Friday, May 20, 2011

Phrases I love to hate

Phrases come and go from the American lexicon and there are a few at the moment that just make my skin crawl. Luckily I can avoid two out of three of them pretty easily.

Baby bump - this is perpetrated by the media/paparazzi in particular when stalking some poor female celebrity who may or may not be pregnant at the time. Instead of saying "hey, look at her belly getting bigger with child" or something of that nature, they get all cutesy and use arrows and circles (a la poor Katie Holmes (Cruise) this week on the cover of some gossip mag) to point out exactly where on a woman's anatomy a baby's prenatal growth pokes out. It's just an inelegant and cutesy phrase not worthy of the media or the celebrities about whom they are writing. It will be a great day when this phrase gets retired in favor of something more mature and respectful.

Mommy/Daddy likey - this is usually accompanied by real (or implied) waggling eyebrows and sly winks to connote something that smacks of sexiness. It's gross, people, just gross. Especially the mommy or daddy part. I'm certainly not a prude but -- just gross. I hope this one dies a quick death but it probably won't.

24/7/365 - this is of course the 21st Century shorthand for saying "around the clock" or "we're always at your service" or something of that nature. While I hate the phrase, in my writing work, I tend to use it or the 24/7 variation because it's quick and easily comprehended by any adult audience reading marketing literature or Web copy, my two biggest areas of writing these days. So while I really do hate it, it has earned a grudging respect from me and it helps me pay some of the bills.

How 'bout you -- what phrases have you heard recently that make your blood boil or your skin crawl? Jump in!

1 comment:

A. Nonny Mouse said...

I have a couple hated words. Other than the ones you already know about (panty & irk being top among those).

First: lil. The word little is, in fact, pretty small. It makes me NUTS when people make it into lil.

Second: Babe. The infant meaning, not the Ranger utterance. The small person should be a baby or an infant. Not a wee babe. Not sure why it makes me crazy, but oh, it so does.

Third: Nasty. It feels like sometimes the only negative description something gets is nasty. And especially locally, it gets that horrible nasal twang to it and it's just .... well, it's NAAAAASTY.