DonRocks Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Sorry to switch from cuisine to basketball, but the use of "big" as a noun is endlessly trite. "Michael Wang Hauls In Weekly Honors after Offensive Explosions against Miami, La Salle" by Sam Mitchell on thedp.com "Wang didn’t just light up the scoreboard in an incredibly efficient manner; the forward proved to Quakers’ fans that, given the opportunity, he can be so much more than a pure-scoring big." Oh, Lord this is annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Now that I am posting more often, there are some words and or phrases that I see used that make me wanna throat punch a pillow. I am not a violent person by any means, but there is certain jargon that is over used, or not verbalized in the right context. What sparked this snark, you ask? I'll tell you. I attended a community event on Civic Engagement here in my itty bitty town of York, and if someone had to kick back a drink every time the word "passion" was used, I would have had a seriously ranging hangover this morning. What saying, and or word sends you over the edge? @DonRocks move this subtopic to its appropriate location if this forum is not the best suited for this banter. Thanks!! @#%$!*&, kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Made/cooked with love. The only things made possibly with love are babies. Hate to say it, but made/cooked with "passion" makes more sense. 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Reviewers saying they would have licked the plate clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 12 minutes ago, Ericandblueboy said: Hate to say it, but made/cooked with "passion" makes more sense. 😉 I have no reservations with the word itself, but it is SO overused. Perhaps cooked with devotion, excitement, vigor, intent... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted December 13, 2018 Share Posted December 13, 2018 Curated. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 13, 2018 Author Share Posted December 13, 2018 Few things annoy me more than the term, "Porn Star." Please use the term "pornographic performer," or "porn performer" if you need to make it shorter. Use "porn model" if you must. Stars, they are not; actors, they will never be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted December 14, 2018 Share Posted December 14, 2018 On 12/11/2018 at 8:22 PM, DonRocks said: "Wang didn’t just light up the scoreboard in an incredibly efficient manner; the forward proved to Quakers’ fans that, given the opportunity, he can be so much more than a pure-scoring big." I’m sure it’s an irresistible urge to put big and Wang in the same sentence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted December 15, 2018 Share Posted December 15, 2018 On 12/13/2018 at 1:44 PM, Keithstg said: Curated. Quote Dec 15-16 in DC at Union Market. A re-imagined shopping experience. Don’t miss over 60 of the nations most innovative brands for a curated pop up shopping experience that is free to attend. Whoever wrote this should be banished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Bespoke. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 13, 2019 Author Share Posted February 13, 2019 20 minutes ago, Tweaked said: Bespoke. Who on earth uses this? PS - Tom Sietsema is guilty of using "festooned" (it's interesting to read through that). On a related note, "toothsome" is okay with me *as long as* it's used properly, and with restraint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweaked Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 32 minutes ago, DonRocks said: Who on earth uses this? Hipster-dom. New York Times rant Along the way, bespoke has devolved from a unique experience to simply a synonym for another catchword of the day: artisanal. At the root of it all may be money, Mr. Riccio said. “One thing’s for sure,” he said. “Calling something bespoke automatically allows you to add $50 to the price.” Sietsema has a habit of latching onto a word/term/phrase and then using it to death. Several years ago he was using the phrase "hired mouth" until someone called him out on his weekly chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 13, 2019 Author Share Posted February 13, 2019 40 minutes ago, Tweaked said: Hipster-dom. New York Times rant Along the way, bespoke has devolved from a unique experience to simply a synonym for another catchword of the day: artisanal. At the root of it all may be money, Mr. Riccio said. “One thing’s for sure,” he said. “Calling something bespoke automatically allows you to add $50 to the price.” Sietsema has a habit of latching onto a word/term/phrase and then using it to death. Several years ago he was using the phrase "hired mouth" until someone called him out on his weekly chat. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I had to Google what it meant. Yes, he used "hired mouth" a lot - I actually think festooned is funny (but it's one of those "home-run words" that jump off the page - it looks thesaurus-y, and there are limits to how many times you can use it in a career (it's a George Will word (nesting parentheses is trite))). Saramago used lack of periods (so did I, as an homage to him), Wallace used footnotes, I use nested parentheses, dammit, because LISP programming comes so natural to me; NATURAL programming, too, but LISP is more like the way I think, plus when I begin a sentence, I have no idea how it's going to end, and I write whatever pops into mind (sometimes there are things that I just HAVE to include (sort of like Frank Ruta)). BTW, didn't this community agree a few years ago to use "artisan" instead of "artisanal?" Restaurant Eve's wine list had a section called, "Picaresque Whites" - picaresque isn't used often enough to be trite (in fact, I don't think I've ever seen anyone else use it), but it could get there, real fast. This thread could also be called "The Write Turd List - William Spooner's Blushing Crows to the English Language." Hell, why not (can you tell I'm going to die in poverty?) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Agree on bespoke- unless we are talking tailoring, shoemaking, haute couture then it is just a word you are throwing around. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 4 hours ago, Tweaked said: Bespoke. Im guilty of using this in reference to tailored clothing. It evokes images of an actual tailor, which I love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 19 minutes ago, curiouskitkatt said: Im guilty of using this in reference to tailored clothing. It evokes images of an actual tailor, which I love. But you are right this is an actual thing and how the word is meant to be used- you can get a bespoke suit- which is different from a tailored suit. It is something wholly made custom for you to the exact specifications and measurements you want, and I don't mean they have your measurements on some sight and made you a custom suit. You choose fabric cuts, you have it made to your exact porportions, etc. You can get bespoke shoes, suits, a bespoke wedding dress, this is the correct use of this word. A bespoke cocktail is not a thing, it's a cocktail made the way you wanted, so it's a cocktail. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bobulescu Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 3 hours ago, ktmoomau said: But you are right this is an actual thing and how the word is meant to be used- you can get a bespoke suit- which is different from a tailored suit. Just as all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac, so too, all bespoke is tailored, but not all tailored is bespoke. One is a subset of the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bobulescu Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Britain's best selling political/satirical magazine Private Eye, which steadfastly ignores the interwebby thing, and seen its sales increase, has, since the 1960's run a series of maybe 15-20 regular mini sections that poke fun at the misuse of language in various aspects of life. Colemanballs: is named after a BBC sports reporter who mixed metaphors. Birtspeak: for convoluted jargon, named after BBC boss who was an accomplished practitioner. The flowery output of authors, journalists, and wine critics turns up regularly in Pseuds Corner. Solutions is devoted to the unimaginative use of the word in corporate speak. They also have a series of amusing euphemisms, and running jokes. Regular readers will immediately understand the term "Discussing Uganda" or "having discussions of a Ugandan nature". Famous people drunk in public are described as "tired & emotional". It came about because on the night of JFK's assassination the deputy Prime Minister was commenting on TV while over the limit. Following complaints, the next day his office issued a statement that he had been "tired & emotional". The young mistresses of older men, are known as "the gorgeous pouting miss....". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 "... doubles-down on ..." This blackjack term has become the world's most annoying cliché for "being resolute" about something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 Oh dear God. I'd never heard of the term "emotional labor" before this evening, and I've now read it twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 2/24/2019 at 12:18 PM, DonRocks said: "... doubles-down on ..." This blackjack term has become the world's most annoying cliché for "being resolute" about something. Spare me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curiouskitkatt Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Influencer. I cringe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 12 hours ago, curiouskitkatt said: Influencer. I cringe. I double-down on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NolaCaine Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 "Right?" I'm at work and I just read a press release that was all jargon and I don't know what the release is about. Here's a clip of the FIRST sentence:"...cultural shift has been occurring in the (industry) ecosystem." What the !@#$ does that even mean? An ecosystem can't have a cultural sift. An ecosystem can have a BIOlogical shift or an ecological shift but cultural? Maybe if we were talking about some nice molds. For !@#$% sake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 I have another one: ¨existential threat.¨ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 11, 2019 Author Share Posted July 11, 2019 1 hour ago, NolaCaine said: What the !@#$ does that even mean? An ecosystem can't have a cultural sift. An ecosystem can have a BIOlogical shift or an ecological shift but cultural? Maybe if we were talking about some nice molds. For !@#$% sake. If you're making leavened bread, and tilt the bowl to one side, you can have a cultural shift. (Technically, "ecosystem" means (and I'm copying this straight from the internet), "a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment," so it makes sense, but still ... spare us the pretentious obfuscation.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 6 hours ago, DonRocks said: I have another one: ¨existential threat.¨ That is a term I enjoy and use. Describe other ways you can describe “this will completely and utterly destroy” us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 4 hours ago, DaveO said: That is a term I enjoy and use. Describe other ways you can describe “this will completely and utterly destroy” us Existentialism, the philosophy, is concerned with humans, and only humans, and goes far deeper than mere existence. "Existential threat" is now used to describe anything and everything which is in danger - from the human race, to a department store, to an archaic language. I don't think it's a terrible extension of the word; it's just grossly overused for too many things, and has become very much of a fad in recent months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 In college I was a fan of Pointillism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 38 minutes ago, Mark Slater said: In college I was a fan of Pointillism. What's wrong with Pointillism? I know it's probably the most over-enjoyed period of art after Impressionism, but think about Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - great piece regardless of how often it's played, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 On 2/13/2019 at 12:26 PM, Tweaked said: Bespoke. You were saying? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share Posted October 24, 2019 Sportscasters need to come up with another word besides "filthy" to describe a ball having a lot of spin on it. Twenty-years ago, you'd hear the occasional, "That was nasty," but it has morphed into "filthy" and has become overused and trite. And I'm doubling down on this sentiment: On 2/24/2019 at 12:18 PM, DonRocks said: "... doubles-down on ..." This blackjack term has become the world's most annoying cliché for "being resolute" about something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 Filthy doesn't just mean spin. Filthy means a particularly fantastic act. It could be a nutmeg in soccer, a dribble that makes the defender fall down, a pump fake, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracisk Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 "To perfection," as in "The steak was cooked to perfection." Often seen in Yelp reviews. What does it even mean?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktmoomau Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 There was a commercial recently that used science as a verb. As in, "we scienced." I was appalled. Making all words into verbs is annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 On 10/28/2019 at 1:07 PM, ktmoomau said: There was a commercial recently that used science as a verb. As in, "we scienced." I was appalled. Making all words into verbs is annoying. Oh, that's straight out of "The Martian" ("I'm going to have to science the *shit* out of this.") It was annoying and just plain stupid then, and it's annoying now. --- To all would-be writers: Never, *ever* begin a paragraph of a persuasive piece with "Look," - it's weak and condescending. Example number one: "The Case for Not Worrying about the Warriors" by Rohan Nadkarni on si.com Whenever I see "Look," I usually move onto the next piece. A separate but related situation is starting a sentence with "Sure," - also weak and condescending, since what follows is of trivial concern to the author, and then in the passage *after* that, they'll get to their real point. It's ultra-lame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielK Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 3 hours ago, DonRocks said: Oh, that's straight out of "The Martian" ("I'm going to have to science the *shit* out of this.") It was annoying and just plain stupid then, and it's annoying now. That's the most quotable line of the movie. I love it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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