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.
dittoes
Press 1 for English.
I nominate “meltdown.”
For purposes of brevity, I'll stay away from GW commentary.
"Dialogue" and "Conversations" are my business buzzword petpeeves. As in "Currently, we're having conversations about buzzwords. Later, I'll dialogue with some other people about them."
Irks me to no end.
While I'm at it, I'd be glad to dispose of the word "Headcount". As in "Yo, looks like you lost some headcount when half of your department quit!" Grrrrrr....
“lawyer up”
“outsource”
“I support the troops” has become utterly meaningless.
How about all the football teams that are going to be “physical”?
I have a teenager and this is like finger nails on a chalk board to me.
That’s just wrong. More than over-used.
"Robust" for strong. "Going forward" for "in the future." "Ongoing" for "going on," as in "negotiations are ongoing".
The word ‘thwart’ got it’s fair share of overuse this past year. SHortly after Chertoff used it when describing the derailed plot to hijack airliners out of London, not a day went by when I didn’t read an article using that word.
Writers need a thesaurus.
“Sooner rather than later”. Seven syllables that, if they mean anything at all, mean the same as the one syllable “soon”.
"Back in the day"
You have no idea how much I despise these two. Arrrghhh.
"The Bottom line"
"In point of fact"
"When all is said and done"
"When you get right down to it"
How about “conversate”. Needs to go IMO.
This topic is sooooo 1990s. These folks need to get a life. Here’s quarter, call someone who cares.
(Did I get them all?)
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