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.
Shucks...I love the word random.
It's "language spread," making everything just a little bigger than it ought to be. "Whenever" instead of "when," "inside" instead of "in," "myself" instead of "me". It's as if we're all being paid by the pica!
Green is the new red (commies).
One bank not too long ago had English about #17 on the list after Tagalog. They were taken over and English is back to number one,
That is so gay!
It is a rare talent not to use two words when one will do.
Pedant bump.
I nominate “It’s all about...” and “Absolutely!”
Sheesh, you can’t even watch an episode of “This Old House” without someone constantly saying “Absolutely!”
A simple “Yes” would work most the time, but I guess it’s not flashy enough.
That’s so ghetto
You go girl
Bling bling
chillin
Exactly what I said about the suddenly paunchy Billy Mayes to my wife last week——————the new Ron Popeil-—except Mayes is not the ‘inventor’ Popeil is, or was, or pretends to be.
How about the discovery of a “cachet” of weapons in Iraq?
I had a composition teacher in high school who would hand papers back saying, “Great! Now cut the length in half, and don’t leave out anything important.”
LOL! Thanks for that. Whenever I hear that commentary I expect to see vacant eyes and encounter an IQ of less than 50.
One of the strenghts of the english language, especially American english, is that it is allowed to grow, and change.
Most of these words and phrases will in time fade away as they are no longer useful, but some will catch on, and a few will go on to become "standard" english.
The purpose of a language, any language, is to express ideas. As a picture can replace a thousand words, a "pop" phrase can convey deeper meaning as both the speaker and the listener understands what is meant.
Now haveing said that, I do not excuse the subsitution of an incorrect word for the proper word, this is just plain ignorant on the part of the speaker.
>>>Just pray that he never runs for political office!
<<<<
Just pray that he never runs for political office!
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