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I’ve posted about clichés and hackneyed phrases before, but never seriously. A cliché-oriented posting over at Gakwer this week slid some oil to the old wheels and made me think it was time to devote a Word Wrap to ‘em. According to Gawker, there are many words that are more than ubiquitous out there in the blogosphere, a medium which has obviously given rise to its own trite phrases. Check out the post for all of them, but I thought I’d note my favorites, some of which, we here at the _floss might be guilty of on occasion:
1) I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.
2) What’s next? [outlandish scenario]?
3) [Argument], wait for it, [rhetorical flourish]
4) [x] is the new [y].
The word cliché is, of course, French, and comes from the past participle of their word clicher, which means to stereotype.
So what are some clichés that ruffle your feathers, that get your goat? We’d love to know which ones piss you off due to their overuse and abuse.
Comments (28)
Comment
“TMI.” I hate it, and I hate that anyone still says this.
And I completely agree with, “What’s next? [outlandish scenario]?”
“They take away our trans fat, what’s next, taking away sugar and caffiene?!?”
“They let gay people marry, what’s next, people marrying dogs?!?”
Yes, honey, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. You’ve found out our master plot, and now we much silence you….
posted by Lyssa on 12-22-2006 at 9:42 am
Describing things as “teh [adjective].”
Ex: That shirt is teh sexy! That post is teh stupid.
“[Whatever you’re accusing the person of] much?”
Ex: Overgeneralize much?
“Meh.”
posted by Laura on 12-22-2006 at 10:40 am
“let’s make sure we’re on the same page”
What are we in High School going over some text book? Maybe I don’t want to be on your page
posted by Jane Martin on 12-22-2006 at 10:55 am
Whenever I went through anything unpleasant as a kid (and, truthfully, I still get this now at 22), my mom would comfort me, wipe away tears, etc…..and call it an “LE.” A “Learning Experience.” I heard it so many times in junior high and high school that I can only roll my eyes at it now (despite the fact that my mother is right, as always).
posted by Kate on 12-22-2006 at 10:57 am
“See you next year!” Even though this non-joke gets been beaten into the ground every single year around this time, people simply cannot resist it.
“Comparing apples and oranges” Most of my hatred of this phrase stems from the fact that APPLES AND ORANGES ARE COMPARABLE!!! Both are round(-ish), fruits, have peels and seeds, grow on trees, etc. Why not “apples and skyscrapers” or “oranges and submarines”? Stupid cliches.
posted by Greg on 12-22-2006 at 11:16 am
“what comes around goes around” WHAT?!
“whats good for the goose is good for the gander” this sends chills down my spine!
“well isn.t that the pot calling the kettle black” as a black guy, this sucks-what pots do YOU know that can talk? and if they could, im sure they.d say more than just “black”!
posted by brown(the new black) on 12-22-2006 at 12:36 pm
When departing, “You have a good one.” I can’t stand it. A good one of what?
Other verbal pet peeve is when people say less rather than fewer. “10 items or less” will make me come unhinged.
posted by Juligirl on 12-22-2006 at 12:52 pm
“If it were a snake it would’ve bit me.”
My mother says that everytime she finds something, somedays I wish it were a snake…..
“cut the tude”
It’s ATTITUDE people, let’s just all stop shorting words.
“girlfriend or girl” when your friend who is a girl is adressing you.
I’m not your girlfriend just because we’re friends and we’re girls. That really drives me crazy.
posted by Rachel on 12-22-2006 at 1:44 pm
I know people are trying to be nice when they say this, but I HATE it when people say “Drive safely” when I am leaving…because, you know, if they wouldn’t have said that I’d be out there driving like a real maniac. Good thing they told me to drive safely!
posted by Stephanie on 12-22-2006 at 2:41 pm
I hate it when kids around me realize they’ve made a mistake, and say, “Just kidding.” No, you weren’t kidding. You were mistaken. That was fine, but now you’re just an idiot.
posted by Sillstaw on 12-22-2006 at 2:55 pm
I’ve recently noticed people uttering a new phrase: “It is what it is.” The strange thing is I never heard this phrase used until about a year ago, and now I hear it said repeatedly, usually in reference to a problem or event that the speaker has no control over.
It is what it is… well, thank goodness it’s not pretending to be something else.
posted by Jason! on 12-22-2006 at 3:03 pm
ever since it made it’s graceless debut on the internet, I’ve HATED 1337(leet)-speak.
First of all, what does ‘leet’ mean anyway? I’ve never heard of it before and now I see it everywhere in 1337 form! Also, any sentence in leetspak takes three times longer to decipher and read than a normal sentence, and half the time it isn’t worth it
ex.
‘j00 r t3h suxx0rz. 1 r0xx0rz kthxbye.’
And I completely agree with Laura about ‘teh’.
posted by Heather on 12-22-2006 at 6:48 pm
The closing argument that is so persuasive, so irrefutable that I can’t imagine we don’t see it all the time in the courtroom:
“Whatever.”
And, it’s slightly more erudite cousin:
“Talk to the hand.”
And, in closing:
“These types of clichés make baby Jesus cry.”
posted by KermieD on 12-23-2006 at 11:54 pm
“Wrong place at the wrong time”
Ugh!!
posted by Bob Cooper on 12-24-2006 at 6:07 am
Discounts of up to 50% or more!
Prices as low as $10 or less!
posted by OwenKL on 12-24-2006 at 1:47 pm
I couldn’t agree more . . . there are quite a few tired cliches out there. However, they are simply indicators of the climate of our society. They will be exchanged for a whole new group of tired aphorism before too long. I only take issue with being annoyed with “Drive Safely.” To be offended that someone cares enough about you to wish you a safe drive to your destination is a little tacky, don’t you think?
posted by Cindy on 12-25-2006 at 8:27 am
I hate it when bloggers cross something out with the STRIKE tag, and then say whatever it was they “really” mean. Such as, “Andy is a
sniveling baby,really great guy.posted by Andy on 12-26-2006 at 7:52 pm
“At the end of the day…”
I had this coked out manager who would say it 30 times in every single meeting or conversation. It annoys the shit out of me.
What pisses me off MORE is when I find myself saying it.
GAH!
posted by Roxanne on 12-26-2006 at 11:35 pm
I’m tired of hearing the word “hate” used for such trivial matters.
The pot calling the kettle black refers to both having been used over an open fire - in which case both become blackened - the point is then that it’s pretty stupid for one of them to point out the smoky mess on the outside of the other one. Anyone who can find a way to make that old blurb reflect racism has a serious problem of his own.
And Stephanie, someone loves you and cares about you enough to want you to be careful and take good care of yourself; that’s a kind wish, and it’s extremely shortsighted and immature to resent it.
posted by Mary on 12-26-2006 at 11:40 pm
LOL - you’re not laughing out loudly. I hate you.
Emoticons - if Hugo, Hemingway, and Frost didn’t need them, you don’t either. I hate you.
Good Times - was a great show in the 70s. If you follow any sentence with “good times” because you cannot conjure up a less vapid response, I will kill you. Kill You! Good times!!
My Bad - regrettably took the place of an apology in the 90s. After I severely wound or dismember someone, I say “I’m sorry” NOT “my bad” because that’s just plain rude!
Or…
Are you going to the party or….?
Was he convicted or…?
Do I put it in this hole or…?
Figure out the second part of your sentence or……make it shorter!
The point of life is to appear LESS ignorant than what we truly are.
posted by Cindy on 12-27-2006 at 6:11 am
How about “I could care less”??? Perhaps he or she could care more, too.
posted by Betsy on 12-28-2006 at 2:01 pm
“Who died and left you boss?”
“Lock and load”
“My bad”
AgggH! Gimmie a break! ;)
posted by Shine on 12-28-2006 at 9:21 pm
My husband pointed out the moronic use of “literally” and now it drives me crazy. “I literally jumped out of my skin!” Yeah, right, and how did you get back in?!
Oh, and “my bad” was actually perpetuated in my high school by our English teacher. There is so much wrong with that.
posted by Jessica on 12-29-2006 at 11:25 am
You guys never fail. Maybe we should collect all these and publish them in a book? I’d buy it!
posted by David on 12-29-2006 at 11:48 am
Heather, just for your information, “leet” is an abbreviation of sorts of “elite.”
posted by SE on 12-29-2006 at 5:42 pm
You know, I never got the phrase, “I could care less.” With the way it is used, would it not make more sense to say, “I could NOT care less.”
>Blood is thicker than water
>Bent outta shape
suddenly my mind is blank, go figure. Anyways, if it is being used wrong or by someone trying to act superior, then it is annoying.
It’s sad; I have no trouble at all reading leet.
posted by Ellen on 12-29-2006 at 8:52 pm
“I could care less” posed as a question would be correct where “I could not care less” posed emphatically is correct. “I could care less?” and “I could not care less!”
posted by fred on 12-30-2006 at 9:47 am
what about “[something] is just a glorified [something else]”…
“stylists are just glorified hairdressers”
posted by nashira on 1-3-2007 at 11:50 am