My topic today is words and phrases that have been overused. This topic itself is probably way-overused. It seems to pop up on someone’s social media every once in a while. Nevertheless, I think all of us can relate to the aggravation of hearing terms too many times. It calls for venting. Here are some words and phrases that IMHO need to be retired.
“Absolutely.” I was listening to a really interesting
interview on KERA-FM (Krys Boyd’s “Think”). The author was really interesting,
but she began every answer to every question with, “Absolutely!” I got so
distracted, I couldn’t pay attention to what she was discussing. I also noticed
that this kind of thing happens a lot.
Here’s another one: “I mean…” Which is a verbal tic or
place holder. It’s akin to the “…aaaannnnddd…” made famous by Barak Obama. Obama,
I like to think, would do that to organize his pithy thoughts before saying
them (unlike some politicians who just blurt out anything). I know a woman who
talks incessantly, mostly about herself, and uses the drawn-out “aaannnd” to
make it hard to jump in and cut her off.
“Just” as an adverb almost requires its own blog post.
Not “just” as an adjective, as in, “God is righteous and just.” Rather, the
limiting adverb, as in, “I just took fifty old T-shirts that belonged to
my son, cut them up, sewed them together in an intricate pattern and had
someone make them into quilts.” Or, “I just cooked dinner for 25 people
that included 15 different recipes and required two weeks of prepping and
planning.” I’m always amazed that people use the term “just” to downplay
astounding feats they have accomplished. Just don’t.
“In these uncertain/difficult/anxious/etc. etc.
times…” I guess this also comes from listening too much to KERA-FM, the local
public radio station. Have you noticed how darn many companies start their ads
with that phrase? I think it’s worse for radio. In fact, I’m thinking the for-profit
classical music station in Dallas may be The Worst. I hope and pray that as our
country conquers the plague of COVID, there will be less usage of this phrase.
Sadly, that’s probably wishful thinking. I suspect that
“uncertain/difficult/anxious/etc. etc. times” will be with us for a long while.
The use of “chilling” has also run rampant. As in,
“Seeing the rise of neo-Nazi groups and white supremacy legislation has been
chilling.” Just as there have been so many worrisome things during these
uncertain/difficult/anxious times, there have been many things that are
chilling. No question. But maybe it’s time to expand our repertoire of
adjectives: horrendous, terrifying, ominous, inauspicious, doomed, menacing,
foreboding.
“At the end of the day.” Somehow, this always makes me
think of that old movie, The Remains of the Day. Since the phrase often
comes toward the end of a long explanation or soliloquy, my mind tends to drift
to re-running that movie in my head.
“Baked in.” I’m
hearing this a lot lately, too. I suppose it’s better than “it’s in our DNA” or
other expressions. But just as “at the end of the day” makes me think of an old
movie, “baked in” makes me start thinking of ovens and recipes.
I’m always
intrigued when I hear an interesting word that suddenly gets repeated
endlessly. A couple of years ago it was “pivot.” Thankfully, I don’t hear it as
much nowadays. I have to wonder why these words ebb out of circulation, too. Here’s
hoping some of the above-mentioned overused terms will go the way of “pivot.”
What are
some overused terms that get under your skin? Let me know!
