Pet peeve
A pet peeve is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to themself, to a greater degree than others may find.
Origins
Its first usage was around 1919.[1][2] The term is a back-formation from the 14th-century word peevish, meaning "ornery or ill-tempered".[1]
Pet peeves often involve specific behaviours of someone close, such as a spouse or significant other.[3] These behaviours may involve disrespect, manners, personal hygiene, relationships and family issues.[4]
A key aspect of a pet peeve is that it may well seem acceptable 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 be upset by messy desks of their subordinates.[5] To most people, these may seem minor annoyances, but not to the supervisor. That same supervisor may witness employees coming into work late and not feel any annoyance whatsoever.
References
- 1 2 Harper, Douglas. "peevish". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
- ↑ pet peeve – Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- ↑ Kowalski, Robin M. (2003). Complaining, Teasing, and Other Annoying Behaviors. Yale University Press.
- ↑ James, Leon. "Congressional Testimony on Road Rage".
- ↑ Green, Thad B., Jay T Knippen (1999). Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication. Quorum/Greenwood. pp. 34–37.