegetable fat" being used to mean 'hydrogenated vegetable oil'?

All the time.

[Vijay]

Has anyone else seen "vegetable fat" being used to mean 'hydrogenated vegetable oil'?

All the time.

I was afraid you might say something like that and it was just me.

[Vijay]

I was just watching an Indian YouTube video where "teaspoon" was written "tease poon."

[linguoboy]

"In a vie for power..."

[Zaarin]

"In a vie for power..."

I admit I have no clue what the nominative form of "vie" is, but I am 100% certain it is not "vie." O_O

[Sumelic]

"In a vie for power..."

I admit I have no clue what the nominative form of "vie" is, but I am 100% certain it is not "vie." O_O

Using "vie" as a noun is actually a bit of a lexicographical atavism (although historically, it was apparently used with the preposition "of").

The OED on "vie (n)": "A challenge to contest or rivalry; a display of rivalry or emulation; a contest or competition. Occas. const. of. (Very common in 17th c.) [...] 1674 Govt. Tongue vi. 109 The King of Ethiopia in a vie of Wit with the King of Egypt, propos'd it as a Problem to him, to drink up the Sea."

[Zaarin]

"In a vie for power..."

I admit I have no clue what the nominative form of "vie" is, but I am 100% certain it is not "vie." O_O

Using "vie" as a noun is actually a bit of a lexicographical atavism (although historically, it was apparently used with the preposition "of").

The OED on "vie (n)": "A challenge to contest or rivalry; a display of rivalry or emulation; a contest or competition. Occas. const. of. (Very common in 17th c.) [...] 1674 Govt. Tongue vi. 109 The King of Ethiopia in a vie of Wit with the King of Egypt, propos'd it as a Problem to him, to drink up the Sea."

Hmm, interesting.

[Vijay]

My dad just reminded me that in Malayalam, the English phrase "dead body" is used as a euphemism for 'corpse'.

[Zaarin]

My dad just reminded me that in Malayalam, the English phrase "dead body" is used as a euphemism for 'corpse'.

...I don't think I've ever seen a euphemism that has the exact same literal meaning as the word being avoided.

EDIT: Though, generally speaking, I'd also probably be more likely to use "(dead) body" in preference to "corpse" simply because it sounds less harsh for some reason. On the other hand, I have an extraordinary and irrational fear of dead bodies. When I attended my uncle's funeral a few years ago, I about had a panic attack and ultimately had to go wait outside the funeral home. Couldn't handle it. I have no idea why this is the case, because I don't have a particular fear of death itself.

[Vijay]

And this reminds me that in India, when a woman needs to see a doctor, she may be asked in English, "How many issues?" This means 'how many times have you given birth?' They intentionally avoid saying "how many children?" because then people tend to ignore illegitimate children in their answers.

[Travis B.]

And this reminds me that in India, when a woman needs to see a doctor, she may be asked in English, "How many issues?" This means 'how many times have you given birth?' They intentionally avoid saying "how many children?" because then people tend to ignore illegitimate children in their answers.

I have heard that one before, and it sounds so odd to me as an American, since here issues is a euphemism for problems, especially mental health-related ones.

(I personally like problems much better than issues actually, since issues tends to trivialize IMO.)

[KathTheDragon]

And this reminds me that in India, when a woman needs to see a doctor, she may be asked in English, "How many issues?" This means 'how many times have you given birth?' They intentionally avoid saying "how many children?" because then people tend to ignore illegitimate children in their answers.

I have heard that one before, and it sounds so odd to me as an American, since here issues is a euphemism for problems, especially mental health-related ones.

(I personally like problems much better than issues actually, since issues tends to trivialize IMO.)

It sounds odd to me as a Brit, since they're flat-out synonyms for me.

[Sglod]

I heard someone say their dad got deployed today. I though he meant his dad was in the army or police or something and was being sent off to some sort of war or incident, but he actually meant he'd lost his job.

[Travis B.]

I heard someone say their dad got deployed today. I though he meant his dad was in the army or police or something and was being deployed to some sort of incident, but he actually meant he'd lost his job.

That is an interesting usage. To me deployed means specifically to be sent off to duty in the military.

[Vijay]

I heard someone say their dad got deployed today. I though he meant his dad was in the army or police or something and was being deployed to some sort of incident, but he actually meant he'd lost his job.

The moment I read the first sentence, I guessed correctly what he meant. Maybe I've seen that usage somewhere before.

[Zaarin]

I heard someone say their dad got deployed today. I though he meant his dad was in the army or police or something and was being deployed to some sort of incident, but he actually meant he'd lost his job.

That is an interesting usage. To me deployed means specifically to be sent off to duty in the military.

Same.

[KathTheDragon]

To me, "deployed" more generally means to put something in a position where it will be used. So, you might deploy a robot, or a piece of software, or indeed a soldier.

[Travis B.]

I meant of someone being deployed, obviously; of course deployed has different meanings with robots or pieces of software.