Let's Retire these Cliches

[MrNewportCustom]

...gathering in the clouds, darkening the skies, in the offing, hatching, a-bornin', and in the pipeline.

We must stem the tide, nip them in the bud, cut 'em off at the ankles, head 'em off at the pass, stamp them out, rub them out, put the kibosh on them, deep-six 'em, 86 'em, $#!!can 'em, round-file 'em, give 'em the old heave-ho, the toe of yer boot, and the keys to the street.

lol lol lol lol


lee

 

[MrNewportCustom]

What cracks me up are those phrases so overused that they begin to be used incorrectly without anyone noticing.

For example:
"I could care less." If you could care less, you would. Do you not mean, "I couldn't care less," indicating that you do not care at all? No one seems to notice the difference.

I can also assure you that I hang around with intelligent and good-humored people who would make it their business to bust my chops if they picked up on the mistake, but no one noticed.

A friend and I operate in a similar manner. For instance, we both hate hearing people who don't know the difference between "beat" and "won" (as in competition). Russ and I used to play racquetball, and anytime we heard someone from another court yell (it was always yelled), "I won you," as to tell his opponent that they've bested his score, one of us would say to the other, "what is he going to do, display the loser on his mantle?" What we really want to do, though, is yell out, "You beat the opponent. You win the game! . . . Dummy!"


Lee

 

[Fletch]

Russ and I used to play racquetball, and anytime we heard someone from another court yell (it was always yelled), "I won you," as to tell his opponent that they've bested his score, one of us would say to the other, "what is he going to do, display the loser on his mantle?"

At least it's better than saying I PWNZ j00!!1!

 

[Diamondback]

At least it's better than saying I PWNZ j00!!1!

What's so bad about "Ownage!"? l33tsp34k, I'm with you on, though...

Fletch and I agreeing on something? Horror of horrors...

 

[Fletch]

There is common ground. Let us seek to increase it, to make it flower and thrive.

(I still would vote for Truman, tho. )

 

[vonwotan]

I just hear another one that drives me crazy - "...take it to the next level...":rage:

 

[scotrace]

Direct offshoot of the overused "Kick it up a notch."

 

[Kishtu]

Ones I'm guilty of... "lawks!" and "coo!" - sometimes "coo-er!"

Aware that I sound like some relict of an Enid Blyton girls' school.

Other people's.... "You know something?" - yes, I know lots of things.
"He was like...." usually with some weird facial expression to indicate what he was doing.
"Ballpark figures" - ???
"Actually" - too, too horribly English, another one I'm guilty of, usually pronounced "ecktually"

 

[Lady Day]

For me, its any use-to-be slang, that became so overused and watered down over the years that its now 'hip' (but stale in other circles) in the confrence rooms of corperate America:

fo-chizle
word
true dat
you go girl *
girlfriend!
etc
etc


*I think I threw up a buy typing that

LD

 

[Feraud]

For me, its any use-to-be slang, that became so overused and watered down over the years that its now 'hip' (but stale in other circles) in the confrence rooms of corperate America:

fo-chizle
word
true dat
you go girl *
girlfriend!
etc
etc


*I think I threw up a buy typing that

LD

Yep. This is how I judge hip. If you hear it at work, it ain't hip.

 

[reetpleat]

In Chicago, it's pronounced "sangwich".

Another phrase that's gotten tiresome for me is "if you will". I worked for an attorney who said that all the time. My parents' minister also uses that phrase a lot.

I kind of like how brits and some other european speakers say "if you like" but when americans use fancy language, it sould sfunny to me.

As for odd pronunciations, I say Hooray. zHow often do you get to enjoy a Louisiana vernacular such as sanrich, contrete, or cirren?

 

[reetpleat]

For me, its any use-to-be slang, that became so overused and watered down over the years that its now 'hip' (but stale in other circles) in the confrence rooms of corperate America:

fo-chizle
word
true dat
you go girl *
girlfriend!
etc
etc


*I think I threw up a buy typing that

LD

That, and any phrase that is out of the arfican americna vernacular sounds pretty umb i corporate america.

Gay men seem to be able to pull it off for a little while, then it is completely over for all concerned.

 

[Barbigirl]

"Globally cohesive"

This is a term specific to my CEO referring how as a public district hospital we should work together to build ourselves as a well run team. For heaven's sake, we are a 27 bed hospital. There is nothing global about us and we have the worst communication, planning and foresight of any place I have ever worked, starting with him.

It isn't "globally" cliche, but it is cliche here!

Hope he doesn't see this, it would probably get me dooced.

 

[Paisley]

fftopic:

When I worked at the Air Force Academy, the tour guides would describe the place as being "rich in tradition" to guests from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The place was 40 years old! I'm sure the guests who were from cultures hundreds of years old had to suppress a lot of smiles.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

At least it's better than saying I PWNZ j00!!1!

lol lol

By absolute chance (I'm not a gamer) I learned about that just last night! My brother and nephew were playing an online game and one of them used the term. Naturally, I asked them about it. I must say: repeating someone's typo as a joke is one thing, but to say the wrong thing over and over out of ignorance just shows . . . well, ignorance.


Lee
___________________________

As the magnet on my dash reads (not says): "Stupid should be painful."

 

[Diamondback]

Another one I'd like to see "terminated with extreme prejudice" (not just "retired") is guys commenting on feminine appearance with "I'd hit that". It's not just ungentlemanly and demeaning to the female in question (whether she's a lady or not), it's disgusting too.

Seriously, this one's badly overdue for an Ace of Spades... (please, nobody cite the Ace of Spades as a cliche, it's one of my personal signatures--I'm thinking of asking Hoyle if they could print a custom run of "calling cards" for me)

 

[Paisley]

Another one I'd like to see "terminated with extreme prejudice" (not just "retired") is guys commenting on feminine appearance with "I'd hit that". It's not just ungentlemanly and demeaning to the female in question (whether she's a lady or not), it's disgusting too.

Seriously, this one's badly overdue for an Ace of Spades... (please, nobody cite the Ace of Spades as a cliche, it's one of my personal signatures--I'm thinking of asking Hoyle if they could print a custom run of "calling cards" for me)

Kramer (on Seinfeld, looking at a woman on the street): I'll take that.

Jerry: And you're just what she's looking for, too.

 

[deanglen]

nuanced
sophisticated

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

yada yada yada :rage:

 

[epr25]

I have always hated to phrase "My Bad" or "Just Joshing You".