Words and usages I am sick and tired of

[cyclonefence]

1. Sick and tired

2. Each and every, when "each" will do, which is imo all the time

3. "Simplistic," "enormity," and "toothsome" when what is meant is simple, enormousness, and delicious. These words do not mean what many people believe they mean. We've already lose "eke;" let's not let the barbarians take over any more useful words.

4. "I just couldn't bring myself to vote for Hillary." Self-explanatory.

5. There's another word like simplistic that I can't recall right now due to senility. ETA "Noisome" when what is meant is really loud.

Are you sick and tired of any words or usages? Can we compile a dictionary or grammar guide (like that hasn't been done already, and look how much that has helped)?

[Mister Ed]

1. "Needless to say..."

If it's needless to say, why are we saying it?

[cyclonefence]

3. Exactly

"to make a long story short" Yeah. Right.

[progressoid]

30. I have a client that uses "long story short" way too often.

Drives me nuts.

[cyclonefence]

33. "Oh, why don't you just tell me the long story?"

[smirkymonkey]

125. Ugh! Just get to the point already!

[brush]

135. The phrase "...things of that nature" is an irritant to me.

[Mister Ed]

2. Using "literally" to mean "not literally".

[cyclonefence]

4. Come sit by me.

[lastlib]

139. Hopefully, someday, people will learn how to begin sentences without the word "Hopefully"!

[cyclonefence]

148. I think hopefully that misuse of "hopefully" is finally on the decline

But then I always was a dreamer.

[murielm99]

154. "Awesome" is almost as bad.

I think it is overused. Few things are awesome. Singers are not awesome. Fashion choices are not awesome.

If trite, silly things inspire awe, then the inspired person needs to get out more.

[SCantiGOP]

186. Worse than those is something I see a LOT in DU thread titles:

Starting a post with: "So, etc etc" as in "So, when will Trump...."
A real pet peeve of mine.

Also hate to see the non-info titles, such as "Boom!" or "I'm just going to leave this right here."

[First Speaker]

5. "meme"

...the word is meaningless. It says nothing that "idea" doesn't. Reeks of pomposity and self-importance. To Semantic Hell with it!

[cyclonefence]

15. My husband asked me what a "meme" was,

and I had no answer. It's a picture, right?

[progressoid]

34. You can thank evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins for "meme."

From his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene:

We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. ‘Mimeme’ comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like ‘gene’. I hope my classicist friends will forgive me if I abbreviate mimeme to meme. If it is any consolation, it could alternatively be thought of as being related to ‘memory’, or to the French word même. It should be pronounced to rhyme with ‘cream’.

Dawkins was hoping that the word would be used as a unit of human cultural transmission, such as a melody, fashion, or catch-phrase, with the idea evolving as it spreads and time passes. This evolution is primarily spurred by the fact that people refine the memes or simply don’t “copy” the information exactly when they transmit it to another human.

[leftieNanner]

6. "Could care less"

Instead of "Could NOT care less"

Drive me crazy.

Also "Me and Steve are going to the movies" instead of "Steve and I are going to the movies."

[cyclonefence]

10. Grooaaaannnn

I forgot about "could care less." My father, a newspaper editor, couldn't help himself. Any time (*not* "anytime" dammit) someone used this phrase in his presence, he was compelled to make the person understand that what was said was exactly the opposite of what was meant. People avoided my father at cocktail parties.

I wonder if this careless use of words that mean the opposite of what the speaker (or writer, more's the pity) (add "more's the pity" to my cringe list) is how we got to pairings like "cleave" and "let," both of which have two meanings which are the opposite of each other.

[Evergreen Emerald]

91. Butt Naked--

It is "buck naked." Like the white ass bucks.

[Midnightwalk]

171. Yeah but butt nekid is too good not to use

I had a friend who left us know he liked a movie because it had plenty of nekidtivity in it. It slipped out and he knew how wrong that was, but we all laughed at how well it fit.

You know the saying:

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend”

[SCantiGOP]

187. A great humorist that wrote for the Atlanta Journal back in the 80s and early 90s

explained the two terms: "Naked means you ain't got no clothes on. Nekkid means you ain't got no clothes on and you're fixin' to do something."

Unfortunately, he drank, smoke and partied himself to death before he was 50. Survived about 4 heart attacks and didn't really change his behavior until one of them got him.

[spooky3]

109. Or "The clerk gave Steve and I our tickets." Nt

[wnylib]

174. Corallary: between you and I

[sammythecat]

163. Wholeheartedly agree about "could care less"

It seems we're on the losing side here. It's rare now that I see "couldn't care less". Isn't the difference just fucking obvious!? I mean, what the hell, how do people miss this? Weren't words and language a big evolutionary advance? Are we going back to using grunts and sounds to communicate?

[handmade34]

7. I grew up

with an abusive mother that used idioms all the time... I hate them all

[cyclonefence]

16. Not to be flip

but growing up with a parent who used such phrases all the time constitutes its own form of abuse. But to have a genuinely abusive parent who did this is intolerable. I'm sorry.

[handmade34]

25. I appreciate the humor

[Srkdqltr]

8. Saying now at the end of "any day now"

Or at the end of any phrase.
Also, on a daily (weekly etc.) basis. Do we need the word basis there?
A woman I worked with would say "also too"

[cyclonefence]

12. How about "still yet"?

I think "basis" is an innocent bystander (but let's add "innocent bystander&quot .

[tblue37]

59. "At the end of the day"--nt

[CloudWatcher]

172. +1 "At the end of the day"

Yes! It seems to be a favorite of the most clueless of pundits.

[Lefta Dissenter]

129. "Also, too and furthermore..."

That’s actually a family favorite. 😆 Of course, my sister and I can be a little goofy.

[MANative]

9. "Gift" as a verb. Ugh. nt

[cyclonefence]

13. Oh, there's a spreading insanity for making verbs

out of innocent little nouns. Makes one want to cry, or throw up.

[MANative]

17. Yup. Annoying!!

[Mister Ed]

24. And, conversely, using verbs as nouns!

Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2020, 02:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Here in my office, "ask" is now a noun. My manager will say, "My ask to the team is...".

I gather that's commonplace in corporate America now. I don't know why "request" wouldn't do.

[cyclonefence]

35. "My ask to the team is...".

Oh my god. No jury in the country would convict you. If you... you know...

[yonder]

60. I'll say it: Pooped in his shoe?

[Mme. Defarge]

20. Agreed on the verb thing, although I've rather taken to

“criming”, especially as applied to Giuliani.

I also hate “hate” used as a noun.

[Mister Ed]

26. Thank you! "Hate" is a verb! "Hatred" is a noun. n/t

[cyclonefence]

37. Criminals gotta crime.

[Cornus]

130. Gift can be used as a verb

verb
give (something) as a gift, especially formally or as a donation or bequest.
"the company gifted 2,999 shares to a charity"

[CatMor]

11. Mine are recent ....

surge, surges or surging.

[cyclonefence]

14. Fortunately

"unpacked" seems to be on its deathbed.

[yonder]

69. On its deathbed, where it belongs along with "touch base"

I hope.

[cyclonefence]

70. And the third Stooge,

"baked in."

[northoftheborder]

18. Beginning ANY sentence with "So,.... and some people pronounce it "Sho,......

[cyclonefence]

21. Yes!

I hate this especially since I find myself doing it. Insidious.

[SCantiGOP]

19. And for post titles:

——I’m just going to leave this right here

——This

I never read a post that use these hackneyed devices as titles.

[cyclonefence]

22. And I certainly would never reply to one

[Phentex]

79. What about silent threads?

Wouldn’t they be silent if they weren’t posted at all?

People respond with a period or emoji and then someone posts an entire sentence and ruins it. What’s the point?

[cyclonefence]

99. I've never clicked on a silent thread

Are they just empty reply posts?

[wnylib]

175. They are used as a message board form

of a moment of silence to honor someone who has died.

[llmart]

97. Or "BOOM"

That's the best subject line they could find?

[3catwoman3]

23. "Impactful" makes me grit my teeth.

What is wrong with good old “influential?”

And I am hearing more and more people make a possessive out of “I.” Mary and I’s vacation, or other such atrocities.

[mr_lebowski]

43. That comes from a lifetime of being chided for using 'me' instead of 'I' ...

People grow up to reflexively try to use 'I' even when 'me' or 'my' is actually proper.

There ARE an awful lot of rules in English

[cyclonefence]

48. Some folks feel instinctively that "me" is incorrect,

but don't want to sound hoity-toity and use "I", so they use "myself." "The wife and myself certainly appreciate your putting up the bail money." And it's *your* because "putting" is a gerund, a legitimate use of a verb form as a noun (I'm going to gerund the shit out of this sentence) (sorry, I'm a little drunk already).

Or "Thank you for putting up the bail money for my wife and myself."

One excellent English teacher is all it takes, someone who will teach you to diagram sentences until you can do it asleep with one leg tied to a chair. Miss Ada Thompson (RIP) in the eighth grade was such a teacher. I remember one test she gave us began with "Diagram this sentence: 'They named the baby Elmer.'"

There are a lot of rules, but many errors can be avoided by not trying to sound smart or elegant. Say what you mean without putting on airs, and you'll probably be fine. And don't use words and phrases you don't understand, like "begs the question."

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

27. I nominate signage

[cyclonefence]

38. And where did "reportage" come from?

[The Blue Flower]

28. Noisome doesn't mean what you think it means

From the American Heritage Dictionary:
1. Offensive to the point of arousing disgust; foul: a noisome odor.
2. Harmful or dangerous: noisome fumes.

[Middle English noiesom : noie, harm (short for anoi, annoyance, from Old French, from anoier, to annoy; see ANNOY) + -som, adj. suff.; see –SOME1.]

noisome·ly adv.
noisome·ness n.

Usage Note: People sometimes assume that noisome means "noisy," because the two words sound similar. But in our 2011 survey, 89% of the Usage Panel found the sentence We could barely hear each other with the noisome helicopter overhead to be unacceptable. If you use noisome as a synonym for noisy, there's a good chance that others will misinterpret your words and think you're describing someone or something as being offensive or harmful.

[mr_lebowski]

29. People who use 'anymore' like a synonym of 'nowadays' instead of the proper synonym which is

'any longer'.

Correct Usage:
"We don't go the beach for vacation anymore, we go to the lake".

Incorrect Usage:
"Anymore we go the lake for vacation instead of the beach"

And YES, people use it that way ... OFTEN. Freaking bugs me.

Also, overuse of the word 'ironic' when the proper word for what they're trying to express is actually 'paradoxical'

Lastly ... '(such and such) begs the question'.

It's always used wrong.

[cyclonefence]

39. "Begs the question"

Not too long ago a DUer explained how to use this phrase, and why it doesn't mean what we think it means. I could not follow or understand, so I simply stopped using the expression. You don't have to be a shoemaker to know when your shoes don't fit, after all.

[mr_lebowski]

41. Here's a good explanation ...

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/reference/examples/begging-the-question-fallacy-examples.html

[cyclonefence]

44. Thank you

"The proof of the pudding" drives me nuts. The word "proof" is used here as "test," as in photographic proofs. The phrase is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," but people use it to mean that something has been proven true.

I will try to digest "begs" but in the meantime the phrase is dead to me.

[mr_lebowski]

47. You don't have to understand the definition of 'begs', just that the phrase 'begging the question'

Has a long-ago-determined meaning as a term of art, and that is definitely NOT ... how it's being commonly used now

[cyclonefence]

49. Well, yeah

I was employing that oratorical device whose name I can't remember, using part to stand for the whole. But you knew that.

[mr_lebowski]

52. Ah ... well it's immaterial really ... we're on the same page :)

[cyclonefence]

54. synecdoche

[mr_lebowski]

55. Good Word!

[tblue37]

61. Synechdoche. nt

[Hermit-The-Prog]

31. irregardless

[cyclonefence]

40. Grandpappy of them all

and a battle we've all but lost. It's called "nonstandard usage," and you know what that means.

[LisaM]

32. "That's fair".

This seems to have crept into usage, and it's not only overused, people use it to say, "l don't agree with you, so let's blow past your point and not discuss it".

[cyclonefence]

45. Yeah--if it's "fair,"

i.e., a good point, why won't you argue about it with me, or confess that I'm right? Weaselly.

[Croney]

36. Someone feels badly, when they mean bad.

"He went with Joe and I."

I hate "invite" used as a noun. And "impact" used as a verb.

"Very unique."

[cyclonefence]

42. Yes yes yes yes

When someone feels badly, I assume they've (I've surrendered on pronouns, largely thanks to my transgendered nephew) lost their fingers in an industrial accident.

[Phentex]

46. Bro, bru, stan, hot minute...

[cyclonefence]

51. Man, you must be really *old*...

Me too.

And there are lots of phrases that come from movies or TV shows I've never seen, like "all right Felicia" that just confuse me.

[Alpeduez21]

92. It's "bye, Felicia"

From the movie Friday. OK, Boomer?

[cyclonefence]

100. I rest my case, your honor.

[Phentex]

116. I love this thread!

[spooky3]

106. I "reached out to her" rather than "I called her." Nt

[defacto7]

50. What's the name of that has been Governor of Alaska?

Forgot her name.

She used to say, "American is an evolving language".

oh god...

[cyclonefence]

53. I know who you mean,

but I didn't think she believed in evolution.

[defacto7]

57. It all depends on the inherent simplicity

of the mental alertableness posed by said person in question. Uh, you know what I mean.

[yonder]

65. I'll spill: Parasailin'

[tblue37]

56. "Each and every" is a pet peeve for me, as is "on a daily basis" rather than just "daily." nt

[cyclonefence]

63. Are you old enough to still get hives from

"at this point in time?"

[tblue37]

67. Oh, yes! nt

[sammythecat]

164. Ugh! nt

[tblue37]

58. "The point being. . . ." nt

[GeorgeGist]

62. Epic

[cyclonefence]

64. As in

Ben Hur, or the worst case of acne ever seen?

[BigMin28]

66. price point

Tell me what it costs. It's called the price, not price point.

[cyclonefence]

68. On TV shows

from buying wedding gowns to RVs, "price point" is universal. "Price" is too low-class, I guess. Or "how much do you want to spend?" We are becoming a nation of mealy-mouthed grammatical social climbers.

[IcyPeas]

71. Robust. just bugs me. /nt

[cyclonefence]

72. Unless you're talking about Theodore Roosevelt, of course

[defacto7]

73. Look look. See Spot run. Funny funny Spot.

That's about all I have left after this op.

No, I hear you. Is that one? Dang.

[Mersky]

87. Yep, I do know what you mean.

Imagine if you could go back and acquire thyroid disease in your early twenties, then see how you do in your forties with brain fog, etc. Dang.

I actually appreciate the criticism. Am working on my voice. Sadly, the river of crap that is the time we live in won’t quit long enough for me to arrive at perfection in my personal situation any given day, week, or month. Cuz I’m slow like that.

I’ll monitor myself for when I’ve officially brought too much informal language into the big tent.

*Please note * this is one of my favorite shaming threads to date.

[hack89]

74. Utilize instead of use. Nt

[Midnightwalk]

75. I would welcome some criticism

It’s been over 40 years since I’ve had an English class and don’t get any feedback in my work or online. It’s easy for mistakes to creep in.

So, anymore, between you and i, my ask is if theirs some tag or such that would let me self identify as a misgrammian who wouldn’t mind some pointers irregardless how trivial.

[2naSalit]

170. LOL!

I bet that was hard.

[Siwsan]

76. "Awesome"

Honestly, that word is like nails on a chalkboard. As soon as someone utters it, I immediately start discounting everything said before and after.

[Alpeduez21]

93. Really? Everything?

So if Einstein said Gravity is awesome you'd discount the theory of relativity? Sad.

I'm pretty sure Bill Gates has said things are awesome so you just use macs? Although Steve Jobs strikes me as the kind of person who said 'awesome.' How are you even reading this?

[Siwsan]

96. Inappropriate mis and overuse has completely robbed the word of it's meaning.

Perhaps it is just my perception, but I think gravity is far different thing from, say, an ice cream sundae, or a car, or a movie, which some would describe as AWESOME!! I rarely, if ever, hear it used in a way appropriate to the object being described.

It has the same effect, on me, as people who toss the word "like" or "you know", multiple times, into whatever they are trying to say.

By the way, I'm amused by the outrage in your post. That kind of stretch can pull a significant amount of muscle.

[sammythecat]

165. "Really? Everything?"

Seriously? I'll bet you're sharper than this most of the time. You'd have to be.

[Kurt V.]

77. *grow up* we're grown ass ppl already.

[Ohiya]

78. It is what it is.

Also using "ironic" for "sarcastic"

[Paladin]

156. When, in point of fact, "It is what it ISN'T." (nt)

[Mersky]

80. Meh, I'll pass.

Far be it from me to agree with this OP.

I don’t care if people are rusty with their grammar rules, or clearly missed a typo. I’m hear for the ideas and opinions.

[mitch96]

81. "So Fun" to me is like fingernails on a blackboard

Isn't it So much fun?
m

[happybird]

82. "Moving forward..."

That one really grinds my gears. No idea why, but it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

[skypilot]

85. That one has bugged me for years

Like you, I am not sure why. I just bristle every time I hear it or read it.

On edit: Now that I think about it it might be that I've heard it from too many politicians, pundits, and business people and I'd rather they just said "in the future".

[happybird]

113. I once saw a printed sign in a ladies room stall

“Moving forward, we ask all customers to please properly dispose of sanitary napkins... “

I ripped the sign down and placed it in the proper receptacle.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

83. Improper and excessive use of the words "absolutely" and "awesome".

KY.........

[happybird]

114. ...

I have been trying to curb my use of those two words after seeing how much they bother folks.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

136. Not a perfectionist over linguistics but the reason those bother me is....

because by definition, they should only be used in rare circumstances because they are meant to describe extremes. Therefore, overuse deflates the impact of those words.

Example of proper usage:

A Friend: There's an asteroid coming toward earth that may destroy us today!
Me: Awesome!

Instead, people are using awesome to react to the latest flavor of ice cream......

The question then is "what word can I use that exceeds awesome?"

[dchill]

131. Absolutely!! Awesome post!!

[ArtTownsend]

84. "Fiscally conservative and socially liberal."

[RobertDevereaux]

86. "On a case-by-case basis" instead of "case by case"...

[jayfish]

88. "Let's Unpack This"

"There's a lot to unpack here"
"Lets' go!"

[JDC]

89. Stunning. Unprecedented. Jaw Dropping. Chilling

All used to soft peddle the lunacy.

[cyclonefence]

101. Words *literally* fail.

[The Genealogist]

90. "Reach out to" instead of "contact"

I don't really hearing this before I started working win my current employer. The term grates on me, I think because it sounds pretentious.

[cyclonefence]

104. I don't even like "contact"

How are you going to get in touch with this person? By phone? Then "call." By letter or email? Then "write." Waylay in a dark alley? Then "mug."

[Disaffected]

94. Loan instead of lend;

loaned instead of lent. I even heard Rachael Maddow a while ago misusing such terminology.

While I'm at it, "gonna" instead of "going to" - such misuse is getting universal.

And of course, the ubiquitous 'I mean" and "you know". Or, "I mean, you know".

[Disaffected]

95. "Words and usages I am sick and tired of"

Isn't that a dangling participle or something?

[llmart]

98. You think that's bad?

I know a woman who's a self-proclaimed Trump voter who uses the word "borrowed" instead of loaned. She told me that her son needed money "so I borrowed him some". That's only the beginning of her stupidity. I'd have to write a book to get it all covered.

[Disaffected]

123. That's beyond bad,

I would phrase it though "....who uses the word "borrowed" instead of lent."

[cyclonefence]

105. How do you stand on "snuck?"

Hate it. Likewise "shrunk" instead of "shrank."

[Disaffected]

124. I'm kinda

ambivalent on both but I guess I'd prefer "snuck" to "sneaked".

[Glorfindel]

102. The use of "disinterested" when "uninterested" is meant

The intolerable misuse of "fortuitous" to mean "happily accidental." Alas, no one ever says "serendipitous" these days.

[cyclonefence]

107. "Disinterested" and "fortuitous" belong with

words like noisome--they don't mean what people think they mean. And the use of the word "whom" when you're not sure why you'd use it. My suggestion that using "whom" should require a license was voted down in the Crabby Old Nitpickers' Club.

[spooky3]

103. "Awesome." The word has lost its meaning. Nt

[cyclonefence]

108. Another useful word bites the dust.

[spooky3]

111. Sorry; I overlooked someone else's posting this! Nt

[wryter2000]

110. Noisome means smelly n/t

n/t

[NCjack]

112. "absolute" when it isn't. "Did our doctor (hospital) give you absolutely the best care?"

How they hell would I know? If I knew where substantially better treatment was offered, I would do my best to go there.

[happybird]

115. Iconic

Everything is described as “iconic” these days. Ugh.

[ploppy]

117. Let's unpack this.

That is what you do with a suitcase or groceries, not to explain something.

[kairos12]

118. Unpack, as in examining a complex issue.

[cyclonefence]

121. That word is like the corona virus

CNN uses it, then it spreads to MSNBC--next thing you know, Dawn Lazarus is "unpacking" a cold front.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

119. "Inflection point."

It's a math term for when a curve changes direction but now it's used for any event that causes a change in a situation. It's being used so much that it's beginning to irritate me.

[cyclonefence]

120. I've never used the term, but

I assumed it referred to inflected words--nominative, possessive, or oblique.

[MuseRider]

122. All of these!

I say that as I realize how old I am and that I still use cool and wow a lot. My son looks at me like I am a lunatic sometimes but I guess that is better than groovy or far out.

Woke is beginning to annoy me.

[Prue]

126. The truth of the matter is..... The fact is......

[smirkymonkey]

127. "Net-net"

As in "the bottom line". Ugh!

You would not believe how many of these terms listed above are regular parlance in daily corporate communication.

Also, "getting granular" as in getting to the specific, gritty details of a thing. There are so many more corporate sayings that irritate me, but I'm only going to keep myself up if keep thinking about them, so I will leave at that for now.

[dchill]

128. "To be perfectly honest..."

[cyclonefence]

138. One would hope so, but as Emerson

said (roughly; I don't want to bother to look it up), "The louder he spoke of his honor, the faster we counted the spoons."

[TDale313]

132. "Those are sold by the each"

This comes up at work, and just kinda hurts my head.

[cyclonefence]

140. I've never encountered this one

Is it regional?

[TDale313]

141. I don't know. I think it might actually be fairly new.

First started hearing it a couple years ago, but then encountered it from multiple people in multiple places and even saw reference to it online.

[cyclonefence]

149. God help us

[Ponietz]

133. "I know, right?"

[cyclonefence]

143. IKR

[Golden Raisin]

134. Curated and artisanal.

Also saying, "No problem" instead of "You're welcome" in response to "Thank you."

[cyclonefence]

144. I know what "no problem" means, at least

I assume it's shorthand for "It was not a problem for me to accommodate you," and you're right, "You're welcome" covers it pretty well.

[Baitball Blogger]

137. My dad would freak every time I said, "I can't get used of it."

Funny how he kept correcting me, but I never understood why because that's what I heard everyone else say. He finally decided it was a local colloquialism.

Terms that have the same effect on me:

"At the end of the day..."

"That's on you." The first time I heard it was when a neighbor that was trying to steal HOA property made the case that it wasn't the board's responsibility to tell the rest of the neighbors that the next vote was to transfer HOA property to a cabal within the community. Actually, that's what her plan was - her husband served on the board and she was okay with the idea that people should already know what common grounds are in the community when they move in. So I associate the term with intentionally trying to defraud people.

[cyclonefence]

145. "can't get used of it"

That's a stumper. I once worked for a foreign-born doctor who would not say "sick to one's stomach" but insisted on "sick in one's stomach" because that made more sense.

"At the end of the day" sounds like an attempt to be high-falutin' to me, and I think trying to be high-falutin' is the worst grammatical error you can make.

"That's on you" bugs me, too. Is it a way to try to weasel out of a direct accusation--"it's your fault?"--or a way to indicate a sharing of responsiblities? Begone, sez I.

[Apollo Zeus]

142. All about and Passionate

I'm all about ending the over use of 'all about.'

Saw a great piece on how the when the word "passionate" is used in a job ad it means you will be underpaid and is more often directed at female job applicants. Should have bookmarked it.

[cyclonefence]

146. Welcome to DU

"I'm all about fighting climate change" or all about anything else commendable seems to me to be a way to congratulate oneself without having to do anything.

And I fully agree about "passionate." I don't think it's quite as gender-specific as "shrill," but then what is?

[GoneOffShore]

147. All of these pale in comparison to some of the expressions I read about today

Here's a link to the article. Read it if you want to make your brain bleed.

Garbage Language - Why do corporations speak the way they do?

[cyclonefence]

150. "Can you parallel-path this?"

Oh my god.

Many vocations--medicine comes immediately to mind--have vocabularies peculiar to them. Let us pray that the expressions described in that little article will remain confined to the corporate world. I don't know how those people understand each other.

[GoneOffShore]

155. The expressions have been leaking over for years. And I fear that it's only going to get worse.

The best thing to do is to call out 'Garbage Language' every time you encounter it.

[defacto7]

151. I like reading what people have to say in their own speech pattern

and grammar. It tells about their culture, age, the locale they grew up, their native language and gives a real insight into how they think.

I like good language skills but I also like expanding vocabulary, creativity and culture. As long as the communication is there I'm not bothered by individuality. Learning or teaching standard skills isn't part of my DU experience.

[cyclonefence]

157. I'm interested in the kinds of things that drive us buggy

I agree that language, especially usages peculiar to a time and place, is fascinating when looked at through the lens of what we don't like.

Most of my elementary school English classes seem to have spent a lot of time trying to get students to say "chimney" instead of "chimbley." WV, 1950s.

It would be easy to dismiss all of us commenting here as grouchy old cranks who were so touchy about language that no one would dare speak to us, but I know that is not the case. The obvious pleasure people are taking in talking about language tells me that we are a bunch of friendly, kind, literate talkers interested in lots of things who very much enjoy social intercourse.

[defacto7]

159. Well, this grouchy old crank appreciates your comment.

[SWBTATTReg]

152. I hear one word that I didn't see in the posts...that I kind of cringe...

When someone says 'seriously, man', or use the word 'seriousness' or any other versions of this word.

It is seriously overdone, man!

Thanks to all for the list of overdone/overused words...I hope that there are some English majors here on the trend.

[cyclonefence]

158. Not a hep cat, eh?

Are the people saying this old or young or all ages? It seems like such a dated expression that your post made me smile. "Seriously" is akin to the other intentions people announce that make us raise an eyebrow, like "honestly."

[SWBTATTReg]

160. I suspect that it is older folks using 'seriously, man' or 'in all seriousness', but that was 30 ...

years ago according to my reckoning...seems ages ago.

[LuckyCharms]

153. "What the hell is wrong with your penis"?

I'm so sick of hearing that.

[Duppers]

162. 😂

I've never heard that.

[sammythecat]

166. I hear ya

[smirkymonkey]

168. *snort*

"Seriously"! What the hell is wrong with your penis? We can table this discussion for another time at which point you may want to absolutely consider unpacking this topic by reaching out to another DU member any day now for some impactful advice.

Moving forward, to be perfectly honest, at this point in time this begs the question of whether you may have some awesome issues with your, um, "signage". Irregardless, at the end of the day, I could care less. Bye, Felicia!

[MH1]

161. "Preventative" or any "-tative" when "-tive" is the word.

It's PREVENTIVE medicine, NOT "preventative", people!!!

[cyclonefence]

169. Yes

and I've thought of another word that is commonly misused: Fulsome, as in "fulsome praise." That doesn't mean something good; it means exaggerated almost to the point of being false praise, and it is not a good thing.

[Niagara]

167. Where do I begin?

believe me

big-league/bigly

deep state

fake news

haters

hoax

I don't know

let me tell you

loser(s)

maga

many people are saying

nobody knows more about _________ than me

nobody really knows

really, really, really

sad

so much winning

total disaster

tremendous(ly)

trust me

very, very, very

we'll find out

[CloudWatcher]

173. "To tell the truth ..."

Ok, if you're telling the truth this time, I guess everything else you've said has been a lie. I'll just stop listening now.

[wnylib]

176. Uh-oh. I know that I am guilty of some of

these verbal offences.

[cyclonefence]

178. Me too

I hope that being made aware of them will help me avoid them, but to tell the truth I doubt it will help at all.

[wnylib]

180. I have the same doubt sbout myself.

I get lazy, or just pick up habits from other people.

There are things that bother me, too, when I notice them.

"Effect" vs. "affect"

"i" instead of "me" with prepositions, e.g. "for you and I" or "between you and I."

OTOH, things like "hopefully" don't bother me at all. The ways we use words and the meanings we give them change over time.

Shakespeare created new expressions, meanings, and ways to use words, including the use of nouns as verbs. He broke rules and created new ones.

We are not all of his caliber, so most of us benefit from following grammatical standards. But sometimes, changes in common usage become the new standard. We no longer have two forms of "you" for example. Our entire syntax changed when Old English speakers dropped most changes in verb endings and the need to have adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number.

Language is fluid. So when a word usage is convenient and useful for expressng a meaning that people easily understand, like "hopefully," I'm ok with it.'

[Buckeye_Democrat]

177. "Make America great again."

It makes me... SAD!

[Tripper11]

179. Reporters and anchors who use the phrases...

"On the ground" - I hate that. Just tell me where you are, you haven't parachuted in

"I can tell you" - well yes you can because it's your job. Don't tell me you have permission

[DFW]

181. If someone wants me to ignore their post

I can't imagine anyone bothering deliberately, but as a side effect it will work every time:

Use the words "corporate" or "corporatist." To me, that translates out to "go on to the next post."

[Hotler]

183. The word "So". since when did that word become a unit of measure?

I'm so tired.
It's so far.
There are so many.
It is so cold.

How much or, many, does "So" equal?

and the word "Awesome"

[Doc_Technical]

184. Grammar

"Motorcycle for sell"
"Lotters will be shoot on site"

[lillypaddle]

185. "strategery" Bless W's heart

"and what not."

[SCantiGOP]

188. cyclonefence, you need to change your post title

It should be "Words and usages of which I am sick and tired."

Just kidding. Even Churchill knew that the old prohibition against ending sentence with a preposition was linguistic tyranny.
His comment: Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.

[murielm99]

189. The "same exact thing"

Only one of those words is needed.