# Three More Expressions To Be Retired **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377 "2009-04-26T03:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/21 "2009-04-26T16:07:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > At the end of the day… God yes. And “on the ground”, unless you’re talking about the military, and maybe not even then. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/22 "2009-04-26T16:36:59Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Quoted for truth. > > What ? See I like that expression. But only if you appreviate it. If you just write QFT then they don’t know if you are agreeing with them or telling them to quit fucking talking. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/23 "2009-04-26T17:12:51Z")
From _Big Brother_. Stop telling evicted housemates they have been “on a journey”. No, they haven’t. They’ve been living in the same fucking house for weeks on end, or since time immemorial, whichever is the earliest. They never fucking go out. _Ergo_, no fucking journey. Also, stop saying "And the next person to be evicted from the _Big Brother_ House/fired from _The Apprentice_/ leave _Strictly Come Dancing_/ is Jim" I hate that. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/24 "2009-04-26T17:46:39Z")
I don’t hear “perfect storm” as much as I used to, but still much more than I would like. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/25 "2009-04-26T19:42:16Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I don’t recall ever hearing that expression. I was going to ask what it meant, then decided I might not want to know. [Urban Dictionary.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Hotdog%20Down%20Hallway) I think “shovel-ready” is O.K. It’s not pretentious, and it’s descriptive. The longer version is “ready to pull off the shelf and advertise for bids”. ETA: One which I am tired of seeing misused is “critcal mass”. It doesn’t mean what people evidently think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/26 "2009-04-26T19:55:39Z")
I will allow shovel-ready for projects actually involving shovels. My vote - anything using DNA in a metaphorical sense - “quality is in our DNA” “Americans’ DNA prepares them to face tough economic times” and any similar drivel. Unless you actually have genetic evidence of heritability, I don’t wanna hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/27 "2009-04-26T20:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Fairly unique. > > Pretty unique. > > Quite unique. > > Somewhat unique. What would you replace them with? There needs to be some way to express those meanings. And **NinetyWt** , what do people evidently think “critical mass” means, other than “a distinct quantity of material above which some qualitatively different phenomenon occurs”? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/28 "2009-04-26T20:09:56Z")
I like “got your back.” It’s warm and fuzzy but not too treacly. I don’t mind “win-win” either. I still like ‘the bottom-line is the bottom-line’ for its flavor of surrealism. But I’m with you on the rest, particularly ‘At the end of the day …’ And **glee** , qualifying unique doesn’t even count; it’s like saying ‘for-tay’ when one means ‘strong suit’. Drives me batty, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/29 "2009-04-26T20:11:24Z")
Repeating for emphasis: “Not so much” “I just threw up a little bit in my mouth” Adding: “It is what it is” All 3 of these make my skin crawl. Some of the ones mentioned date back at least 20 years ago to my childhood. Who says “I got your back,” “I’d hit that,” or “back in the day” anymore? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/30 "2009-04-26T21:14:11Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Some of the ones mentioned date back at least 20 years ago to my childhood. Who says “I got your back,” “I’d hit that,” or “back in the day” anymore? A few somewhat unique individuals. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/31 "2009-04-26T23:53:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > what do people evidently think “critical mass” means, other than “a distinct quantity of material above which some qualitatively different phenomenon occurs”? I decided to look this up, and, much to my chagrin, found that the alternate meaning has been in use long enough that now it is in the dictionary. I’ve always thought of it in terms of physics (meanings 1. and 2. below), but evidently it is okay to use it as it says here in 3. : > [@](#): > > 1. The smallest mass of a fissionable material that will sustain a nuclear chain reaction at a constant level. > 2. The amount of matter needed to generate sufficient gravitational force to halt the current expansion of the universe. > 3. An amount or level needed for a specific result or new action to occur: “The sudden national uproar over drugs and drug abuse has reached politically critical mass in Washington” Tom Morganthau. Darn language, changing all the time! ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/32 "2009-04-27T00:13:59Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > Darn language, changing all the time! How is this changing language? 1. The smallest mass of a fissionable material that will sustain a nuclear chain reaction at a constant level 2. An amount or level needed for a specific result or new action to occur #3 is “an amount,” ie the smallest amount, that is needed for a new action to occur and assumedly be sustained. The only thing missing from the def in 3 is the “constant level” part. Granted it’s talking about something other than an actual nuclear reaction, but at least it’s essentially using the same definition as a metaphor, rather than changing it to something entirely different or worse, to the opposite meaning (like peruse). ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/33 "2009-04-27T00:34:42Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > How is this changing language? Changing as in evolving. > [@](#): > > Granted it’s talking about something other than an actual nuclear reaction, It’s a change from the original scientific use, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/34 "2009-04-27T01:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > I like “got your back.” It’s warm and fuzzy but not too treacly. It sounds like what SEAL daddies say to their kids, instead of “Got Your Nose!” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/35 "2009-04-27T01:31:09Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > I would be more than happy if “Fuck my life,” “FTW,” and “Epic fail” went the way of the dodo. Where the hell did “Epic fail”/“fail!” come from in the first place? Gaming or a movie with XY appeal, I theorize. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/36 "2009-04-27T02:04:46Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Where the hell did “Epic fail”/“fail!” come from in the first place? Gaming or a movie with XY appeal, I theorize. Fail is the interesting one, it game from our good old friend, Engrish. [Blazing Star](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Star) for the Neo Geo had the absolutely lovely phrase: > [@](#): > > You fail it! Your skill is not enough, see you next time, bye-bye! Which went around the internet (mostly 4chan, as usual) and eventually just got abbreviated to “fail!” After it was a single word it became increasingly easy to append random intensifiers, from “astronomical” to “epic” to it. Epic presumably came from somewhere in pop culture, but I haven’t been able to find the exact inspiration, it presumably derived from movie trailers and video games (and probably comics) which tend to abuse the word such as “an epic tale…” and “epic item” and whatnot. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/37 "2009-04-27T02:12:22Z")
A couple really popular MMORPGs have “epic” weapons and armour (usually the best in the game, at least at the time they’re added) that are usually just abbreviated to “epics”. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/38 "2009-04-27T02:37:41Z")
Let’s add in: Wow… just wow. (when expressing surprise or disbelief) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/39 "2009-04-27T07:31:57Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Let’s add in: > > Wow… just wow. (when expressing surprise or disbelief) I hate that expression, too. It often feels like the writer thinks it has more punch than it actually has. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377/40 "2009-04-27T11:29:40Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Repeating for emphasis: > Some of the ones mentioned date back at least 20 years ago to my childhood. Who says “I got your back,” “I’d hit that,” or “back in the day” anymore? In the past month I have heard “I got your back” about a q dozen times on the radio and on TV and seen it once or twice in a newspaper. During the same period I have heard “Back in the day” almost as often on the radio. I admit I haven’t heard any real people use either expression, but I spend a lot more time reading the newspaper and listening to radio and tv than I do talking to people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-more-expressions-to-be-retired/494377.md?page=3)