Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Words and Phrases that Make Me Cringe

drill down - 'I had to drill down through the issues';
around - as in 'issues around';
and, last but not least, 'stakeholders'

I wonder where I heard those today?

(A clue: the person who uttered them also relieved himself of this homily, which I am about to commit to rainbow coloured needlepoint - “It’s going to be ugly but it’s going to be beautiful in its ugliness".)

8 comments:

  1. he makes me cringe. as do most politicians

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  2. The crucial thing is that he doesn't make himself cringe. A narcissistic personality may be an asset in the game of politics.

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  3. The same person also managed about five "outcomes" in one 20-second period. That's got to be up there on the list of linguistic crimes.

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  4. I loathe 'impacted' when used instead of 'affected'. Drives me batty.

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  5. Madame - I agree, but now you've robbed me of a blog post (and did you like Slovenia?)
    Parrot - 'line ball call'
    'wicked problem'
    'beefed up'
    'front and centre'
    'recalibration'
    'bring it on'
    'in the game', used outside the context of actual games
    'package' used outside the Christmas and birthday and mailbox setting
    'judgement call' (isn't that simply a judgment?)
    I don't care about the arguments about democracy and mandates; that person's crimes against language and his love of cliches are what keep me awake at night (the one above come from his interview with Fran Kelly today)

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  6. Hello! I don't like phrases such as 'To be fair' and 'Before my time' and 'At the end of the day'. I fear my teeth are ground down from the over usage I hear around me as I try to contain myself!

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  7. Happy Frog, yes, plus I've just realised I hate, 'I, for one ...', which I see as ghastly faux self-deprecation from those who really mean, 'I, as the only one who has an opinion that is remotely interesting or important.'

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