Words & Phrases To Eliminate, Part II

[Ravine]

Some threads from the previous DetroitYES! deserve to be resurrected, and this one was a favorite of mine.
Please forgive me if it's already over here, somewhere. Lazy curmudgeon that I am, I didn't conduct a thorough search.
We can blame WDET's (and DY participant) Craig Fahle for my urge to re-fire up this thread, thanks to his insistence on repeatedly using the stoopid term, "going forward."
I was just gnashing my teeth about his use of it, today, when-- not 30 seconds later-- he said it again.

[Detroitej72]

Words and phrases used all too often by the right:

1)government takeover of the auto industry.

2) socialist used to describe any policy of Obama's.

3) liberal to describe anyone who disagrees with their logic.

4) activist judge, any judge who disagrees with their philosophy.

[rb336]

"logic" being used to describe thinking dominated by absurd dogma, especially when it goes against scientifically derived conclusions, and especially when the "logic" requires some nebulous "conspiracy," for which there is zero evidence, to dismiss the science

[Ravine]

Cripes!! This thread used to be simple. Got a word or phrase that you're sick of hearing, or that you think is downright stupid? Get it off your chest, here!!
What the hell is going on?
I get the feeling that you two are grinding some kind of axe, with those posts.
Should I page Cc and tell him that I think a sneak-attack, on him, is being launched on a thread which was not meant to have anything to do with him?

[Detroitej72]

You asked, and I responded!!!:D

BTW, props to a fellow pipe smoker, as we are few and far between!!!

P.S., as I write this, I"m enjoying a Borkum Riff at this moment, since I'm without the fine blends of Hill & Hill's tobacco...

[gazhekwe]

Please get rid of preventative. I'm afraid we will soon have Crime Preventation, and we will work very hard washing our hands to preventate colds and flu.

[Ravine]

Gaz: Excellent!! Now that's what we need, here!! My compliments; I didn't know that you could be such a comic.
Detroitej72:
Yeah, yeah, I know. That's why I didn't fire off an all-out rant. It's not for me to say which words or phrases you are allowed to oppose.
*sigh*
Anyway, keep an eye on the Where Is New Pipe-Smoking Guy? thread. I have some tobacco news to post, but since I gotta be up by 6:00 AM, it's time for me to sack out.

[mjs]

"Reporting live from" when there's nothing to see and no one to interview. Like the time they were reporting on Kwame's case at 10:30 on a Friday night in front of a dark locked up court house.

[Bobl]

How about using a noun as a verb, as in "we partnered to get this done"?

[reddog289]

Bailout, Stimulous, and Obama Bucks.These have got this hard of hearing fella refering to alot of stuff in this manner.

[Gistok]

How about using a noun as a verb, as in "we partnered to get this done"?

... reminds me of one of my favorite bumper stickers... PORK IS NOT A VERB! :D

[rb336]

"impacted" where they should use "affected" (the trans. verb meaning to have an effect on)

most things aren't wisdom teeth

[mjs]

Nonsensical old man sayings such as:

I'd bet dollars to donuts.
Riding the gravy train.
Raining to beat the band.
Are you working hard or hardly working?

[Flanders]

Personal responsibility

Pro-(fill in the blank)

Any word that is prefaced with "America's", "American" or "Americans", giving the impression that anyone or anything else does not exist, is not as good or is bad or Anti-American. The RW is notorious for attaching any one those three terms to their groups and organizations.

[Johnlodge]

Anything involving partisan politics on a thread about language pet peeves.

[Johnlodge]

The media is in their 3rd or 4th year love affair with the misuse of "sea-change". Cut it out. "Last week so and so said this, now she is saying this, has there been a sea-change in her beliefs?"

A week? Come on now, think about the phrase. You sound stupid.

[rb336]

as someone who enjoys a good sail, that phrase always bugged me

[rb336]

actually, I think we could fill this whole thread with mediaese and legalese

and jockese

no more giving 110%. no more jockmediaese "if they go up 3-0 this series is over" in a 4-game series

[Johnlodge]

actually, I think we could fill this whole thread with mediaese and legalese

and jockese

no more giving 110%. no more jockmediaese "if they go up 3-0 this series is over" in a 4-game series

Has any team come back from 0-3 to win a 4 game series? Trivia question.

[Maxine1958]

Not so much words to eliminate, but one word usage abuse that really bugs me:

their - The Smith's are proud of 'their' home. - Ownership
there - Put the box over 'there.' - Place or position
they're - 'They're' going to get wet out in the rain. - Possesive cunjunction of 'They are'

Please people learn the proper word to use!:rolleyes:

[rb336]

no more "she's 90 years young"
it is so patronizing I could vomit

[Sstashmoo]

Looking forward, at the the end of the day, it really doesn't amount to a hill of beans how people word things, it's they're business. :)

[Pam]

Not so much words to eliminate, but one word usage abuse that really bugs me:

their - The Smith's are proud of 'their' home. - Ownership



Your example contains one of my pet peeves- apostrophe misuse. It should say "The Smiths".

[Maxine1958]

Your example contains one of my pet peeves- apostrophe misuse. It should say "The Smiths".


I've had this debate before. If the house is owned by the Smith family, then it belongs to the Smith's. Possesive use.

If more than one family with the name Smith lives in the house then it might be owned by the Smiths. Plural.

<sigh> Where's my fourth grade English teacher when I need her?

[Pam]

If the house is owned by the Smith family, then it belongs to the Smith's. Possesive use.



You are just using the Smiths as the subject of the sentence though, so it is simply plural- Smiths are proud. Plural possesive would be "Smiths' house" with the apostrophe after the s. See rules 4 and 5:

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

[Islandman]

Nice work Pam. :)

[Maxine1958]

Okay, you're right.

But it is a tricky rule and most people misuse it much worse than I did.

:o

[Ravine]

Rb336, thanks for mentioning "impacted," which appeared in the original thread but deserves to be hung out to dry as many times as it takes to embarrass folks into cutting it out.
The Merriam-Webster website recognizes it, but that doesn't mean they condone its use, and you & I both (as well as Pam and, hopefully, many others) know it's bullshit.
Heh. Such language abuse is, indeed, quite "concerning."
You also cited the overly-precious "...years young." Thank you. I never would have thought of that one, but godnose I agree with you. That is beyond annoying, and it is always used in reference to someone who is old as hell and probably proud of it.
But, you used "affected" where you should have used "effected." Still a good day at the plate, slugger.
Johnlodge cited another one good for inducing teeth-grinding: "sea change." Using that one deserves a slap hard enough to leave a week-long handprint on the face of the speaker.

[Bearinabox]

Not so much words to eliminate, but one word usage abuse that really bugs me:

their - The Smith's are proud of 'their' home. - Ownership
there - Put the box over 'there.' - Place or position
they're - 'They're' going to get wet out in the rain. - Possesive cunjunction of 'They are'

Please people learn the proper word to use!:rolleyes:
...and, people, when you're done doing that, please learn to spell "possessive" and "conjunction." :)

(Now that I think about this, isn't that actually a contraction?)

[East Detroit]

Many of the partisans on this forum appear to be impacted.

[East Detroit]

...and, people, when you're done doing that, please learn to spell "possessive" and "conjunction." :)

(Now that I think about this, isn't that actually a contraction?)

Sure is. And I missed my opportunity to whine about it, while I looked up this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkO87mkgcNo

[Ravine]

East Detroit, you sly dog. That post-before-last is really funny.

And here, we would not have thought that colons had anything to do with the matter.

[ccbatson]

I just realized that this thread is a great relief valve for those with anal spelling and grammar compulsions....excellent.

[Ravine]

Cc, spelling & grammar beefs find their way into the thread, naturally, but usually, it's more about words & phrases which find their way into our cultural lexicon and, despite their unworthy, misguided, pompous, or otherwise linguistically deviant nature, "catch on" to the extent that they temporarily become little pets for various persons, particularly within the media. In addition, simple over-usage is grounds for Our Derisive Scorn.

One might say that these words & phrases befoul the zeitgeist, but then one would be using one of the very terms which we seek to mercilessly banish.

Surely, Cc, given the particular political & social wavelengths to which you cleave, you have heard a few of them, yourself.

You may, in fact, even be partially responsible for some of them.

[East Detroit]

East Detroit, you sly dog. That post-before-last is really funny.

And here, we would not have thought that colons had anything to do with the matter.

Yes, it's all about their colons and their matter.

[Flanders]

I just realized that this thread is a great relief valve for those with anal spelling and grammar compulsions....excellent.



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:rolleyes:

[East Detroit]

I just realized that NON DETROIT is a great relief valve for those who need anal expulsions....excellent.

[EMG]

Of course, once their colons become impacted, it turns into a very serious matter. :eek:

[East Detroit]

Here's to an Elvis on the throne style aneurysm for all the partisans.

[cheddar bob]

Has any team come back from 0-3 to win a 4 game series? Trivia question.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox did it after no team had ever done it in 100+ years.

One or two hockey teams did it, but it's hockey so it doesn't matter.

[Flanders]

The 2004 Boston Red Sox did it after no team had ever done it in 100+ years.

One or two hockey teams did it, but it's hockey so it doesn't matter.

I believe that the Maple Leafs came back to win the Cup being down 0-3 vs the Red Wings, in the 40s or 50s, not positive though...

[ccbatson]

Over analysing (pun intended)...whether intended or not, this is a great thread to absorb some of the distracting focus on minutia and allow the concepts to be discussed without debating about the spelling and grammar.

[Ravine]

*sigh*
Well, whatever you say, Cc. I guess the thread is whatever it feels like it is to whoever stops in.
As you may see, I am trying to be all Zen about it. Think of it as a new kinder, gentler Ravine. (Bullshit. More like a tired, apathetic Ravine.)
I also noted that the thread has been used to absorb some distracting focus on sports trivia, dammit.

[cheddar bob]

Who was the first winner of the AL MVP award?

[Ravine]

A guy who was even more of an irascible prick than you are, Cheddar, mon ami: Ty Cobb.

Now behave. You're married, now. You had better practice letting go of that urge to Have Fun.

[cheddar bob]

You had to look it up, didn't you? Very few people are bigger assholes than me, but I may have to defer to Cobb's legendary assholism.

[Maxine1958]

...and, people, when you're done doing that, please learn to spell "possessive" and "conjunction." :)

(Now that I think about this, isn't that actually a contraction?)

Gad, now I am truly embarrassed! What a sad commentary on how reliant I've become on spell-checking software.

Mea culpa! :(

[ccbatson]

I love the fact that this thread exists...nuff said (oops, isn't that one of the target phrases? Oh well...oops, there's another).

[Ravine]

No, Cc, "'nuff said" is not one of them. We don't hear that one used endlessly & repetitively (heh!,) nor do we hear it used in situations where it does not apply, and it is not a hideous, aberrant massacre of proper English.
Also, it was a trademark slogan of the Merry Marvel Marching Society, and is therefore exempt from scorn.
Perhaps you also fondly remember, "This One's Got It All!!"

[gnome]

"end of the day"

"moving forward"

"a whole host"

"in a lot of ways"

"Closer than wholesale"

[Ravine]

Not familiar with that last one, Gnome, and I posted "going forward" to initiate the thread, but a gracious Thank You for getting the thread back on track.

[Detroitnerd]

factual information :P

[Just Amazed]

absloutely

[Dutch]

"functionality". It is not a word. Function and functional are.

"you guys" . Ugh. How about simply using a person's name to address them?

[ccbatson]

Functionality is a word...an adjective according to Websters.

[Dutch]

According to my Webster's, there is a "functionally" (adverb). No "functionality" is listed.

[ccbatson]

Try Dictionary.com then, it appears there.

[rb336]

"so called"

[ccbatson]

Nationalize, instead of socialize.

[LodgeDodger]

"email" used as a verb

[mjs]

"you guys" . Ugh. How about simply using a person's name to address them?

I wish we had a way to express you plural like other languages do. When someone asks "will you go?", you can't be sure if they're asking about just you or your whole group.

I'd also like to see "coming up" banned from WJR and the local news. Rather than telling me whats coming up, give me better details on what they just finished reporting or more background or more on what future consequences that story might have. Makes the reporters sound like used car salesman that always need to be selling; I'm already watching. Hell, even commentary is more useful than the empty calories of whats coming next. If they think its so critical to some viewers, scroll it on the bottom of the screen so I have the option of ignoring it.

[ccbatson]

Didn't you ever see that school house rock video "Rufus Xavier..." as a kid?

[SaintMe]

Describing anything as a "gem" or a "jewel" that is not literally a cut and polished precious stone.

[Sstashmoo]

"Zero tolerance"

There is no such thing.

Or one I heard the other day and got immediately nauseas.

"We do the max for the min"

[ccbatson]

The max for the min is a pretty good one....says a lot succinctly.