Saturday, June 26, 2010

Ranting Stan's Irrational Hatred Of The Week: "Now only four nine nine"

I'm sure you've seen those adverts - usually for large electronic goods or furniture - where some breathless voice over actor tells us that the price of a television or sofa is now just "four nine nine".

Four nine nine what? Does he mean four hundred and ninety nine pounds? If so, why not say so?

Why has it become so hard to say numbers properly?

Almost as annoying is the habit of saying something is "now under five hundred pounds" when the sticker price is £499.99.

I hate it.

4 comments:

Furor Teutonicus said...

Those damn Yankee turds.

What the HEL is "911"?

What the FUCK, in the entirety of human HISTORY, has ever happened on the 9th of November? And November WHEN????

210 B.C? 1342A.D? Last bloody MONDAY?

Captain Haddock said...

Typically & totally irritating is the way in which they will insist on rendering, for example .. "One hundred and eighty" as "One hundred eighty" ...

I think it has to do with limited brain-span .. they have to get the words out .. before they forget them ..

Anonymous said...

Yeah, to fess up I've gotten really mad and not anytime soon over all of this?

TheFatBigot said...

When the absurdity was first used for cars I thought it made them sound more expensive.