×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Redundant Statements
2

Redundant Statements

Redundant Statements

(OP)
I find it interesting when people unconsciously make redundant statements.  A recent example occurred when a production foreman entered a work request for the installation of a hot water heater.

Other examples that I have heard include:

ATM Machine
ISP Provider
Cold water chiller
Freezing temperatures occurring below zero

I'm sure I've been guilty of the same, but it's quite funny when you think about it.

RE: Redundant Statements

I hate it when people are redundant and say the same thing twice.

Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew
"Luck is the residue of design."
Branch Rickey


Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Redundant Statements

Please forward all complaints to the Department of Redundancy Department.

RE: Redundant Statements

I hate PIN number and VIN number.  What the f#$%^&* is that?

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Redundant Statements

We have folks at work who reference air pressure as "Pounds PSI" what's with that

ietech

RE: Redundant Statements

Nothing to do with engineering but the one that makes me smile is "Tuna Fish"... I suppose it's to avoid confusion with the infamous Tuna Turtle...

RE: Redundant Statements

but I always thought it was some sort of aquatic chicken, e.g., Chicken of the Sea

TTFN

RE: Redundant Statements

Another good one is:

Shrimp Scampi

(Scampi means shrimp)


nick

RE: Redundant Statements

(OP)
Tuna Fish...that's good, something I am definitely guilty of saying.  How about the infamous Sherwood Forest.  Again, not to be confused with all of those deciduous deserts.

RE: Redundant Statements

Where is toto?  I can't find it on my map of Arkansas...

RE: Redundant Statements

You're eggs-actly right, IRStuff -- more chickens than people!  And to think, that's the average WEEKLY production, which works out to over 2 BILLION (that's 109) chickens a year!

I'm sure that's not just in Arkansas, but still....

RE: Redundant Statements

That's because toto either lives in Kansas or is Kansas

TTFN

RE: Redundant Statements

NanoMan,

I believe it is known as the Tuna Fish in order to distinguish it from the:

a)    Piano Tuner: Considered by some to be a delicacy, but very rarely seen on restaurant menus nowadays, as there are very heavy penalties for unlicensed capture and eating. Distribution: global, but becoming endangered and hard to find due to strong penetration into its natural environment from the recent introduction of the Electronic Keyboard.

b)    Radio Tuner: Generally considered to be very poor eating – most diners will find the plastic and silicon content to be quite unpalatable. Found in 2 common varieties: Mono (AM) and Stereo (FM). Distribution: global, very common.

RE: Redundant Statements

I always thought toto lived in Arizona, along with the Lone Ranger.

Or is that someone else entirely?

Good Luck
johnwm

RE: Redundant Statements

JulianHardy,

What about TV Tuner? Isn't that the main ingredient in the famous TV dinner?

RE: Redundant Statements

And what, exactly, was "lone" about the Lone Ranger?  He was always with Tonto.

RE: Redundant Statements

Wouldn't that be awesome, a concert double-bill of Kansas and Toto!

Kansas is still around.  Saw them last summer (for the 20th time) and they still sound pretty good.

RE: Redundant Statements

I can't do my job without AC and DC current.

RE: Redundant Statements

(OP)
Apparently Toto is still around as well.
http://www.toto99.com/
Back to the original post, here's another example: toto (the band) sucks.  

At least toto the dog had enough dignity to live out his autumn years in relative anonymity, instead of exploiting himself for more $$. The wizard rules!

RE: Redundant Statements

Although not exactly redundant, a good word for use in this discussion is:

pleonasm

RE: Redundant Statements

(OP)
Another example I just witnessed, a written redundancy - 0.020" thou.

RE: Redundant Statements

I have seen part numbers as: PN#

RE: Redundant Statements

I am diametrically opposed to the use of redundant repetition of written and spoken words in todays modern society and by fellow colleagues and knowledgeable experts. I think that the root cause is based in past history of old customs irregardless of education.

There is one individual person that works for me who circulated around a top priority memo which was wordy and verbose and completely full of a long litany of such phrases. When I read it with my own eyes I threw a conniption fit and made a definite decision to eliminate, altogether, any future re-occurances. Following below is a memo released by myself which states everyone must cease and desist this practice. Attached together with the memo was an exact replica of the offending memo.

Memo:
  It has come to the attention of the current incumbent management of a persistant obsession with the use of redundant statements in circulated memos. A newly recent memo regarding new innovation and extra added features to our PCB boards and SCSI interfaces whose release is immenent at any moment, will help the company ascend up past our competitors, had a grand total of 23 redundant statements.

I believe we must, with intentional planning and mutual cooperation, join together and re-double our efforts to resist the sudden impulse of using such flagrant misuses of language. We are surrounded on all sides by these redundant repetitions in our normal, everyday life. But we must not revert back to these bad habits and always remember the basic fundamentals of good writing. If we do not succed in this endevour we run the risk of failure. I will be watching and observing for all unnecessary redundancies in the future.

Grateful thanks,

The Management

P.S.
Remember: "The rich people have most of the money"
(submitted by an anonymous stranger)

RE: Redundant Statements

Statement found in most engineering drawing title (tolerance) blocks...

"Unless Otherwise Specified"

RE: Redundant Statements

I about had a fit when they required us to put a bold face note under isometric views of our engineering drawings stating, "not to scale" when the title block as on most engineering drawings states, "do not scale dwg."

Don't they teach that in drafting 101 and machine shop 101 and mfg engrg tech 101 anymore?

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Redundant Statements

Well they teach NTS or Do not Scale Print (waiting for DNSP) and they do teach you where it belongs on the print.  Just too bad they don't explain how to tell lay people to go ... when they come up with these bright ideas for technical drawings.

On another note I do not expect this since according to all the training I recieved (2 courses in  mechanical drafting, 2 courses in architectural, 1 course Eng drafting and 1 course in CAD) over 80% of the prints I look at are dimensioned incorrectly.  Forget the fact that the notes include strange language and are in strange places, lets at least get the dimensions and datums done correctly and then use the correct symbols.

P.S. That sound you just heard is me getting tackled off the soapbox.

RE: Redundant Statements

Thread238-89399

What does kirk stand for? Key interlock of course.

RE: Redundant Statements

Last night after a very interesting joint ASM/SAE tour of a large foundry (4,000,000 lbs of Aluminum castings per year) I sat next to our chapter chairman.  He pronounced SEM (scanning electron microscopy) as a word rather than spelling out the letters.  Immediatley I realized that a few days earlier I had used the phrase SEM microscopy in the Retained Austenite thread on the metallurgy forum.  I have also been guilty of saying PIN number at times.  How utterly redundant!

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Redundant Statements

(OP)
I can't believe I missed this one before(drum roll please):


dic-tion-ar-y (dik'shuh ner ee)  n. pl. <-ar-ies>
                  1.  a book containing a selection of the
                       words of a language usu. arranged
                       alphabetically with information about
                       their meanings, pronunciations,
                       etymologies, inflected forms, etc.,
                       expressed in either the same or another
                       language.
                  2.  a book giving information on particular
                       subjects or on a particular class of
                       words, names, or facts, usu. arranged
                       alphabetically: a biographical
                       dictionary; a dictionary of physics.
                  3.  a.  a list of words used by a
                            word-processing program to check
                            spellings in text.
             [1520-30; < ML dictionarium, dictionarius < LL
             diction- word (see DICTION) + -arium, -arius -
             ARY]

Is there no end?!   

RE: Redundant Statements

I looked in my dictionary and don't understand why it doesn't have an index!

Good Luck
johnwm

RE: Redundant Statements

I often ponder the redundancy of life, especially when my wife  calls me and asks "Where are you at?"


Rod

RE: Redundant Statements

A pleonasm: how does this thread end up?

RE: Redundant Statements

Which way is up?

pleonasm?  That is a nasty sounding word so I am not even going to look it up especially since I do not know shich way is up.

Oviously you have never seen the movie "Ground Hog Day."

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Redundant Statements

Don't think that's necessarily being pleonastic.

"end up" generally elicits a more narrative answer than "end":

how did it end up? :  With two pleonasts arguing ad naseum .

how did it end? : Absurdly .

TTFN

RE: Redundant Statements

Very nice use of the emoticons 'stuff  even though I still have not ended up looking up pleonasm.  I gotta learn to do that emoticon thing but right now I lots'a fish to fry.

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Redundant Statements

Pleonasm has a natural accompaniment which is sophistry.

RE: Redundant Statements

OK already I looked it up since you insist on using this new word for me.

I think IRstuff is just getting back at me for the unique battle and it worked.  Sorry this being the wrong thread sort of but wouldn't slightly unique be pleonastic?

Jesus is THE life,
Leonard

RE: Redundant Statements

M,

I would never stoop that low

besides, I was responding to 25362

TTFN

RE: Redundant Statements

Hi All,

I just heard a guest on CNN state that the police are using "Canine Dogs" in order to apprehend the suspect.

My question is; Is there any other type of dog than a canine?

ietech

RE: Redundant Statements

Canine means that the animal is a member of the Canidae family, which includes not only dogs, but wolves, jackals, foxes, and coyotes.

RE: Redundant Statements

Thanks Cajun ---I realize that, I was just trying to demonstrate another common redundancy. As far as I know all dogs are canines, thus the descriptive Canine is not necessary.

They could say, that the police are using canines (probably not good to use canine as they might be using a fox or wolf) to apprehend the suspect OR they are using dogs to apprehend him. The use of both terms isn't necessary and is redundant.

Thanks,

ietech



RE: Redundant Statements

I'm asked all the time if I can 'turn' the TV channel...or'turn it on/off. Who does that anymore?!

RE: Redundant Statements

It has been a long time since I have even looked for the on/off switch on the TV. Do they still install those?

RE: Redundant Statements

ietech: There are some dogs who are not canines. I won't elaborate however.

RE: Redundant Statements

Uhhh --- OH I think I get your drift. Cut that out.

RE: Redundant Statements

That's true ietech, and you're probably correct, it is redundant.  Perhaps the speaker was referring to a specific K-9 unit of a certain police department.  I don't know.  It's still redundant.

RE: Redundant Statements

Unless the K-9 department also has cats; in which case the sentance should have been "Dogs fom the K-9 department"
Don't laugh, the Moscow police had a cat especially good at finding smuggled caviar and were most upset when it was run over by a stolen car.

JMW
www.viscoanalyser.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources