#040 Redundant Denotations

Being specific is important. Being redundant while being specific is annoying.

I listen to my local newsradio station during my commute to and from work to listen for traffic updates. There is one newscaster on this station that drives me crazy when he reports the traffic because he uses the phrases "right-hand" and "left-hand" to denote which lane is blocked by a traffic tie-up. "There is an accident blocking the left-hand lane of southbound Hwy 1 at Hwy 2..." or "There's an ambulance blocking the right-hand lane of northbound Hwy 5 at Hwy 6...". Seriously, just leave out the "-hand".... RIGHT or LEFT is enough information!

Another one that irritates me is when people are describing the time of day. "Why are you calling me at 2 a.m. in the morning?" Uhhhh..... the fact that you said "a.m." is enough to let me know what you're talking about. And besides, I know what time I'm calling you. Plus, if you're one of those people that can't differentiate between 12:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., I'm probably not friends with you.

And while we're on the topic, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop calling it a "hot water heater". It's called a "water heater" because it MAKES the water "hot".