There are a few other words and phrases that should beat least temporarily retired from everyday usage, according to responders to yesterday's posting.
Among them:
-- "Perfect storm.'' The movie is now a decade old and it seems like it's used to describe almost any coincidence.
-- "Back on track.'' Aren't railroads and streetcars mostly dead? Besides, it's confusing since you often hear sportscasters say some team or player is getting "untracked,'' which is also a good thing. We need a new auto metaphor before they're gone too.
-- "I gave 110 percent.'' Something any self-respecting athlete does, except, of course, it is physically impossible. I read once somewhere that most people optimum performance is about 85 percent. More than that is a struggle and with less boredom tends to set in. But I feel for sportswriters. Getting a spontaneous, interesting quote out of an athlete seems harder than blood from a stone, to coin an original comparison.
-- "Here on the ground.'' Reporters are saying this more and more. Those flying overhead are not saying "here in the air.'' I think we can assume reporters are filing from the ground unless they tell us otherwise.
-- "Wall St-Main St." This false dichotomy assumes everybody on Wall St. is a bad guy while those Main Streeters are virtuous. Too bad the world isn't that simple.
-- "At the end of the day.'' Makes the wrapup of something sound far more portentous than it is. At the end of the day, I go to bed.
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Jay, this may be the best post yet. Well, actually, I'm partial to those that are reflective, too. You should have been a blogger long ago. Of course, for someone as old as we are, "long ago" was before the earth had a blogosphere. Anyway, I look forward to reading your posts every day. Who knew you were such a smart and clever guy? (Is it wrong to put a smiley-face emoticon here?) ...rex
ReplyDeleteGetting out of one's comfort zone, as our students are apt to say, should be expunged from the language.
ReplyDeletePlease add "surreal" to list.
ReplyDeleteAdd "focus" and "when the Fat lady sings" -- also, what the heck is an "emoticon?" I though that was taken for irregularity. The Tribune Cup runner-up.
ReplyDelete