Words and phrases to banish from English

[ritratto]

O.K. ... Here is mine. "My bad" .... I mean whatever happened to " sorry" or " excuse me" or "I did' understand "?

[Perazzimx14]

I'd like to see "original miles" also put on the naughty list. What other kind of mile can you put on a vehicle?

[Doug McLaren]

Why is every mistake that is documented on Youtube a "fail"?

What is a "big ask"?

How do you "cascade" an email or message?

How do you "action" something?

"Going forward" means what exactly?

I could go on but I won't.

[Tom]

"You do the math."  Know what I mean.  Oh....don't ask a question.  "You know what, I mean."  'nuff said.

[sib]

The following exchange with a waiter/waitress:

"Thank you"

"No problem"

[Two Checks]

The problem with using "sled" is many people use that as a term for "the Harley".

Pre heat", "predrill", etc. And especially on words that are past tense, as in "predriled".
One, you can drill a hole but cannot predrill one. You cant drill it before you drill it. Either you drill the hole or it has been drilled.
"Ya know what I'm sayin'?
That's what I'm talkin about.

[oldbike54]

The problem with using "sled" is many people use that as a term for "the Harley".

Pre heat", "predrill", etc. And especially on words that are past tense, as in "predriled".
One, you can drill a hole but cannot predrill one. You cant drill it before you drill it. Either you drill the hole or it has been drilled.
"Ya know what I'm sayin'?
That's what I'm talkin about.

 Pre-owned 

  Dusty

[charlie b]

You guys need to sit in a company meeting when they are trying to come up with descriptions of products.  Makes my stomach turn just thinking about those days.

[Joe A.]

AArrgghh!  I agree with the majority of the banned words. My currently most hated phrase:

  MAN CAVE

   I do not have a man cave. I have a shop,workshop,garage,work area...but there is no cave nor any reason to refer to it as such. Disgusting.

   Terry

Agree, it's condescending at best!

[Nic in Western NYS]

So, Rocker and Dusty do an immense piece of work curating this list to satisfy the disparate stakeholders.

[Triple Jim]

This year, the use of the word "So", often to start a sentence struck me.

I noticed that in the last year or two myself.  If you watch Shark Tank (TV Show), you'll see most of the budding entrepreneurs begin their answers to questions asked by the Sharks with So.  "How much money did you take in last year?"   "So, in the last 12 months we sold $120,000 worth."  Dr. Richard Besser, of ABC News does it a lot.  "Dr. Besser, how effective is this year's Flu -?"   "So this year we have found that the - is..."

Language usage drives changes in language rules as much or more than the rules control language usage, but I bet that the use of So to start sentences won't be around forever, since it serves no more of a purpose than starting a sentence with "Uhhh...".

[travelingbyguzzi]

Now Bill , we know you are a secret hipster     "doofusey" 

  Dusty

I confess to having the doofus gene.

[oldbike54]

I confess to having the doofus gene.

 As do most of us 

  Dusty

[sib]

Pre-owned 

  Dusty

Like my wife

[K250]

  "circle back" and "run to ground" Are a little over done with some of the manager types.  Circle back means corfirm its done, run to ground means do it.

So "run to ground and circle back to the team". Means do it and email us when its done.

[Triple Jim]

So, what is the problem ?  Actually "so" is part of a speech pattern going back many years .

The problem is overuse, really.  It's similar to hearing "like" in nearly every sentence, sometimes more than once.

[maquette]

Anything with - kardashian (lower case k intended)

[Waltr]

I find this entire thread problematic.   So, the stakeholders should just walk it back IMO.

   Snakeholders?   Snakeholders, who are all the snakeholders?

[lazlokovacs]

The great Irish poet Seamus Heaney's entire translation of Beowolf begins with 'so'

followed by a full stop

as in

So. The spear-danes in days gone by

There are pages of scholarly research on why 'so' was such a clever choice in this instance

YMMV!

[sib]

Anything with - kardashian (lower case k intended)

Gee, I thought a kardashian is another name for the rear bevel drive on my MG.

[Tom]

As do most of us 

  Dusty

Para-phrasing the Firesign Theatre.  "We're all Bozos on this bus."  We're ALL idiots here.

[Sasquatch Jim]

Then you have the Missouri Breaks , which aren't in Missouri  That brakes breaks thing is probably a simple mistake .

 My brakes work great until they break .

  Dusty

 At least the Missouri breaks are along the Missouri river.  And they are a good place for Jack Nicholson to cut Marlon Brandos' throat.

[pikipiki]

Dare I cause controversy and ask you guys on the other side of the pond to stop using the words BROILED, BROILER and BROILING and start using grilled, grill and grilling.
I mean it can only be in your best interests, I can only imagine - in the restaurant, 'How would you like your fish sir?' 'Broiled please'.... only to receive it boiled.‎
Yes, broiled sounds far too much like boiled and just as much like roiled. Admittedly roiled is not such a common word in fact it's very rarely used and not even valid in scrabble, should you be surprised - No! it's been pushed out by it's imposter neighbour 'Broiled'. Roiled as I understand it has a couple of culinary related meanings, one related to agitation of wine during production and another meaning salted when applied to fish, but then you'd never find out without me telling you (admittedly with help from wikipedia, ok its an American site but those postings were probably posted by the anti-broiling lobby), yes you will never find out because of the stupid imposter word broil.‎

Broil (definition)
early 15c., "to quarrel, brawl," also "mix up, present in disorder," from Anglo-French broiller "mix up, confuse," Old French brooillier "to mix, mingle," figuratively "to have sexual intercourse" (13c., Modern French brouiller), perhaps from breu, bro "stock, broth, brew," from Frankish or another Germanic source (compare Old High German brod "broth") akin to broth (see brew (v.)); also compare imbroglio.

yes definitely a stupid mixed up word, I rest my case.

[drums4money]

This year, the use of the word "So", often to start a sentence struck me.  I consider myself an old curmudgeon and not in touch with the times (just ask my 20 year old daughter - she will certainly confirm this) but I find that I have been using "so" in this way - ouch.  Since hear this list a week or so ago (appropriate use of so?), I have been listening more closely and have heard this usage often in news reporting, interview questioning etc.

I like how "So" has become a crutch-word (like, um, uhhh. . .) for the "effete'r than thou".  It's right there with thinking that irregardless is a word.

 

[Triple Jim]

Dare I cause controversy and ask you guys on the other side of the pond to stop using the words BROILED, BROILER and BROILING and start using grilled, grill and grilling.

Respecting that there are substantial differences in word usage between the east and west sides of the Atlantic Ocean, broiled food on this side refers to cooking by radiated heat, as in under a red hot oven burner.  Grilled refers to cooking on a grate above something hot like a charcoal fire.

[drums4money]

Respecting that there are substantial differences in word usage between the east and west sides of the Atlantic Ocean, broiled food on this side refers to cooking by radiated heat, as in under a red hot oven burner.  Grilled refers to cooking on a grate above something hot like a charcoal fire.

Dairy Queen uses a mythical Brazier - I enjoy both broiling AND grilling, but just what is a Brazier??  Oh, I enjoy a Brazier, too. .

[pikipiki]

author=Triple Jim link=topic=80933.msg1275044#msg1275044 date=1451769107]
Respecting that there are substantial differences in word usage between the east and west sides of the Atlantic Ocean, broiled food on this side refers to cooking by radiated heat, as in under a red hot oven burner.  Grilled refers to cooking on a grate above something hot like a charcoal fire.

So Grilled is just lazy short for char grilled then?
We could go on for ever, my post was somewhat in jest.  There are dumb words both sides of the pond. Irrespective most American english words (the dumb ones and the useful ones) eventually make it across to our side of the pond. Broil has had plenty time to migrate but us Brits stubbornly refuse to adopt it, it just inexplicably doesn't fit with us. Sounds more like how you wash your underpants than how you cook your bacon. Might even be a reason why your bacon hasn't caught on over here either. You just broiler it? No thanks.‎
‎

[Triple Jim]

Irrespective most American english words (the dumb ones and the useful ones) eventually make it across to our side of the pond.

They're going both directions, probably about equally.  In recent years I've noticed folks here in the US using "sorted", referring to getting a motorcycle's problems repaired, and TV news reporters talking about someone "going missing", for example.  I didn't hear those usages here 10 or 15 years ago.  The Internet is making language change and merge.  No complaints, just an observation.

How about using "fitment" instead of "fit" for no reason other than it sounds more important?  The definition of fitment I've read says it's a mainly British term for a furnishing.  Like you rent an apartment and then add the fitments.

[pikipiki]

Prompted by this thread I visited Urban Dictionary and noticed a definition of Guzzi that describes something that I dont think exists, that from another internet search prompts me to believe is not at all in use by anyone.
Is there a way to get it deleted as its clearly BS.
EDIT
signed into urban dictionary using google, requested removal of 'Guzzi' be good I someone else did same.

[Triple Jim]

Wanting to see this definition, I went to the Urban Dictionary site.  Your request must have worked, because it says there is no definition for Guzzi.  I then tried Moto Guzzi and got this:

 "moto guzzi
A strange shaft-driven eye-talian motorcycle. The motor, originally used in tractors, consists of 2 large cylinders jutting upward on each side. Because they last so long, most owners are quirky old men over the age of 60. Often referred to as 'The Italian Harley'.
An often heard remark uttered by a local seen peering at the tank badge: "Modo-GOOZEE?? What the hell kinda Harley is THAT?"
by Vinnie Pastarini July 20, 2005 "

Amusing, except for the erroneous tractor engine part.