Phrases I'm sick of hearing

Subject: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:48 pm

Shortly before setting my lap on fire this morning I was thinking about things people say that start me grinding my teeth and wishing I could wrap my hands around the speaker's throat and begin squeezing.
One that has been around for years is "at this point in time." What's wrong with "at this point" or "at this time" rather than saying the exact same thing twice in a mere five words? This is a favorite with many people and particularly chiefs of police hoping to appear wise while holding a press conference to admit they haven't a clue as to who committed some heinous crime.
Then there is "The American Dream." How exactly does the American dream differ from the Belgian dream or the Irish dream or the German dream? The only hint provided is that it has something to do with having a roof over your head. I believe that dream is universal.
Another really irritating phrase uttered by many people has to do with "thinking outside the box." Are we to assume that on the rare occasions when people actually decide to think about something they do so by crawling inside a box? Apparently being in this box to do your thinking means all your thoughts are conventional, boring and uninspiring.
One that should result in the summary execution of the speaker is "Déjà vu all over again." It was funny when Yogi Berra said it years ago because it was typical of Yogi. In the thousands of times it has been repeated by idiots trying to be funny...well, off with their heads.
There are words, too, that really set the nerves on edge. Many can be traced to the despicable trend toward text messaging. Chief among them is "Congrats." It comes across as saying, "Whatever it was that you did isn't worth taking the time to write 'congratulations.'"
There were others that had come to mind before half a dozen hot embers decided to leap out of my pipe at the same instant and start a blaze on the towel I place on my lap to keep this sort of event from burning holes in my pants. Perhaps blaze is too strong a word, but dousing the embers drove the other words and phrases from my mind at that point in time.
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Mystery Writers of America, Private Eye Writers of America
www.dickstodghill.com

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2069 Location : UK

Sounds like you left a blazing trail. Oops, there goes another of those dang phrases.
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Shelagh Watkins
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Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:27 pm

I certainly hope you managed to put the fire out. Did you ruin one of Jackie's towels?
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:07 pm

I enjoyed that, Dick! Here's some "off the top of my head".

"Contrary to popular belief..."

"On the other hand..."

"Drowned to death" (am I wrong in thinking that this is redundant?)
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Brew
My website:http://www.philwhitley.com
"Let us dare to read, think, speak and write." ~ John Adams, 1765

Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:27 pm

Oooh! I have a favorite one that bugs me!!

I heard this one so many times when I was in management ... at those useless managment meetings we always had where nothing was accomplished ... except to pretend we were so very important and busy.

"Just to be sure we are all on 'the same page'."

Augh!!!

Okay, that one always made me want to say "
Well, I am on page 214. What page are the rest of you on?"

or "Actually, I am not sure I even am reading the same book. What title are we reading?"

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~ JoElle ~
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Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:31 am

Dick,
you opened Pandora's box.
I don't even know Pandora and have no idea if she has a box, but if she does, someone had to open it.

And here I thought getting miffed hearing all the shortcut words and buzz words, was just me. Living where I do, the meaning of words brings more attention to language and expressions. I am frequently asked what a certain word or phrase means, and often I have no clue. The media frequently comes up with new phrases and then beat them to death. Thieir stories are now, "unfolding."
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Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:02 am

How about "well qualified customers"? As opposed to qualified? Does that mean someone willing to pay the price PLUS a 10% tip?
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Four Star Member Age : 39 Joined : 25 Mar 2008 Posts : 212

Dick,
Sounds like you're bored with all the contemporary cliches in use.

I have found in the past that extended holidays abroad are a soothing remedy for this sort of thing. In foreign countries, you get a really different perspective on lots of things, including language. As a bi-lingual person, I often see many things through another language that are simply unexpressable in English.
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A Ahad
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Subject: Re: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:50 pm

At the end of the day...

Re-inventing himself...
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Subject: Phrases I'm sick of hearing Fri Aug 29, 2008 12:55 pm

Lin just posted my all time most annoying phrase-"at the end of the day". I don't know why, it just bugs me. Mad

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Pol McShane
www.polmcshane.com
www.johnnyjoey.com