Irksome In

I have to admit that not many things frustrate me in life, I am a reasonably calm individual most of the time. However, the English language with all its lies, does.

Take the word ‘in’ for example. There are so many ways to use the word. Yet, several of the ways are obscure and inaccurate. I mean you have the obvious use of the word like “There is a beetroot in the fridge”, or “There is a cat in the toilet” and that’s fine. But things like “She was in love” or “Richard was in deep shit” do not actually mean what they are saying. Richard is not actually covered from head to toe in shit…It is not as if he is in a barrel of excrement drowning in faeces. And love is not a container…or a place. How can ’she’ be in love? What is love?-The new tupperware??

And so-called-sentences like “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes”…well they are full of lies too. Fifteen minutes is not a place you can go, and therefore you cannot meet or see someone there. If you were to substitute the words ‘fifteen minutes’ with ‘South Africa’ then it would suddenly make so much more sense.

And lastly, “Pastel colours are in this year” or “It is the in thing to do” Sentences like them make no sense what so ever. Pastel colours are in what? In paint cans? Or are they some sort of colouring pencils in a child’s pencil case? It is not exactly self-explanatory. And “It is the in thing to do”….? Does that mean some sort of indoor activity? It is not very specific is it? Neither of these sentences explain what they are referring to. Even after pondering them, they do not become any clearer.

Exasperatedly written by Probable Sushi.