Ghastly expressions you want to see the back of in 2011

[paulfromcamden]

Business bullshit aside I'm struggling a bit to think of any specific expression that really irritate me.

The Uber driver this morning said "Enjoy the rest of your day!" when I was getting out and I just thought "oh how nice" and said I hoped he would enjoy his day too.

Perhaps I'm not quite as grumpy as I thought I was!

 

[eternumviti]

Waiters who instruct you to 'Enjoy'.

I quite like 'gotten' in some circumstances. It feels more appropriate to me where the getting might be ongoing, ie it's more than just a past participle. So, for example:

'Cars have got more complicated over the years' vs 'Cars have gotten more complicated over the years'. To me, the second version implies that cars are still in the process of getting more complicated, whereas the first example suggests that they got more complicated but that process has stopped. I know there's nothing specific in the grammar that supports this take on things, but if I want to make the sort of distinction I'm talking about, I'd consider using 'gotten'; either way, it's nice to have the option.

You could say 'cars have become more complicated' or 'cars are becoming ever more complicated'.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

You could indeed, and good practice tends to advise finding an alternative for 'got' in any case. But sometimes it fits the style or flow of the text better. Particularly if you are writing in a more conversational style.

 

[Nic Robinson]

this thread started before my pfm birth

A more innocent time istr.

 

[tones]

I read in the business world of things being "leveraged" all the time - it was fine for Archimedes and moving the earth, but I can't really see the sense of the modern use, except as an attempt to sound impressive.

 

[gintonic]

A more innocent time istr.

bit rude that

 

[Paul L]

Woke
Snowflake
Cancel culture

I agree with these but I’d like to see the opposites resigned to room 101 at the same time such as gammon. They’re all derogatory.

personal annoyance is ‘barrassment’ as in housebarrassment, carbarrassment, phonebarrassment which is annoying marketing intended to make us buy. It might lead to landfill of goods, maybe work against the right to repair and just grateful for or enjoying something we already have.

 

[gintonic]

They’re all derogatory.

i agree

 

[Fatmarley]

Sorry if it's already been said -

A young Facebook friend was moaning about something, and his girlfriend said "we got this". I nearly puked.

 

[Tumeni Notes]

I read in the business world of things being "leveraged" all the time - it was fine for Archimedes and moving the earth, but I can't really see the sense of the modern use, except as an attempt to sound impressive.

It's not even a verb. One does not "leverage" something. You move it with a lever. You lever it. You apply leverage with a lever.

"due diligence" is another. "We did our due diligence". No you didn't. You did some stuff in a diligent manner, applying an appropriate amount of diligence to it.

 

[Colin L]

Tory government!! Who doesn't want to see the back of that insult to morality.

 

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

I agree with these but I’d like to see the opposites resigned to room 101 at the same time such as gammon. They’re all derogatory.

I take the point, but derogatory language is one way that society can express disapproval. It can be a powerful tool for peer pressure in some circumstances. If a thing is bad, then it's not wrong to be derogatory about it.

 

[Nic Robinson]

bit rude that

bit thin-skinned that

 

[Brian]

Don't see a problem with that to be honest. It's okay English, isn't any longer than its counterparts.... no issues there.

But anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone (aside from the aforementioned Four Tops), who uses the expression 'reach out/reaching out' goes on my 'what a pretentious ****' list!

Worth repeating this one. ‘Reach out’ is one of the worst.

 

[Rcook]

It's not even a verb. One does not "leverage" something. You move it with a lever. You lever it. You apply leverage with a lever.

"due diligence" is another. "We did our due diligence". No you didn't. You did some stuff in a diligent manner, applying an appropriate amount of diligence to it.

You beat me to it with 'leverage', grinds my gears big time.

I think with 'due diligence' it basically means to do the necessary research thoroughly before committing and it's a short way of saying it. I only find it mildly irritating.

'Reach out' irritates me. As in "they reached out to me"

Also when people say "I was led on the bed". No you weren't, you were lying on it.

 

[Tumeni Notes]

Also when people say "I was led on the bed". No you weren't, you were lying on it.

isn't that just pronunciation, though, for "laid" ?

I think with 'due diligence' it basically means to do the necessary research thoroughly

Yup, but they're doing something else which amounts to having applied the due amount of diligence to it.

Nobody can show an example of someone "doing diligence" or "diligence-ing" - it has no meaning, whether it's the due amount of it or not.

You have to do something in a diligent manner.

 

[Nic Robinson]

Whilst resurrecting the subject of old threads:

"So" as the first word of the response of a radio interviewee.

 

[eternumviti]

Sorry if it's already been said -

A young Facebook friend was moaning about something, and his girlfriend said "we got this". I nearly puked.

A friend finished her beautiful funeral eulogy to her husband - who had died at the ripe old age of 51, leaving her with daunting responsibilities - with the words 'Sleep tight, my love. I've got this'.

I wept.

 

[richardg]

Whilst resurrecting the subject of old threads:

"So" as the first word of the response of a radio interviewee.

Yes, only just noticed that the last few years. It's better than um though. Um, or is it?

 

[eternumviti]

I have been serially 'ummed' right out of several of those youtube vids that TonyL has been posting, the most recent being the Jolyon Maugham one.