One of the things I really hate is the phrase "brain fart." Second to that, and not with as much venom, I dislike the term "senior moment." Both are made worse followed by a hardy-harr laugh, such as: Helen had a brain fart - insert hardy-harr laugh. Or, Helen had a senior moment - hardy-harr laugh. (Helen is a fictional character).
I think both phrases are corrosive to society. I know there are a lot more corrosive elements to be concerned with, but since I am overwhelmed with the state of the world right now I like to narrow my focus.
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2 comments:
I like what's on your mind. And I couldn't agree more. You may have inspired me to make a list, even if you've already fingered the top two. Matt Groening does the same once a year in "Life in Hell"s list of banned phrases. (He rightfully banned "24/7" and "anything for dummies" among others. David Cross does a brilliant bit about people misusing "literally")
But I was recently thinking how much I hate, HATE, with a virulent hatred, any chant that begins "Hey hey, ho ho," (and ends with blah blah blah blah something that rhymes with "ho"!)
Let's also add "touch base" and "concerted effort." (I actually heard a woman at work say "I'm going to make a concerted effort." I said, "YOU, by YOURSELF, are going to make a CONCERTED effort? She said yes. I could only hand her a dictionary and beg her, for the sake of humanity, to look up that word.)
To be more curmudgeonly, the kids have to stop saying "like" and "all" and "whatever."
And I need to stop talking. Now at this moment, and as a general rule.
skn
I heard William Safire (or someone of his ilk) comment about people, like David Cross, who do not like it when people use “literally” figuratively. He wondered why “literally,” seems to be the only word we aren’t allowed to use figuratively. He argued that when one says, “I literally shit my pants” that the listener knows that what the speaker meant was, “I did not shit my pants” but “I reacted strongly to the situation. “ For the record, I almost never use the word, “literally,” for the same reason Scott and David state.
And regarding “Brain Fart” I do not like that term either. I often use the term “Ass Thought,” which surprisingly means the same thing.
You ever notice that when one says, “absolutely,” that person almost always says it twice? That is another word that I find over used.
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