make it a good one

Pet peeve alert.

ps - where did that phrase come from? Pet peeve. Weird phrase, huh?

I've got to share one of my pet peeves and I apologize if you're one of these people - please know that I'm not judging you.

So what is the pet peeve? It's like nails on a chalkboard when I hear people say "Make it a good one!" with a face similar to this one and with a slight finger point.


Ok fine - Tom, true to nature, is perhaps over-exaggerating in this picture but you get the idea.

"Make it a good one!"

Gosh, why does it bug me so much? :) It really is silly that it is a pet peeve. I remember when my dear friend and I were discussing pet peeves and this one came up and suddenly, like an epiphany, I thought - oh yeah, that is kind of annoying, isn't it?

"Make it a good one!"

And then I heard it all the time (of course) and usually directed at perfectly innocent strangers. It found me in hallways, elevators, gas stations and the post office. The phrase was out to get me.

"Make it a good one!"

And all I can usually think of are smart ass replies such as:
- Hello, do I know you?
- I am, can't you tell already?
- Make it a better one
- You're being too positive, stop it
And of course my all time favorite response:
- No.

"Make it a good one!"

And usually the deliverer of such greeting is just trying to be nice. Just friendly. Just happy dandy. It's all well-intended and innocent but for some reason it drives me batty.

batty!

So I just looked up where the term pet peeve comes from. Courtesy of Wikipedia:

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"

Ill-tempered. Hmm.

(silence)

Wait. Am I the one being ornery and ill-tempered?

(silence)

I don't like that. I don't want to be the grumpy one. Gosh, but I still really don't like...

"Make it a good one!"

Gargh!!