# "At The End Of The Day" And Other Phrases To Kill Off Now, Part XVII **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 28, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150 "2013-03-28T02:39:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/21 "2013-03-28T16:21:55Z")
Think outside the box Pushing the envelope And that annoying “word”, stick-to-it-ive-ness. (Or however the frig you spell it.) ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/22 "2013-03-28T16:26:01Z")
> [@Ms.Pumpkin](#): > > “think outside the box” > > Who thinks inside a box? 😕 “Think outside the box” is great for irony. It’s a banal and cliched way to say “don’t be banal and cliched”. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/23 "2013-03-28T16:28:00Z")
Oh, and “was challenged to” in place of “had to”. Like “Frank was challenged to deliver on the project with limited resources after half his staff quit to find a better job”. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/24 "2013-03-28T16:29:42Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > Lately, “reach out” is really annoying me. That used to be a seldom-used phrase that really had a certain meaning. Now, nobody says that they “called Bob” or “emailed Fred” or “contacted Company X,” they “reached out” to all of them. At the end of a meeting: “Can you reach out to Mary and see what she thinks?” I have to contact students who are not attending classes and call/email them regularly. One woman who is an executive for the schools was constantly sending me emails to “reach out” to Bobby, or Mary, or Chuck… Geez - after 10 calls and emails, what else do you want me to do? Send a Federal Marshall to their house to drag them back here and get them to attend class? So one day, after one of those emails to “reach out”, I responded with: “I have reached out and called them five times, sent 8 emails and also sent a registered letter to their house. If you ask me to reach out any farther, my arm will be dislocated.” She never used the phrase “reach out” again in an email to me. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/25 "2013-03-28T16:44:29Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > No. [Purview](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/purview) is used correctly in that case. The use of “wheelhouse” makes no fucking sense to indicate area of expertise at all. A wheelhouse is where you drive the ship, not where you collect various bits of competence. You are confused. Its a baseball idiom. A ball is said to be in your wheelhouse when its thrown down the middle of the plate. Its a pitch thrown in your power zone where you can hit the ball really hard. I believe it comes from the fact that when you get a good jump on the ball the full swing is in a long circular pattern like spinning a big old fashioned ships wheel. Not a short quick swing like when you are swinging at a bad pitch. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/26 "2013-03-28T16:45:48Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > And that annoying “word”, stick-to-it-ive-ness. (Or however the frig you spell it.) Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Srsly\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Srsly\_Dad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Srsly_Dad)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/27 "2013-03-28T16:52:22Z")
just kidding or JK My teenage daughter uses this all the time, whenever she is incorrect or need to change something she has said. It is practically punctuation. Me - Do you have any homework tonight? Her - Nope. She thinks for a minute Her - JK forgot I have Math. You were not kidding, you were incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/28 "2013-03-28T16:54:39Z")
I hate dismissive discussion-squelchers. Period. End of Story. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/29 "2013-03-28T16:58:29Z")
People who say “I’ll double check” after being asked something for the first time. You’re not double checking if you’ve never checked previously! ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/30 "2013-03-28T17:04:25Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > You are confused. Its a baseball idiom. A ball is said to be in your wheelhouse when its thrown down the middle of the plate. Its a pitch thrown in your power zone where you can hit the ball really hard. I believe it comes from the fact that when you get a good jump on the ball the full swing is in a long circular pattern like spinning a big old fashioned ships wheel. Not a short quick swing like when you are swinging at a bad pitch. It’s a long stretch for a baseball idiom too. To then mangle it into a synonym for ‘purview’ is just idiotic. Though I’d love to see hitter’s saying, “The pitch was in my purview so I knocked it out of the park.” ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/31 "2013-03-28T17:29:01Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > No. [Purview](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/purview) is used correctly in that case. The use of “wheelhouse” makes no fucking sense to indicate area of expertise at all. A wheelhouse is where you drive the ship, not where you collect various bits of competence. I know, and mostly hate purview because of a few snooty big word users who employ it in the most snootiest of snooty ways. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/32 "2013-03-28T17:39:41Z")
> [@tenacious\_j](#): > > I know, and mostly hate purview because of a few snooty big word users who employ it in the most snootiest of snooty ways. Snooty people suck. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/33 "2013-03-28T17:54:17Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > It’s a long stretch for a baseball idiom too. To then mangle it into a synonym for ‘purview’ is just idiotic. > > Though I’d love to see hitter’s saying, “The pitch was in my purview so I knocked it out of the park.” A lot less of a stretch than cheese or can of corn. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/34 "2013-03-28T18:03:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A lot less of a stretch than cheese or can of corn. Thanks though. Now, upon spying an attractive female, I can say, “She’s in my wheelhouse”, because the previous idiom was getting a bit long in the tooth. ---
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/35 "2013-03-28T18:04:21Z")
“Hit the ground running”, “…need to be proactive”, “Metrics” ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/36 "2013-03-28T18:10:13Z")
‘Reach out’ is just horrible. So is ‘going forward’. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/37 "2013-03-28T18:20:09Z")
The elephant/gorilla/800-pound gorilla in the room, blah blah blah > [@Tollhouse](#): > > “to make a long story short” if it is followed by an hour story…(its fine to use if person does keep it short, and i will fess up, i have been guilty of this before, not intentionally, but its almost as if you begin with that phrase it somehow causes the person to not keep it short Long story short…is a phrase whose origins are complicated and rambling. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/38 "2013-03-28T18:27:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I believe it comes from the fact that when you get a good jump on the ball the full swing is in a long circular pattern like spinning a big old fashioned ships wheel. Not a short quick swing like when you are swinging at a bad pitch. I had always assumed it meant an easy pitch that was as easy to aim where you wanted as a ship with a wheel was. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/39 "2013-03-28T18:41:16Z")
The one I have is rather narrow in usage - I fly a lot (a lot) and flight attendants have to make a number of announcements during the flight. It has become common for them to use the phrase “Once again -” at the beginning of every single sentence they utter. I guess I understand that it has a variety of meanings for them, it’s often used in place of “I SAID!” or “HEY MORON I’M TALKING TO YOU!” As in, “Once again - the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign and asks everyone to please remain seated.” - translation - “YOU IN THE YELLOW SWEATSHIRT - SIT DOWN!” But really, they use it for every sentence! “Once again, we will be landing shortly. Once again, please turn off all electronic devices. Once again, this means anything with an on-off switch has to be turned off. Once again, you will be able to use your cell phones once we have landed. Once again, you may not use laptops while we are taxi-ing in to the gate. Once again…” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150/40 "2013-03-28T20:19:24Z")
Not a phrase, just a buzzword: I’m seeing “enterprise” in all sorts of ways lately that are absolutely meaningless AFAICT. We’re going through a big reorganization here, and everything’s enterprise this and enterprise that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-end-of-the-day-and-other-phrases-to-kill-off-now-part-xvii/654150.md?page=3)