Words and Phrases I Detest: rant thread.

[jeremyp]

This thread is inspired by a post elsewhere on this site that I have just read. I borrowed the title from Jerry Coyne. Post your words and phrases you detest and your reasons why. No need to be rational about it.

I'll kick off with a couple of examples.

x is no age

where x is number usually greater than about 70 e.g. 73. Nope. 73 is an age. It's actually quite an old age.

y has passed

Where y is a person. What have they passed? A kidney stone? Why is everybody afraid of saying the verb "to die"?

[Roses]

I prefer to say someone has died rather than 'passed away'.  The term RIP doesn't make any sense, once a person is dead that is it.

[SqueakyVoice]

Using the noun "medal" as if it was a verb.

Fortunately I didn't  hear it in the Commonwealth Games, but it was used time after time in the Olympics.

If one won a bronze, silver or gold medal, don't  say "I medalled" All you'd be doing would be meddling with the English language. Say, "I won a medal."

[Nearly Sane]

This thread is inspired by a post elsewhere on this site that I have just read. I borrowed the title from Jerry Coyne. Post your words and phrases you detest and your reasons why. No need to be rational about it.

I'll kick off with a couple of examples.

where x is number usually greater than about 70 e.g. 73. Nope. 73 is an age. It's actually quite an old age.

Where y is a person. What have they passed? A kidney stone? Why is everybody afraid of saying the verb "to die"?

Everybody isn't but then I do hate hyperbolic generalizations.

[SqueakyVoice]

I prefer to say someone has died rather than 'passed away'.  The term RIP doesn't make any sense, once a person is dead that is it.

I think Ricky Gervais has said something along the lines of " xy&z keep saying they're sending their thoughts and prayers <to various disasters> and I keep thinking that's funny, I keep sending them money."

[Maeght]

Everybody isn't but then I do hate hyperbolic generalizations.

I agree that that is one of the more irritating phrases. Everybody thinks this or that .... no not everybody does.

[Nearly Sane]

I agree that that is one of the more irritating phrases. Everybody thinks this or that .... no not everybody does.

Another version of it is when politicians talk about 'The whole country thinks/is doing etc'.

[Gordon]

Another version of it is when politicians talk about 'The whole country thinks/is doing etc'.

Indeed - then there are the mythical 'people's priorities', yet these remain undefined by those that use this particular phrase.

[Maeght]

Another version of it is when politicians talk about 'The whole country thinks/is doing etc'.

Yes. Also in sport when they say 'The whole country is' watching the football, supporting the GB player at Wimbledon, hooked on the curling ..... no!

[SteveH]

I too dislike "passed away", and even more "passed".
Others I hate:
"issues" as a euphemism for "problems";
"humbled" when someone has just been awarded something;
"sociopath": there is a technical difference between it and "psychopath", but for everyday use, "psychopath" covers both, and "sociopath" is just showing off;
"empathy": same as "sympathy", but with all the warmth and humanity removed;
"mom": horrible Americanism. The word is "mum".
That'll do for now: I'll be back with a few hundred more when I think of them.

[ekim]

I prefer to say someone has died rather than 'passed away'.  The term RIP doesn't make any sense, once a person is dead that is it.

There are quite a few grave stones in a local church yard which state 'He fell asleep on .......'  I nodded off on one of the seats there once .... Phew, what a lucky escape!  I could have been buried.

[SteveH]

"Hit the ground running": it makes no sense In what circumstances would anyone do that?
Treating adjectives as nouns, eg "Believe in better" - a particular sin of advertisers.
"To gift": a verb that shouldn't exist. The correct verb is "to give". Even worse, the noun "gifting" for "gift", which I've seen before now.

[SqueakyVoice]

.. and another thing.

I keep getting on buses, with their windows open (to increase ventilation and reduce getting covid). The windows have a sign on them that says "This window cannot be closed."
I could close all of them very easily.

I wouldn't  be annoyed if the sign said, "...must not be closed.

[SteveH]

Are you sure the notice doesn't mean exactly what it says? The windows may have been modified to be non-closeable.
"Wellness" - just a trendy word for "health", as far as I can see, so "health and wellness" is tautological.

[ekim]

Are you sure the notice doesn't mean exactly what it says? The windows may have been modified to be non-closeable.
"Wellness" - just a trendy word for "health", as far as I can see, so "health and wellness" is tautological.

... and to, like, put what you say into, like, modern English ...
"Are you, like, sure the notice doesn't, like, mean exactly  what it says?  The windows may have, like, been modified to be, like, non-closeable.  "Wellness" - just a trendy,like, word for "health" as far as I can see, so, like, "health and wellness" is, like, tautological.

[jeremyp]

"humbled" when someone has just been awarded something;

That's a good one. It means exactly the opposite of what just happened. Next time I get an award, I'm going to say "I have been exalted by the voters/judges".

[jeremyp]

"empathy": same as "sympathy", but with all the warmth and humanity removed;

These do not mean the same thing.

[SteveH]

These do not mean the same thing.

Explain, please.

[jeremyp]

Explain, please.

Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Sympathy: feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.

[SteveH]

Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Sympathy: feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.

Sound like pretty much the same thing to me.

[jeremyp]

Sound like pretty much the same thing to me.

Well, it's not. Empathy means you can understand and share feelings of others whatever they are. Sympathy is specific feelings of sorrow or pity.

[Nearly Sane]

Sound like pretty much the same thing to me.

Think of them this way, when Gordon and I talk to each other about our prostate cancers, we feel empathy for each other. When people who have not had cancer talk to us  about how it must be difficult, they feel sympathy.

[SteveH]

Think of them this way, when Gordon and I talk to each other about our prostate cancers, we feel empathy for each other. When people who have not had cancer talk to us  about how it must be difficult, they feel sympathy.

Maybe in theory, but in practice "empathy" seems to be used increasingly where "sympathy" would once have been used.

[Nearly Sane]

The profligate inaccurate use of 'fascism/fascist'.

[SteveH]

The profligate inaccurate use of 'fascism/fascist'.

Agreed.