Thread: Illogical American expressions?

I understand that language changes over time. I generally don't like it since it almost always involves a loss of precision or subtlety, but I realise that it is inevitable.

However, I have great difficulty understanding why Australians are so ready to adopt American expressions that simply don't make sense.

I generally accept that once I hear a phrase on the ABC, trying to pretend that it isn't a part of our language has become a lost cause.

Tonight I heard on the ABC news that someone was complaining that the government was offering five time less than their property was worth.

That expression is quite nonsensical. Lets assume the property is worth $1 million dollars. Five times $1 million is $5 million. So is the government offering $5 million less than $1 million? Are they asking the owner to pay them $4 million to take his property from him?

I hear that an item is two time cheaper if it comes from China. If it costs $10 and two times $10 is $20, does that mean the price is $20 less than $10? In other words you will be paid $10 the take the item.

You might argue that even though the expression is illogical, you know what is meant, but there is a perfectly good, logical, simpler expression that we used to use to convey the same meaning. We used to say that the government was offering one fifth of what the owner thought the property was worth. We used to say that the item made in China was half the price.

My grand child is not ten times younger than I am (as Americans would say). She is one tenth my age or I am ten times older than her.

Americans seem fond of illogical expressions. Australians indicate their lack of concern by saying, " I couldn't care less." Americans express the same attitude by saying, "I could care less." Once again, that is quit illogical.

If the language has to change, wouldn't it be better if it changed so that it still made sense?

Every night before going to bed, I extinguish the cat.