Posted on 12/31/2007 8:13:17 AM PST by ricks_place
A "surge" of overused words and phrases formed a "perfect storm" of "post-9/11" cliches in 2007, according to a U.S. university's annual list of words and phrases that deserve to be banned.
Choosing from among 2,000 submissions, the public relations department at Michigan's Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie targeted 19 affronts to the English language in its well-known jab at the worlds of media, sports, advertising and politics.
The contributors gave first prize to the phrase "a perfect storm," saying it was numbingly applied to virtually any notable coincidence.
"Webinar" made the list as a tiresome non-word combining Web and seminar that a contributor said "belongs in the same school of non-thought that brought us e-anything and i-anything."
Similarly, the list-makers complained about the absurd comparisons commonly phrased "x is the new y," as in "(age) 70 is the new 50" or "chocolate is the new sex." "Fallacy is the new truth," commented one contributor.
Some words and phrases sagged under the weight of overuse, contributors said, citing the application of "organic" to everything from computer software to dog food.
In the same vein, decorators offering to add "pop" with a touch of color need new words, the list-makers said.
Such phrases as "post 9/11" and "surge" have also outlived their usefulness, they said. Surge emerged in reference to adding U.S. troops in Iraq but has come to explain the expansion of anything.
Other contributors took umbrage at the phrase to "give back" as applied to charitable gestures, usually by celebrities.
"The notion has arisen that as one's life progresses, one accumulates a sort of deficit balance with society which must be neutralized by charitable works or financial outlays," one said.
"Back in the day" raised hackles for being applied to recent trends rather than historical events.
Other teenage linguistic indiscretions such as the often meaningless use of "random" and "sweet" raised the ire of list-makers, as did the pointless "it is what it is."
Reporters were chided for skipping out on detail by describing an event or parting as "emotional," and for misapplying "decimate" when they mean annihilate or destroy, not the word's true meaning of to lose a fraction.
Sports announcers were urged to drop "throw under the bus" when assigning blame to a player. "It is a call for the media to start issuing a thesaurus to everyone in front of a camera," a contributor said.
And finally, any self-respecting writer would groan at being labeled a "wordsmith" who engages in "wordsmithing," the list-makers said.
I am tired of seeing news writers use “flaunt” when they mean “flout” , and “grizzly” for a murder or similar atrocity when a bear was neither the victim nor the perpetrator. Why is “grisly” so hard a word to get right? And do online cliches and stupidities count? If I could, I’d make the use of “prolly” for ‘probably’ a capital offense. I mean that. It isn’t cute or amusing and it’s been around so long I doubt it’s even trendy.
*old school*
Worst. Stylistic Device. Ever.
111 posted on 12/31/2007 9:09:42 AM PST
sorry, I was out to lunch
Above all, I would immediately ban all Democrats from using “Fight for you,” “Entrenched interests” and “Corporate greed.” Like nails on the blackboard (for those of you who actually remember what a blackboard is, of course).
not a word usage but it drives me up the wall to see people spell lose as loose......I see it everywhere online.
????
Why not the other way around?
Or do you mean that they're keeping his name out there?
My pet peeve phrase is “I have to be honest...”
Which of course implies that the rest of the time that person isn’t honest.
That and Paris Hilton who has such a limited vocabulary that she has to use the word hot to form a sentence.
They've been talking to Ben Jr. apparently.
Sad thing is I've come to understand them in context.
What's worse -- "sick" means "very good".
Reporters are the new idiots.
Oh, I am SO out of here now!
When you're paid by the word, or by the minute, you need filler. Two words take up twice as much time as one. Kinda like, "lather, rinse, repeat."
Howzabout “Oh No You Di-n’t”? Particularly when it’s accompanied with the head nod.
I hate this, too.
Let's not forget the insideous, "What's up ?" intead of , "Hi,or, How are you doing ?" .
Mercifully, this seems to be fading. I've certainly done my part in it's demise by answering, "The sky is up. Haven't you noticed ?".
“It rocks!”
“They rock!”
What the heck does “have a good one” mean?
One what?
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