Courtesy of Richard Nordquist, my Language Maven (I was going to say "guru," but I haven't heard that term since '79!)
Some of the following words may last, others will mercifully fade away. Which ones irked the hell out of you? Any others not listed here?
http://grammar.about.com/b/2012/12/1...ff-in-2012.htm
Last edited by AuntShecky; 12-19-2012 at 04:27 PM.
- "Going off of" or "to go off of." I heard this way too often.
- "Swag," but not instead of "gift." I don't care when the word is used that way. I hate it when it's used to refer to something that's "cool" or stylish. Also "swagger" when it's used in the same way as "swag."
- "Utilize" makes me cringe.
- "The economy" or "the market," as if these things are self-operating agents. "The economy did this" or "the market is behaving poorly."
- "Society says" or, even worse, "society thinks" for the same reason as above.
- "That's just subjective."
- "Put it in quotes" referring to quotation marks.
- "Tax hike."
- "Awks" or even "awkward" as a universal descriptor for anything unpleasant.
- "I got some emails," as opposed to "I got email."
Self-impressed memes/catchphrases used by people who 99.9% of the time aren't living up to their own hype.
"Yeah, I said it" after saying something not at all daring.
"See what I did there?" when it's very obvious what you did there. Also, its passive-aggressively boastful little brother "I see what you did there", which is invariably used not to mean "Hey, that was clever of you", but rather "See how clever I am spotting how clever you are?"
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi
How is YOLO not on this list. I can't stand that.
Also, some of these seem strange. I have not come across a plethora of "amazing" (particularly out of context).
I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...
So, I've been noticing that a lot of people will answer a TV news interviewer's question with, "So, blah blah blah..."
So, has anybody else noticed this?
Uhhhh...
I once came across an editorial in my city newspaper that began with one sentence: "So." I didn't read the rest.
Everything nowadays is "curated." Aaargh! I say, no it's not, not unless it's in a museum.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka
The word EPIC and PLEB. You would not hear the last of them.
it may never try
but when it does it sigh
it is just that
good
it fly
Had to plug that one into the Google machine. A new one on me (Yours fooly must lead a sheltered life.)How is YOLO not on this list. I can't stand that.
"You only live once," huh? Tell that to Shirley MacLaine.
I noticed your use of "so." So--So, I've been noticing that a lot of people will answer a TV news interviewer's question with, "So, blah blah blah..."
So, has anybody else noticed this?
(Yours fooly's comment on the Nordquist webpage complains about "so" with a different, equally irritating use.)"I see what you did there", which is invariably used not to mean "Hey, that was clever of you", but rather "See how clever I am spotting how clever you are?"
I also agree with you on the "blah blah blah." It's not only a cliché, it's shows the speaker is too lazy to think up a concise way to summarize whatever it is he's talking about. Sometimes "blah blah blah" is an insult; I actually heard some so-called "news pundit" use the expression while quoting the person who happened to be sitting right in front of him!
A variation on "blah blah blah" originated from an episode of Seinfeld: "yada yada yada" ( not to be confused with Fred Flintstone's catch phrase.)
Maybe instead of "blah blah blah" we should just say, "and so and so and so."
Last edited by AuntShecky; 12-19-2012 at 04:29 PM.
Do you use "so and so" as a polite insult? You can also emphasise it with "he's a right so and so". It used to be used a lot in the UK. I think I heard it in the North more.Originally Posted by AuntShecky
HAIRCUT, when referring to writing off part of a debt.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine...
Yeah, besides "haircut," other financial catch phrases such as "kicking the can down the road," and "going over the fiscal cliff/curb/ bump." Speaking of the latter, I was waiting for somebody to make the gaffe, and yesterday I did hear it on TV: ". . .going over the physical cliff."
Speaking of which, yesterday I heard a "high-ranking official" (itself an irritating phrase) talk about "a 'Teutonic' shift in public opinion." Ach! Mein Gott!
Another phrase that gives me the shivers like the proverbial fingernail on the blackboard: "Is everybody on the same page?" The variant, "the same piece of music," is just as bad.
Booyay. What the hell is that? Seems to be a new expression. 'I was doing so well, nailing everything as I went along and I thought, booyay! I'm going to get this promotion.'
I'm not sure but I think the term can be used both positively and negatively. 'I was doing so well, nailing everything as I went along and then booyay! My boss fired me.'
Anyway, it makes me cringe.
Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb
Surely 'hater' or 'hating' should be on the list. Terms used by terrible musicians/actors/celebrities to evade genuine criticism. Maybe they're pre 2012 words.
Last edited by MementoMori; 12-21-2012 at 06:29 PM.
hater.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its' own reason for existing." ~ Albert Einstein
"Remember, no matter where you go, there you are." Buckaroo Bonzai "Some people say I done alright for a girl." Melanie Safka
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