Last January 27, I wrote a list of words and phrases that drove me crazy. I should know how to make links, but I’m too lazy to figure it out tonight while my brain is on fire. Find it here, I think: http://www.pattjackson.com/2011/01/stop-saying-that
After careful review, I realize they still do make me crazy, though I hear them less and less. (Imagine the feeling of power!)
Anyhoo, I read Lake Superior State College’s list of words we should banish for 2012, and I agree with most of them, although I still think “occupy” is a viable word; I’ve never heard anyone say “trickeration,” and I don’t think “amazing” is quite as overused as the one that starts my list. Please stop saying these things immediately:
“Awesome.” This still tops my list of words that can make my brain hurt. Having soup for lunch is not awesome. Seeing snow or rain outside is not awesome. The second coming of Christ… That would be awesome. Save that word for then!
“Bucket List.” Probably cute for a movie title, but if there are things you want to do before you die, go do them. Don’t make movie titles a part of your daily speech. Use your brain and live longer.
“Push back (or push up) the date.” Maybe it’s just me, but I never understood that phrase. If you push back a meeting, doesn’t that mean you’ll meet in July instead of June? Or is it the other way around? It’s a confusing term. Let’s never use it again.
“No problem.” This is not an appropriate response to “Thank you,” though it’s a lot better than “whatever,” which is also dismissive and tends to stop you in your tracks. When someone says “Thank you,” the correct response is “You’re welcome.” We learned it as children. It still pertains!
“Nazi,” when applied to anything but an actual Nazi, is really a terrible word. Despite Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi, it is not humorous to call anyone a Nazi, and if you can’t figure out why, look up the historical meaning. Being strict about something doesn’t make you a Nazi.
“Beautiful inside and out.” When I hear this expression used to describe anyone, I cringe. I can only imagine body parts like livers, lungs, stomach linings and intestines. I don’t know what you look like inside, and frankly, I don’t want to. You may have a wonderful personality (and face to match) but what you look like inside is something I don’t want to know.
“Preheat oven,” which I may have used in some of my recipes, though it is a confusing phrase. Pre-heat it? Heat it before what? Heat it before you heat it? If you heat your oven to 350 degrees before you bake something, isn’t that a heated oven? Why would you pre-heat it? How would you pre-heat it? If you want to bake on Friday, do you pre-heat on Thursday? These are the questions that keep me up at night.
“Suck it.” It pains me to even write this one. “Suck” alone was bad enough, but we had to add the “it,” which makes it 20 times worse. I don’t care how many times we hear this on TV (sorry to note that “Modern Family” took the low road) but it’s just all wrong. Eeeewwwwww.
“Put a fork in me, I’m done.” Thank you, Judge Milian, and everyone else who thinks this is cute. We put forks in things to find out if they ARE done, not to indicate that they are done. Stop saying that. You (Judge M) already look like a nitwit for losing your temper at odd moments. Don’t add to it with unacceptable phrases.
So those are mine. I’m sure there are many more. I probably have a list somewhere, but my desk is piled high with other important notes that I’ll never be able to find when the time comes.Surely you must have a few. Let’s hear them!
A parting thought that reminds me of a door sign I saw as a child, and have never been able to forget:
“If you call when we’re not home,
Leave a note and we’ll atone.”
So leave a note and I’ll atone. Which reminds me… if you haven’t seen “Atonement,” see it.
But I digress.
Happy New Year!
I don’t understand “push back” and “push up”…it never seems to be pushed in the right direction. A peeve I have (and it’s a local one, but I’m sure others exist everywhere) is when I hear people consistenly refer to our local newspaper as “The Herald SUBstandard”. I don’t think anyone, anywhere is ever satisfied with little hometown newspapers. They always find something to complain about. But in any case, calling it the “substandard” once might be an ironic joke, but to consistently ask, “Didn’t you read it in the Substandard today?” is just boring. If it’s so substandard, then why do YOU read it?
Could we lose “. . . at the end of the day”
PLEASE?
I don’t think so. Every news person on radio and TV seems to love that one. They conclude everything with it. “At the end of the day, he’s still the President…” You wonder why they said anything before that, then. It’s kinda like “having said that,” or “as you know…”
Ugh.
Good selection of stuff we can omit. Was never too partial to MY BAD which sounds like some ad writer’s version of baby talk. Or TWENTY FOUR SEVEN, which might make sense as the name of a chain of convenience stores. Then there are the phrases so over used as to become just one-size-fits-all pejoratives; they are basically meaningless since anyone can use them to slam anyone else. The only thing usual about POLITICS AS USUAL is when it refers to the guy I don’t agree with (my personal politics being pretty darn selfless and. of course, highly UNusual I guess.)
Can you add one more? “I’m not gonna lie…” That one kills me! I never accused you of lying! Why are you saying that??!
Heather, that reminds me of “To be perfectly honest…” I always want to ask, “What were you being before?” So yeah, let’s get rid of the liars and the non-liars. Oh, wait… that’s everybody, isn’t it? Let me rethink.
Dave, I always hated (and never understood) “my bad,” too. It’s like “pushing the envelope.” I suppose it is relevant to some sport or occupation, but I’ve never understood either. And if I don’t understand them, then nobody should say them. I don’t wanna learn new stuff! (Especially if it’s stupid.)
How the heck do you pre-drill holes?
Bill, you just pre-heat the drill…
Actually, you just made me think of “pre-boarding the plane.” That sounds kind of scary, too. I’d rather just board the plane and be sure I’m on it.
“basically” and “literally” have to go on the over-used list,.
Rick,
I love when people say “Basically” to Judge Judy. It does my heart good.