# Not so much "not so much", please. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 30, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188 "2007-04-30T17:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/1 "2007-04-30T17:56:05Z")
It strikes me like those rooms with ping pong balls on the mouse traps. One comes flying in somewhat innocently, sends a couple more into motion, then two seconds later, its a cacophonous mess with ping pong balls flying everywhere. Every other thread I’ve opened up the past few days has had a “not so much” in it. It’s already too late not to be deemed annoying, but we need not exacerbate it. Try to express yourself without it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/2 "2007-04-30T17:57:38Z")
For me, it’s “prolly”. God, I hate hate hate that word. This other? Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/3 "2007-04-30T18:15:50Z")
**Liberal** , aren’t you worried that people aren’t going to like you if you provoke them like that? Hah - I’m cracking myself up here! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cards)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/4 "2007-04-30T18:22:47Z")
You know, ten years ago I don’t think I ever ran into that phrase. How did that come to be used so much? ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/5 "2007-04-30T18:26:22Z")
I first encountered it in the sitcom “Mad About You”, in which the two leads said it to each other pretty much constantly. I think Paul Reiser was the popularizer, if not the inventor, of this term. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/6 "2007-04-30T18:36:08Z")
I applaud your truthiness. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/7 "2007-04-30T18:47:21Z")
All right. Well, here’s a decent article on it from Columbia’s School of Journalism: [http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-10-31/weiss-catchphrasedujour/](http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-10-31/weiss-catchphrasedujour/) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/8 "2007-04-30T18:49:12Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] For me, it’s “prolly”. God, I hate hate hate that word. This other? Not so much. [/QUOTE] Prolly shouldn’t mention how much “le sigh” irritates me, as a Francophone of middling ability. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/9 "2007-04-30T18:52:22Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] All right. Well, here’s a decent article on it from Columbia’s School of Journalism: [http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-10-31/weiss-catchphrasedujour/](http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2006-10-31/weiss-catchphrasedujour/) [/QUOTE] Did it just blast onto the SDMB scene, or am I crazy. . .or just randomly selecting threads today in which people use it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/10 "2007-04-30T18:53:35Z")
Probably via Jon Stewart. He’s a popular figger hereabouts. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/11 "2007-04-30T19:28:47Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] It strikes me like those rooms with ping pong balls on the mouse traps. One comes flying in somewhat innocently, sends a couple more into motion, then two seconds later, its a cacophonous mess with ping pong balls flying everywhere. Every other thread I’ve opened up the past few days has had a “not so much” in it. It’s already too late not to be deemed annoying, but we need not exacerbate it. Try to express yourself without it. [/QUOTE] Man, I like that ping pong ball thing. It reminds me of what happens when stupid people do stupid things. Shit goes wrong in a hot ass hurry. All it takes is one stupid move.I say the not so much thing sometimes but If it pisses you guys off I’ll try to tone it down some. It don’t pay to piss off “The Dope” ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/12 "2007-04-30T19:32:11Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] Prolly shouldn’t mention how much “le sigh” irritates me, as a Francophone of middling ability. 🙂 [/QUOTE] What! Have you no fondness for Mr. LePew? I get tired of the same old words so I’m glad when a useful phrase like ‘not so much’ turns up. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/13 "2007-04-30T19:39:49Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] Every other thread I’ve opened up the past few days has had a “not so much” in it. [/QUOTE] Can we get some cites, please? I haven’t noticed this, and even after reading **Liberal** ’s linked article, I don’t understand where the annoying part comes in. Maybe if I saw a few examples, it would help. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/14 "2007-04-30T19:45:29Z")
“Meh” is the one that makes me want to strangle puppies. And “y’know” written as “yanno.” ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/15 "2007-04-30T20:03:38Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] And “y’know” written as “yanno.” [/QUOTE] I’ve never seen that one. I would have thought it’s a New Age pianist. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/16 "2007-04-30T20:23:35Z")
[QUOTE=Quiddity Glomfuster] I get tired of the same old words so I’m glad when a useful phrase like ‘not so much’ turns up. [/QUOTE] You’re glad of a cliche because you get tired of using the same old words? What’s that like? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/17 "2007-04-30T20:23:52Z")
Any phrase that reaches the American psyche via _Buffy_ is one [del]I approve of[/del] of which I approve. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/18 "2007-04-30T21:06:49Z")
But, but, but, your thread title had TWO “not so much” in it! Are you sure you actually hate it and not just pretending to hate it in order to get all the froamy-froth grammar goombahs in a broohaha? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/19 "2007-04-30T21:54:31Z")
Another one is ‘the internets’. Makes you sound like such a geek. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188/20 "2007-04-30T21:57:39Z")
If the shoe fits… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-much-not-so-much-please/402188.md?page=2)