349: pet peeve Nov 22, 2015
Many
people have a pet cat, or a pet dog, but even more people have a pet
peeve. The second part of this word, 'peeve', is simply an informal
simplification of the word, 'peevish', but why is it a pet‽
Two separate senses of the word 'pet' reinforce the invented nounal form of 'peevish', one, an adjective, is used for denoting a thing about which one feels particularly strongly, and a second definition of 'pet' is "a fit of sulking or ill humor".
Two separate senses of the word 'pet' reinforce the invented nounal form of 'peevish', one, an adjective, is used for denoting a thing about which one feels particularly strongly, and a second definition of 'pet' is "a fit of sulking or ill humor".