Top 10 Least Favorite Expressions of 2011
Their time has come. A new year is the perfect chance to take a hard look at our addiction to certain trendy words and phrases, driven firmly by the media into the shallow soil of our meager vocabularies. I would love to see these weeds uprooted, exorcised. Hopefully, one day they will lie unused right beside "Where's the Beef?", "talk to the hand" and "happy campers". Let's make 2011 the last we read or hear of:
1. ROFLMAO. We get it, you laughed really hard. You didn't just LOL, you got down on the floor and got dirty. Overall, this tired, virtually meaningless acronym is just TMI. Which brings us to #2.
2. TMI. Or actually saying, "too much information," can be a funny little quip when used sparingly. Nobody uses anything sparingly, though. Think BFF, BRB, BFD, OMG, ad nauseum.
3. Going Forward. Where did this jewel come from anyway? Without a doubt, the favorite of every reporter, blog writer, talk show host, politician or pundit ... their use of it is incessant. "What do you see for the Obama administration, going forward?" It is the crack of the talking heads of cable news.
4. Actually. Nothing more than a substitute for the dreaded, universally despised "like." It means nothing... it buys a little time before you have to join nouns and verbs together into some sort of meaning. Everytime you hear the word "actually" in conversation, interrupt and repeat it out loud. It is the only way to stop this scourge.
5. Go to. I blame the widespread usage on this one on Rachel Ray: her "go to" favorite menus, her "go to" choices for making "sammies" or some EVOO inspired dishes. The Food Network viewers got hold of this like a dose of rabies and it took off. Just like "going forward," there are a lot of other ways to say this same thing. Variety counts in intelligent conversation.
6. Tarmac. Now maybe this is just a personal gripe of mine, but the word "runway" was doing a perfectly good job in America before this pretentious little trend of calling it a tarmac began a dozen years ago or so. I fear this one is firmly entrenched. Calling a runway a tarmac doesn't make you sound smarter, or British. Cut it out.
7. Look. and Now. Watch any interview these days and you will hear this technique over and over. Before you answer a question, or make a statement, begin it with "Look... Washington insiders know" or "Look... Casey Anthony should not" or "Look...the economy is bound to..." You get it. Its an addictive little hook that shows up everywhere. It serves to make a person's statement sound a little more homey, conversational, a preface that insinuates "I'm going to cut to the real meat of the matter." In reality, it just buys a little time to get your thoughts in order. Local news reporters tend to prefer the use of 'now' to say "I'm getting ready to say something, but I need a split second to both get your attention and not appear at a loss for words." For example: "Now, black ice is a possibility by morning, so..."
8. It is what it is. Sounds a little philosophical... means absolutely nothing. Generally used to just say "I don't know or care", but yet still come out sounding like you passed a wise judgement on the matter.
9. So. Such an innocent word. A needle pulling thread, right? Its overuse is pandemic. "I am SO not liking this." My theory is that this took off when some sitcom character, like Rachel on Friends, said "This is SO not happening," or something similiar. It has the right mix of casualness and heartless sarcasm to really excite people to imitate it. I seem to recall Andrea Martin doing this in a skit on SCTV years before. It was funny then - fresh, creative. It's time has SO come.
10. Hero. I think this is a good choice to end the list. If the overuse of "hero" in American culture says anything about us, it is that our collective definition of what constitutes heroism has been drastically lowered. Heroism is a quiet thing. It rarely wears a uniform to identify itself. Every person who carries some type of badge, does a good deed, or stands up for their beliefs in any real way is not a hero, however admirable they may be. Simply acting in a heroic manner does not a hero make. To claim hero status for every person who performs an admirable act cheapens both the definition of hero, and the true value to society of a person living their daily lives in quiet dignity.
