Trivial things you nonetheless find pretentious

Pronouncing vase with the short vowel sound. I know someone with a mob style Long Island accent that does this.

Crossing 7s.

People who still say “best wishes” to women instead of “congratulations” at engagements and weddings because of the antiquated etiquette rule. Some people seem more concerned with showing their knowledge of the rules of etiquette and less concerned with the purpose of good manners (ensuring the comfort of other people). Miss Manners is always good on the topic of jettisoning old rules that don’t fit anymore.

[quote]Miss Manners is always good on the topic of jettisoning old rules that don’t fit anymore.

Funny, I was thinking of Miss Manners when R1 posted about the pronunciation of vase. In response to a Gentle Reader, she said that it's pronounced vawse when it's filled with dawsies.

Crossing 7's comes from computer programming back in the dark ages.