"AT THE END OF THE DAY" named most irritating cliche

Associated Press ^ | 3/24/2004

[sinkspur]

LONDON - At the end of the day, it's the most irritating cliche in the English language.

So says the Plain English Campaign which said the abused and overused phrase was first in a poll of most annoying cliches.

Second place went to "at this moment in time," and third to the constant use of "like," as if it were a form of punctuation. "With all due respect" came fourth.

"When readers or listeners come across these tired expressions, they start tuning out and completely miss the message -- assuming there is one," said Plain English Campaign spokesman John Lister.

"Using these terms in daily business is about as professional as wearing a novelty tie or having a wacky ring-tone on your phone."

Lister said people should follow the 1946 advice of writer George Orwell: "Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print."

The Plain English Campaign, which offers annual awards for good use of the language, surveyed its 5,000 supporters in more than 70 countries for the poll.

Other terms that received multiple nominations included: 24/7; absolutely; address the issue; around (in place of about); awesome; ballpark figure; basically; basis ("on a weekly basis" in place of "weekly" and so on); bear with me; between a rock and a hard place; bottom line; crack troops; glass half full (or half empty); I hear what you're saying; in terms of; it's not rocket science; literally; move the goal-posts; ongoing; prioritize; pushing the envelope; singing from the same hymn sheet; the fact of the matter is; thinking outside the box; to be honest/to be honest with you/to be perfectly honest and touch base.

Formed in 1979, the Plain English Campaign is an independent group that campaigns against cliches, jargon and obfuscation, particularly in official and public documents.

[SedVictaCatoni]

I nominate "the children", in all their "for the" and "won't somebody please think of" variants.

[sinkspur]

Along with "like," I nominate "And he goes..."

Actually, he says, but sportscasters like Phil Simms use this teenism CONSTANTLY!

[al_c]

And let's not forget the latest to come out of our own country shortly after the attacks on 9/11 ... "make no mistake ..." How many times has that been used since GWB said it?

[Old Sarge]

Am I annoyed by speakers who answer their own questions? Yes.

Is it an attempt to think for other people? Of course it is.

Is it straight out of George Orwell's "1984"? You betcha.

Would I personally like to hunt down and bitchslap anyone who commits this obscenity against the language? Abso-damn-lutely!

[forward]

"Peel back the onion" makes me cringe.

[KneelBeforeZod]

"AT THE END OF THE DAY" named most irritating cliche I blame Les Miserables the musical.

[clintonh8r]

"I would like to thank...."

[martin_fierro]

My pet peeves:

• Speakers who gratuitously throw in "...if you will," as if they're coining a new phrase - when they're not. "It was, if you will, rainy today."
• Overuse of "Unfortunately," especially when fortune is NOT INVOLVED. E.g.: "Unfortunately, the delivery won't arrive today because my driver is too lazy to look up your address."

[rabidralph]

At this point in time, you appear to be correct.

[Drawsing]

If you removed these catch phrases from the typical managerial type I work with here in corporate america, he/she would be forced into silence. The sad thing is, people feel they are "hip" and "with-it" when they lapse into this lazy-brain speech.

But, at the end of the day all of this is neither here nor there if you know what I mean.

[clintonh8r]

Most incorrectly used (including on FR): "That begs the question..."

[Hank Rearden]

"At this particular point in time" - always uttered by a government moron.

[onyx]

"mistakes were made"

"let's move on"

[ActionNewsBill]

Tips For Writing Good

Avoid alliteration. Always.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
One should never generalize.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
Don't be redundant; don't more use words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
Profanity sucks.
Be more or less specific.
Understatement is always best.
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
One-word sentences? Eliminate.
Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
Who needs rhetorical questions?

[Igraine]

"Uhm . . . you know what?" Use especially before delivering a criticism.

[Codeflier]

At the end of the day, I think people need to lighten up. The fact of the matter is that these cliche's are just common language used to make others feel comfortable and more at ease. To tell the truth, most psychological studies of social interaction back this up. Let us not forget that there are many more important topics about which to worry.

[TonyInOhio]

At the end of the day, it's the most irritating cliche in the English language.

Not even close. The most irritating cliche' is the phrase the media uses to slant any story involving the President:

"Some say..." or, its close cousin, "Many Say..."

Here's an example headline from the AP:

Some say Cheney could hinder Bush

This clever little trick allows lazy journalists to slant the story to fit their view without actually citing a source. Watch the media for a few days and you'll notice the widespread use of this devious device.

[clintonh8r]

An idiot will always use nine syllables when one will do.

[thepatriot1]

The one the irritates me the most is when people say I could care less. It's not so much the saying that annoys me, it's the fact that 95% of the time it is said incorrectly. The phrase is I couldn't care less. If you could care less, it means you harbor some level of caring about a given subject matter. If you couldn't care less, it means that there is no room to care any less than you already do; hence, you are already at the lowest possible caring factor.

[Igraine]

sorry, "used especially"