where does the term pet peeve come from
Pet peeve The noun peeve, meaning an annoyance, is believed to have originated in the United States early in the twentieth century, derived by back-formation from the adjective peevish, meaning "ornery or ill-tempered", which dates from the late 14th-century.[1] The term pet peeve was introduced to a wide readership in the single-panel comic The Little Pet Peeve in the Chicago Tribune during the period 1916 - 1920. The Little Pet Peeve was created and drawn by Frank King,[2] who is more famous as the creator of the Gasoline Alley comic strip.[3] King's little pet peeves were humorous critiques of generally thoughtless behaviors. Some were particular to his time, such as people reading the titles in silent films out loud, or cracking an egg only to smell that it's gone rotten. Others seem current over a hundred years later, like backseat drivers, and rugs that are forever catching the bottom of the door and bunching up. King's readers submitted some of the little pet peeves, including: theater goers who unwrap candy in crinkly paper during a live performance, and (from a 12 year old boy) having his mother come in to sweep when he has the pieces of a building toy spread out on the floor.[4]