I have them. You have them. EVERYBODY has them. Irritations and annoyances. Things that bug and aggravate us. Infuriating and exasperating feelings ignited. Something that gets under our skin, gets us riled. Dander rises. BP, too. Typically minor things, yet they can MAJORLY provoke us. They may be uniquely yours or commonly shared by many. Either way, we get peeved!
“Peevish”…..easily irritated, especially by unimportant things. “Pet”…..favorite, as in pet project, pet topic or even teacher’s pet. Combined together, they mean the favorite thing that upsets us. It’s the action, event or comment that truly gets our goat, makes us hit the ceiling, drives us up the wall or seriously rubs us the wrong way.
Pet peeve. Here’s one of mine that is fairly tame: toilet paper roll put on backwards. No biggie, right? Yet it rankles me to the point that I am COMPELLED to turn the roll around! There’s a 50% chance a new roll of TP will be installed with the new sheets BEHIND the roll. How difficult is it to get the NEW sheets in the FRONT of the roll? The odds are better for proper roll replacement than for winning rock-paper-scissors, yet it still is an annoyance I would like to wipe out.
Here’s another PP of mine: cell phone talkers in public places. LOUD talkers. Restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, etc. Could be anywhere, really, including church. Hard to ignore them, even when trying hard to block them out. Is this one of yours? They are typically having conversations we do NOT want to hear, especially through their speaker phone! TMI!!! Who cares what Tiffany thinks about Morgan, from what medical ailment the noisy talker suffers or when Jimmy is going to get his act together? Makes me want to go stand right next to them, start asking them questions. NOT interested in their call. Hardly! Interested, however, in making a point: along with everyone within earshot, I DON’T care to hear their inane blabbering! Hmmmmm…..if I WERE to do that….would I, then, become THEIR pet peeve?
How about this one: in my car, leaving a parking lot, need to make a turn out into the traffic flow. Waiting for the last car to drive past me to make my move. It is approaching at a slower than normal speed. Then, at the last minute, turns INTO the driveway RIGHT NEXT to me, WITHOUT USING THEIR TURN INDICATOR!! This is one that gets me hot under the collar, especially when I am in a hurry! Almost always, the traffic requires I wait and wait and wait some more for another sufficient opening to safely make my turn. USE YOUR SIGNAL!
Pet peeves can stem from bad manners or habits. They may originate from fashion trends or the latest jargon. Cultural differences and environmental factors may also contribute to people being peeved. No matter the root cause, pet peeves are an annoyance we can ALL do without.
Any of these ring a bell or make your list: People talking with food in their mouth, individuals eating off your plate (with or without asking, often before you have a chance to answer them), people not covering their mouth when they cough or sneeze, those who talk incessantly during a movie, someone with very strong body odor, noisy gum chewers or screaming toddlers while their parents are right there acting like they don’t even hear them? (Are these the same kids that grow up to be loud cell phone talkers?).
Or these: people who bite their nails in public, those that “drum” their fingers on the table, slow drivers in the fast lane, baggy, saggy pants, loud whistlers, tailgaters (especially when going, or exceeding, the speed limit and the adjacent lane is wide open), shopping cart in the parking spot you want, non-flushers and non-hand-washers in the restroom, people that miss the trash can and walk away leaving it on the ground, people who are habitually late to anything & everything (rude!) and beings that INVADE your personal space?
How about: people who cut in line, the billowy cloud of e-vapor smoke, people who squeeze past you when you are in line without saying “excuse me” (nor do they look at you), humans who do NOT pick-up their dog’s “deposit”, the improper use of “me” or “I”, (particularly by those who speak for a living), interrupters, squeaky windows or doors, mortals who take up two parking spots, too many commercials on the radio or TV or folks who INSIST on conversing with you while you are reading or listening to music. (“Hello! You see my earbuds!?”)
Now….I DO realize that I am both a peevee AND a peever. I get annoyed by others…..and sometimes I do the annoying. I’ll wager, however, that, by a long shot, I get peeved by others more frequently than I peeve others. At least I am HOPING that is the case! I also realize there are far more important things than peeviness over which to be concerned, such as war and suffering, homelessness and poverty and a cure for cancer, to name a few. Hence, I am NOT pushing for any politician to propose public policy to prevent pet peeves.
This list only scratches the surface into the world of pet peeves, right? This in no way completely comprises MY entire list. Not even close! My list is actually alive and growing, weekly! You probably have your own list with a hundred different peeves or more. Maybe you are just NOW realizing you even HAVE a list of pet peeves. Some of you may grab pen & paper and feverishly jot down your peeves after reading this.
I am thinking about getting a dog and naming it “Peeve”. Then I will initiate conversations with friends and co-workers about this topic. I’ll assert that anything and everything can be a pet peeve, and ask for their verbal top ten list. When anyone asks me if I have a pet peeve, all I will say is, “Yes. A lovable golden retriever!” Can’t wait to see their puzzled reaction! Ah…..finding the silver lining in peevage. Ohhhhh, wait!! Smart aleck answers! A NEW one for my list!