David Mahoney, of Westford, declared: “I’m about to revert to a previous model on my iPhone as a result of the newest model decreased the scale of the keys such that I’m now making twice as many typing errors.
“I’ve spent my profession in laptop know-how,” he went on, “and within the early days, dialogue of know-how was once known as technobabble. I recommend we replace that time period and name these ‘enhancements’ technoscrabble: Finish customers discover it unattainable to piece ‘options’ collectively to supply a helpful end result.”
And Jerry Baum, of Burlington, had this to say: “After I was within the workforce and an IT particular person would inform me a software program improve/replace was going to be put in, my cynical response was that each improve is definitely a downgrade. With that in thoughts, for the present week’s phrase problem I’d like to supply upside-downgrade.”
Readers who didn’t report working in tech aren’t any strangers to this downside both. Marc McGarry, of Newton, proposed upgrate, “replace + grate (in your nerves)” and apphazard, “app + haphazard,” including “I notice the truth that hazard additionally means one thing dangerous is an issue right here.”
Nicely, no, Marc. Neither I nor Naomi Angoff Chedd, of Brookline, suppose the hazard connotation is an issue in any respect. Naomi wrote: “You imply these updates carried out by the technowrecking crew? Then it takes twice as lengthy to seek out the whole lot you had at your fingertips yesterday? After I reluctantly agreed to a type of ‘useful’ updates, my cellphone promptly displayed my schedule. For 2023. That is progress? Arrest them for breaking and coming into!”
Larry Kerpelman, of Acton, felt equally, writing: “That app replace that turns the whole lot upsy-daisy in your laptop with no discernible profit might be known as an upsetdatey or an oopsadatey and even an oppositedatey.”
Jim Dexter, of Methuen, proposed app-sy-daisy.
When you don’t know what the World Struggle II-era acronym snafu stands for, the variant that Susan Rose, of Waltham, got here up with will provide you with a touch. She wrote: “I loath updates over which I’ve no management or discretion — or perhaps a vote. I’d describe this as a snappfu, as a result of when these updates occur, the State of affairs is certainly Regular, as a result of my APP is all [Expletive] Up.”
Christopher Osborne, of Cambridge, is one more replace hater. “OMG: That is within the high 10 of my pet peeves,” he wrote. “How did the designers at Gmail not know that altering a operate activated by one click on to at least one requiring two clicks didn’t make it ‘simpler’? Why did One Password determine to not put my registered bank card into the tab ‘Account’ however someplace so illogical that I by no means keep in mind the place it’s? Nonintuitive enhancements is likely to be known as nonintuitivimprovements, or since these items are not often an enchancment, they might be disimprovements.”
I had thought disimprovement was coined within the tech period and subsequently was notably apposite, however the Oxford English Dictionary disabused me by presenting citations for it from as way back as 1649. Come to consider it, haven’t disimprovements of 1 form or one other been occurring eternally?
Leslie Mitchell, of Plymouth, wrote: “Unsure if our ideas must be made-up phrases, however enshittification appears very acceptable!” This one truly was coined, or a minimum of popularized, within the tech period.
Merriam-Webster has the phrase on its “slang and trending” record, the place it’s outlined like this: “when a digital platform is made worse for customers, as a way to enhance income.” A 2022 weblog publish by the Canadian author Cory Doctorow is regarded as the phrase’s first public look.
Ken Pogran, of Lexington, instructed disrupdate, which he outlined as follows: “a software program replace that trashes the applying surroundings you’ve so fastidiously arrange and are used to, making it onerous to get something finished utilizing the app till you’ve found out all of the modifications in performance and so forth and have gotten all of it straightened out and arrange correctly once more.”
Sure! This one is straightforward to know and to pronounce, nobody will discover it vulgar, and it describes precisely what we’re searching for. Ken Pogran wins bragging rights – nicely finished, Ken!
Now Larry Maver, of Gloucester, writes: “Pickleball’s Achilles’ heel is the fixed noise from the onerous Wiffle-like ball bouncing off the onerous paddles, to not point out the groans and screams of the gamers. For some time now, I’ve described the game’s noise downside as very ‘annoising.’ Thought maybe you’d wish to have a problem to explain dwelling subsequent to pickleball courts.”
Maybe I’d! Ship your concepts for Larry’s phrase to me at Barbara.Wallraff@globe.com by midday on Friday, Might 22, and kindly inform me the place you reside. Responses could also be edited. And please take into account that meanings looking for phrases are all the time welcome.