# Words And Phrases To Stop Using In 2009! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752 "2009-01-03T22:58:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/41 "2009-01-05T00:41:39Z")
Fun. I’ve posted about this one before, it irritates me so much. The correct way to say it is “We went to the movies and out to eat - it was fun!” The stupid, suburban white woman way to say it is “I love your blouse! It’s so fun!” “Look at her necklace; isn’t it fun?” I used to work in a retail clothing store and heard this phrase multiple times every week. I’m not sure if these people have any idea how stupid they make themselves sound. Have they been watching too much Martha Stewart or something? Irregardless is another one. Is that even a word? ---
**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/42 "2009-01-05T00:48:50Z")
I’ll sign the petition to repeal “gift” as a verb and “ask” as a noun. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/43 "2009-01-05T01:29:25Z")
“big time!” (when used to mean ‘yes’) ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/44 "2009-01-05T16:20:22Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Damn. I’ve been using “amazing” because “awesome” is worn out. I use both of those words way too much. I desperately need new ones. Amazingly, here are the synonyms from [the synonym place](http://www.synonym.com/synonyms/amazing/) for amazing: “amaze, astonish, astound” Then we come to [awesome](http://www.synonym.com/synonyms/awesome/): “amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, awing” In other words, we’re fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/45 "2009-01-05T16:46:50Z")
> [@Mariemarie](#): > > I’ll sign the petition to repeal “gift” as a verb and “ask” as a noun. Enthusiastically seconded. “He gifted her” and “Time for the ask” make me wanna chew bricks. Another phrase I’ll be glad to stop using in, oh, 15 days: “President Bush.” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/46 "2009-01-05T16:54:55Z")
> [@czarcaztic](#): > > “…for free”. > > “For” is a preposition, best I recall. If so, then “for free” is a prepositional phrase. The object in a prepositional phrase **must** be a noun or pronoun. “Free” is neither. Free _is_ a noun. It’s the cost of an item or service. 😉 For whatever reason, that’s been in place as an idiom for “nothing” for a long long time. “For nothing” would be more grammatically correct, but when you’re talking about payment “free” is an acceptable noun. This is just its weekend job as opposed to its primary occupation as an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![ponsonby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@ponsonby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ponsonby)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/47 "2009-01-05T17:43:38Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I watch far too much HGTV and would like them to stop using the following: > > “I decided to use a **Chocolate Brown**.”…correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t every brown “chocolate” brown? Or is this opposed to the always ugly Lemon Brown, or Tomato Brown or Watermelon brown? > > “It makes the color **pop**.”…or do you mean it contrasts with the boring-ass colors you have in the background? I am so sick of hearing colors pop I feel like I have to duck when I enter you rooms. > > And on the Food Network, do you really have to say, “Add one pound of **hamburger meat**.”? Again, is hamburger _meat_ opposed to that dreaded hamburger lettuce, or hamburger gravel, or hamburger toe jam? Ever hear the phrase ground beef? Or ground round? > > On all of the entertainment shows, please stop calling every model a “ **super** model”. Seriously…is there such a thing as just a “model” anymore? And at what point does one go from model to super model? And if they are such super models, how come nobody I know has ever heard of them? > > Same goes for “porn **star** ”…everyone is a “star”…come on, there has to be a supporting cast in porn films…what, no “porn extra” or “porn bit part” actors? This reads like a Seinfeld bit to me. ---
**Author:** ![unefemmeseule](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3ab097/32.png) [@unefemmeseule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unefemmeseule)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/48 "2009-01-05T17:54:50Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > Speaking of super… > > “I was super excited to…” > “She is super sexy…” > > When did super get so…super? Blame Abba… (going off into the distance singing super trooper) ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/49 "2009-01-05T18:02:59Z")
Recommend me … Seen in way too many SDMB thread titles such as “Recommend me a good local ISP” or “Recommend me a good laptop” – Argh! ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/50 "2009-01-05T18:32:02Z")
> [@Mariemarie](#): > > I’ll sign the petition to repeal “gift” as a verb and “ask” as a noun. I don’t know, there is a subtle difference between “gift” as verb and “give”, to me. It seems to emphasize the fact that what the person is giving is an actual gift, which if you think about it, isn’t really always the case. Consider giving a disease, or a smack upside the head, or a piece of one’s mind. Also, gift as a verb has a special meaning in estate tax language, I think. So it’s quite legitimate there. And what usage of ask as a noun are you referring to? The shorthand of “ask price”, the finance term? ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/51 "2009-01-05T19:31:03Z")
“Dude!” I hate seeing it, I hate hearing it. I’d like to submit an _Amazing Race_ audition tape and promise if I’m picked, you’ll never hear me refer to my partner as “Dude”. StG ---
**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:** [January 5, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/52 "2009-01-05T21:25:41Z")
I was using “dude” a lot (for everybody, male and female -that’s right, I STARTED THAT!), but it is seeming a little shopworn now. Maybe I’ll start using perkin. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/53 "2009-01-05T21:40:12Z")
I want companies to stop advertising that they “Specialize in…” then use a long list of services. For example a hair salon in the area \*specializes \*in: Perms Relaxers Braids Weaves Wigs Coloring Conditioning Twists Children’s Hair Highlighting Extensions I MUST change the TV station immediately every time this comes on. This really irks me. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/54 "2009-01-05T22:46:38Z")
> [@unefemmeseule](#): > > Blame Abba… (going off into the distance singing super trooper) A [Super Trouper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Trouper_(spotlight)) is a specific kind of spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/55 "2009-01-05T22:58:46Z")
Can we stop calling every woman who has any complaint or angst about her wedding “bridezilla”? I know, you think it’s cute and clever, but it’s just really oooooooold now. When they have a TV show by that name on WeTV, it’s not a phrase you want to be using anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/56 "2009-01-05T23:10:56Z")
> [@jali](#): > > This is the second listing in Google. > > [http://www.google.com/search?q=Gaudere’s+Law&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1](http://www.google.com/search?q=Gaudere's+Law&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1) Holy crap! I didn’t know Gaudere’s Law originated here. :eek: I thought it was some kind of net-wide internet phenomenon. I’m not sure what language I’m sick of this year. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/57 "2009-01-06T00:24:34Z")
‘Twenty’ and ‘two thousand’, when naming the year. We’re nine years into the millenium, or eight years for you precisians out there. Either way you’d think that by now we could just start saying the two-digit year number, like we used to in the dear old days of the twentieth century. I do hear people say “oh-nine” or “oh-seven”, and so forth, but “two thousand” still seems to dominate for years 0 through 9, and “twenty” for years thereafter. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/58 "2009-01-06T04:46:43Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > “Try and” instead of “try to”. Grrr. If you’re ‘trying’ then you aren’t guaranteed to get the ‘and’ part. A similar one that bugs me is “I am planning ON GOING to the party.” vs. “I am planning TO GO TO the party.” In an earlier thread, Dopers agreed that either form was grammatically correct but it still grates on my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/59 "2009-01-06T13:25:47Z")
The one that annoys me is: Recommend me a book. Now, technically it is correct. It follows the proper structure as in this acceptable sentence: Read me a book. But it makes me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752/60 "2009-01-06T14:25:43Z")
Huh. Doesn’t bother me at all. :: shrugs :: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-to-stop-using-in-2009/479752.md?page=4)