Enter your PIN number into the ATM machine

I hate when people talk about PIN numbers and ATM machines. Don’t they know what these things mean? You enter you PIN into the ATM. Adding “number” and “machine” are redundant.

PIN is short for Personal Identification Number. ATM is short for Automated Teller Machine. Most people know this, including those who add the redundancies to their dialog.

I won’t rule out the possibility of screwing up when I’m talking simply because I hear the mistake so often. I don’t want to make these mistakes, so please use proper terminology when dealing with me.

The bottom line is that people don’t seem to realize what they’re saying. Saying, “Enter your PIN number into the ATM machine” is like saying, “Enter your personal identification number number into the automated teller machine machine.” I hope you can understand how some people find that annoying.