Sunday, September 05, 2010

Canadian hyperbole

Several times since I got back this summer, I was surprised at the use of English in Canada.

In Vancouver, High Occupancy Vehicle lanes continue to be developed.

"HIGH OCCUPANCY" = 2 people.

TWO PEOPLE???? Most cars have seats for at least four, so how does TWO equal high occupancy. Now admittedly, two people in a car that used to have only one is one less car off the road; however, two is NOT high occupancy.
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At my bank, I was encouraged to put money in a high interest e-savings account. The person encouraging me to do this really seemed excited. How much is HIGH interest you might ask? ONE PERCENT!!! 1%. One percent is certainly better than nothing, but I don't see how anyone can say that 1% is HIGH. When they charge you 4% to borrow, shouldn't that then be called an incredibly high interest rate? No, in fact, they are lending you the money at the low rate of 4%.

I think the word "high" should be banned from use until we come to our senses.

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