overused and undersensed words

chrispenycate

chrispenycate

resident pedantissimo
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A word can only be judged in context; still, there are some words which turn up, and almost immediately leave one thinking "couldn't he have found a better way of saying that?" Not that I'm innocent; I recognise my love affair with long, sonorous words, and the possibility that I invent an unnecessary character just so I can describe him as "abstemious" (I have so far resisted the temptation).
Evidently, my pet "ugh" words are short, and common; I hereby come out against "nice" and "large". Both are perfectly good words in their own right, (if lukewarm - they don't actually transmit much information except in the comparative, or superlative) but there's always a feeling the author hasn't dared to go to the limits, has held back, not to be able to go further later, but out of fear of falling into the "zap, oof, powee" comic book vocabulary.
Who else has particular words (or short clichéed phrases) that particularly ring their alarm bells?
 
I cannot stand the repetitive phrases that seem to be circulating the English language at the moment (I blame things like Big Brother and other such disasterous reality TV shows).
Phrases such as:
"At the end of the day..."
"To be honest..." (Although I know I use that sometimes)
"Turned around..." (As in, "He said to me, blah blah, so I turned around and said to him...")
I know I've certainly been guilty of using them in the past, but I try to avoid them like the plague now. Especially "At the end of the day..." Ugh.
 
Well, that was a nice, large post, Chris! (well, someone was going to say it.....!)

I vote for "tasty", ( should be reserved for describing roast advertising executives) and "Dark" , as in force, shadow, lord, one, side, horde, elf, etc, etc.
 
I thought this thread would be about something else - the tendency for people to overuse the same phrases in speech - "Basically", "You Know What I Mean", "Brand New" and the other examples that Hoopy gave too!

I was told at school never to write the word "nice". Basically, it is so overused that to be honest it no longer has any real meaning, if you know what I mean.

In prose, love it when people use more archaic words. Words that make me rush to my Dictionary. I never write the same word twice if my Theasarus can give me an alternative. I think that is the beauty of the English Language - so many words that mean almost the same thing, but not quite.
 
Well, Dave, at least someone around here is full of sophrosyne!:)
 
Anyone repeating adjectives in the English language should be hanged.

Anyone using incorrect plurals (or sticking an 'S,' onto irregular plurals) should be boiled in oil.

At the end of the day, IT GETS #@#~**>][ DARK !!!! :mad:
 
Ok, this is turning into a moan about the English language in general...but damn, I HATE double negatives with a passion.
 
"At the end of the day..."
"To be honest..."
Basically"
"You Know What I Mean"
"Brand New"
Click to expand...

Haha! I use all of those everyday. Ah, happy days. :)

I absolutely abhor the use of the word "stuff". It's so... crude. And when someone uses it incessantly in everyday conversations... eugh, sends shivers down my spine.

"You know, like maths and stuff" is one someone in my Chemistry set says EVERY SINGLE LESSON. You'd swear that she never actually attended any lessons the questions she comes out with.

I also hate it when the word "like" is stuck in, like, a sentence for no reason, like, you know?
 
Lenny said:
I also hate it when the word "like" is stuck in, like, a sentence for no reason, like, you know?
Click to expand...

Yes, me too. Even though I know that little word still creeps into what I say now and again. But I don't use it to the extent of some people. "So he was like, and I was like, and he was like, etc". Damn, people, just use a "said" once in a while!
 
I hate the word 'literally'. It really doesn't mean anything the way people use it in their conversations.

But, what really burns my buscuits (hah, like that one Hoopy?) is grievous mispronounciation by otherwise intelligent people. Nucular? I want to strangle someone every time I hear it.

Here's an oldie but a goodie, "I could care less." Sheesh people, think before you open your mouth!

There are many others but I'll stop there; mostly because I could also be accused of some misuse and abuse of words.

I've noticed one of mine that might annoy others. I use 'sheesh' a lot. I don't use it in speech, just online to convey body language that doesn't translate too well into the virtual world.
 
Well, I get mildly incensed by the use of "like" instead of "as if" Still. I recognise that trying to correct this tendency (already firmly established in the spoken word) would be not merely folly (which would not stop me) but doomed to faiture; and who wants to espouse an already lost cause?
 
dwndrgn said:
I've noticed one of mine that might annoy others. I use 'sheesh' a lot. I don't use it in speech, just online to convey body language that doesn't translate too well into the virtual world.
Click to expand...

I use "seriously" far too much when I talk. Perhaps it's because most of the time I'm not actually being serious, so when I do make the effort, I have to let people know! :D
 
What about "Ten Items Or Less at this Till!" at the supermarket, instead of "Ten Items Or Fewer....."
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
 
Deary me, Py, you're so peddantic. :rolleyes:

Get out of that one!!

---

I don't like the overuse of "er", "erm", "um" etc. That gives me a headache.
 
Damn! And predictable, too!

I think I'll go and read in our Library!
 
I have to throw a vote at the overuse of "literally" also.
When I hear the local weatherman say "its raining cats and dogs...literally!" I just want to throw the TV out the window.

This morning on NPR, I was helplessly trapped in the car while I was subjected to the mispronunciation of the word "library" about 30 times. I almost drove my car off an overpass just to make it stop...
 
Really.

No really.

Really is used really, really a lot in nearly everything. He was really annoyed. She was really tired. They were really boring. The word really is really boring.

And very.

Really, she was very irritated.

:D

PS: I cant say library right. I say libairee....which makes my kids laugh at me. Oh well.
 
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