"I was like ..."

Serendipitous Sid

Serendipitous Sid

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Can anybody tell me when people first started saying that, and where they got the idea from?

Serious question, btw.
 
I have no idea but it reflects the inability of so many people to express themselves nowadays ... a particularly British phenomenon!
 
My Grandchildren started saying it when at secondary school, one has grown out of it now, but the other, now at uni, has come up with loads of others!
Must be the environment/peers/friends etc.
 
I always assumed it was just teenage trash talk from MTV and such, some young people actually need to say "like" about every 4 words. But then again I have been in pubs where blokes have stood in an open bar and said f*** about every 4 words as well, not sure which bores me the most.
 
"So, ..." is another thing that annoys me.
 
I'd wager it began life in the "Valley", San Fernando Valley Southern California. They also end sentences on an upward tone. Deeply annoying :lol:
It's just lazy speaking, along the same lines as "umm", and "you know" being sprinkled liberally throughout a sentence.
 
I blame the Kardashians. Even though it was about before them.
 
The Wiki page on it has a reference to one early usage - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like

I agree about the use of "So" to start a sentence.

On a slightly different tack, does anyone know when contestants on quiz/game shows started to applaud themselves? Many years ago someone who got an answer right might look pleased with themselves and was applauded by the audience and/or the other contestants but didn't applaud themselves. Now it is unusual to see a contestant not applaud themselves - looks odd to me.

Dave
 
Cheers chaps. For some reason I never thought to consult Wikipedia :oops: :$
 
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Didn't it become mainstream in the UK after the movie Clueless?
 
An American boy joined my older daughters school and she told us he would say "and I'm like, woah!" But my younger daughter who was quite small at the time, heard her and would say "I like woah!" that made us laugh. So she would repeat it as she saw it went down well.
 
Before that didn't they like used to say went ? As in "she went ... I went ...." Instead of "she was like .. " and so on.
 
My favourite:
He turned round and said
She turned round and said
He turned round and said
She turned round and said
He turned round and said
She turned round and said

At the end of which everyone is dizzy.
 
sphexx said:
Before that didn't they like used to say went ? As in "she went ... I went ...." Instead of "she was like .. " and so on.
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The variation that I hear here is "He goes blah blah" and "She goes blah".

It seems to be some continuation of nursery speak that they've never grown out of. "The dog goes woof. The cow goes moo. My friend goes . . . "
For some reason I find it even more irritating than 'like' :confused:
 
Unfortunately people use 'like' as a prefix for everything, not just speech but where someone was, what they were watching, wearing.......so it soon becomes every third word & drives me crazy!
 
I think people worry far to much about stuff that really shouldn't be taking up their time
 
Zoiks!!
 
This is from the Wiki page on 'Like' -

"A very early use of this locution can be seen in a New Yorker cartoon of 15 September 1928, in which two young ladies are discussing a man's workplace: "What's he got - an awfice?" "No, he's got like a loft." "

Dave
 
That's a different use than the, more recent, "I was like..." OP use. Meaning "I said.. " or "I thought.." or "I felt...".

"I was like 'no way!' ". And "I was like wow!"

You could try "I was givin' it wallop!"
 
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It's "End of!" at the end of a sentence to make a point of finalising a discussion, that seems over used and a cheap cliché. If used seriously.
 
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ianp5a said:
It's "end of!" at the end of a sentence to make a point of finalising a discussion that
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It just means they have run out of the ability to continue the discussion ... end of ..
:D
 
ianp5a said:
It's "End of!" at the end of a sentence to make a point of finalising a discussion, that seems over used and a cheap cliché. If used seriously.
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Cobra said:
It just means they have run out of the ability to continue the discussion ... end of ..
:D
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A favourite saying by my missus :eek:

I might show her this thread :)
 
ianp5a said:
that seems over used and a cheap cliché. If used seriously.
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Ah I didn't notice the edit after, I thought you were being ironic, ending it like that ( as per my quote) :D
jonbeeza said:
might show her this thread :)
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From the next room county is probably safest :D
 
Cobra said:
Ah I didn't notice the edit after, I thought you were being ironic, ending it like that ( as per my quote) :D

From the next room county is probably safest :D
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But there again, I do tend to get away with a lot :)
 
So, you're a happy bunch. LOL - Language evolves. Evolution is inevitable. end of!
 
Cobra said:
It just means they have run out of the ability to continue the discussion ... end of ..
:D
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at the end of the day when its all said and done and the chips are down..... f*** it all
 
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