PET PEEVES

whineA pet peeve is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying, to a greater degree than others may find it. For example, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people leaving the lid on the copier up and react angrily, be annoyed when others interrupt when speaking, or by messy desks of their subordinates. That same supervisor may witness employees coming into work late, and not feel any annoyance whatsoever.

Check out https://www.getannoyed.com/ if you want to see the web’s largest list pet peeves. Some of the funnier ones are:

  • The way people walk in flip flops (as if Amy Vanderbilt suggests a correct way.)
  • Cats and dogs that are inconsiderate of their human’s sleeping habits, and decide to romp, play, and destroy stuff at 4 AM  (as if animals are rational in any way)
  • People who don’t dress their age (as compared to what?)
  • Air Guitar. Don’t do it. You look like a dork. (What is a dork?)
  • PeOpLe WhO tYpE LiKe ThIs. (nO CommenT needed)

Oh, there are some legitimate gripes that really don’t qualify under the definition of “pet peeve” because the act is more an inconsiderate act, such as leaving hair on bar soap.

The term is a back-formation from the 14th-century word peevish, meaning “ornery or ill-tempered”. So, in other words, people with too many pet peeves are more likely to be ornery or sarcastic.

Do you know what my pet peeve is?  People with pet peeves.  🙂

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