pet peeve

A pet peeve (or pet hate) is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find it. Examples may be; poor table manners, sloppy kitchen hygiene, smoking, grammatical errors in written passages, inconsiderate driving or lazy co-workers.

Origin

The term originated from the word 'peeve'. Its first usage was in 1919.^[1][2] The term is a back-formation from the 14th-century word 'peevish,' meaning ornery or ill-tempered.^[1]

Description

Pet peeves often involve specific behaviors of someone close, such as a spouse or significant other.^[3] These behaviors may involve disrespect, manners, personal hygiene, relationships, and family issues.^[4] Road rage itself is considered a pet peeve by many. Other driving-related pet peeves include drivers who speed up to keep others from changing lanes (Gap Snatchers), or distracted drivers talking on cell phones (Motor Mouths). Often a pet peeve will seem illogical to others. For example, a supervisor may have a pet peeve about people leaving the lid on the copier up and react angrily, be annoyed when others interrupt when speaking, or by messy desks of their subordinates.^[5] That same supervisor may witness employees coming into work late, and not feel any annoyance whatsoever.

References

External links

• Word Detective origins of Pet Peeve
• Take Our Word For It Issue 138