Pets Yes; But Pet Peeves?
I was in a car with a friend recently, who when driving remarked, “It drives me nuts when people don’t use their blinker before turning. It’s kind of a pet peeve.”
Pet Peeves. We know what they are. We all have them.
But as she said the words, pet peeve, I wondered where the phrase came from and how oddly it sounded at the time. A peeve? What exactly is a peeve?
According to Merriam-Webster, peevish comes from the Middle English word meaning spiteful. Around the end of the 19th century, we began to use peeve as a verb. The noun (“a feeling or mood of resentment” and “a particular grievance or source of aggravation”) came soon after.
Used with peeve in this case, pet does not refer to Fido or Whiskers. The dictionary defines the adjective, pet, as devoting special attention to or a thing that one feels particularly strongly about.
Pet peeve ⇨ a strongly felt source of aggravation
It makes perfect sense to use that phrase, given the definition, even if it did sound odd at the time. My friend’s pet peeve had to do with driving norms - or the lack thereof. Driving in Boston traffic lends itself to a whole host of pet peeves, and they are likely different for everyone.
How about pet peeves at work? Like the person who microwaves their leftover fish in the public kitchen.
Pet peeves while walking? Maybe a group of people coming toward you taking up the entire sidewalk without caring that you need to get by.
Pet peeves at the gym? Pet peeves on the subway? There must be hundreds!
A quick search on the internet confirmed that is the case. Of the hundreds, here are those that seemed to be universal for most people.
Loud chewing noises - like smacking of gum or open-mouth chewing
Following a driver going well below the speed limit on a one lane road
Walking behind a person who is going super slow when you need to get somewhere fast
Being interrupted while you are speaking
When your boss gives you work at the end of the day
Who knew there were that many peeves out there? What are some of yours?