# Words and phrases you're sick of. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709 "2006-07-23T16:00:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/1 "2006-07-23T16:00:46Z")
I read quite a lot of fiction, and there some words authors seem to find irresistable. A couple that I am truly sick and tired of; Luminol. Sodium-vapor (sickly yellow). Splatter. I usually leave books where I finish them. I’m tempted to carry my black felt tip pen with me, but I’m a pretty stromg fan of the First. mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/2 "2006-07-23T16:07:52Z")
Panorama. I forget which book I was reading at the time, but the author (Juliet Marillier, I think) used it about seven times in only _two_ chapters. Aren’t editors supposed to catch these things? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/3 "2006-07-23T16:11:03Z")
Amazing. So overused, especially on reality shows. If I had a nickel for every “She’s amazing” or “He’s an amazing person”, I’d have a whole hell of a lot of nickels. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/4 "2006-07-23T16:22:05Z")
Good to Go. Silver - Anything to do with older adults has silver in the name. I thought they were supposed to be your golden years. I’d rather be golden. Karma - Yes people you have killed it, and it’s being refered to in a way not meshing with it’s Buddist origins. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/5 "2006-07-23T16:24:27Z")
Buddhist ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/6 "2006-07-23T16:31:03Z")
Febrile! I wish that Steven Erikson would stop using it. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/7 "2006-07-23T16:41:21Z")
I’m sick and tired of _sick and tired_. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/8 "2006-07-23T16:43:25Z")
“the” ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/9 "2006-07-23T17:05:51Z")
Still beats _teh_. :dubious: I could live the rest of my life without hearing or seeing **“Sorry, but…”**. It invariably means the speaker/writer (usually writer) is about to get smug, callous, or superior. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/10 "2006-07-23T17:12:34Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] Sodium-vapor (sickly yellow). [/QUOTE] Read a lot of Dean Koontz, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/11 "2006-07-23T17:35:41Z")
Impact (where affect or effect would be more accurate) Orientate (isn’t orient what you mean?) Commentate (what a commentator does?) Literally (when figuratively is meant) Analyzation (it’s analysis) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/12 "2006-07-23T17:44:24Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Read a lot of Dean Koontz, huh? [/QUOTE] Did. But the phrase seems to be contageous. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/13 "2006-07-23T17:47:53Z")
“Think outside the box.” I also think that the word “unarguable” should be banned from the English language. ---
**Author:** ![Carlyjay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Carlyjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlyjay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/14 "2006-07-23T17:54:35Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Read a lot of Dean Koontz, huh? [/QUOTE] I actually counted the number of times Dean Koontz used the word “luminous” (and variations thereof) in his book “The Taking”. I stopped counting somewhere around 37, and that was, I believe, a third of the way through the book. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/15 "2006-07-23T18:17:03Z")
PC - As in politically correct. Who cares if it’s a safe comment for politicians? Weapons of mass destruction. - Please call them by any other name. There are enough words in English to use a different phrase. Never has it been phrased differently in the last five years. Gifted - Many use it in a context to mean the exact opposite. Gifted is someone that has exceptional talents. A mentally retarded individual is not gifted. I give this ten seconds before, somebody takes this as an attack, when I use the word retarded in the correct context. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/16 "2006-07-23T18:21:23Z")
In sports circles, a word that got old _really_ fast is “ **three-peat** ”. “Now with 2 championships under their belt, can they make it a 'three-peat”? I am trying to enact a law whereby using that expression (except for instructional purposes as I’m doing here) incurs the death penalty. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/17 "2006-07-23T18:27:24Z")
**Harmonious Discord** I have never heard the word “gifted” used to describe people with developmental disabilities (aka retarded). What I have heard overused for a long time is the term “exceptional”. When I was in college decades ago, there were courses such as “Psychology of the Exceptional Child”. Yes it meant retarded but couldn’t the term “exceptional child” also mean a genius? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/18 "2006-07-23T18:32:22Z")
Momentarily: It’s never used correctly and it’s everywhere. “Doctor will be with you momentarily.” Really? Will I only be billed partially? “The flight will leave momentarily.” Then what; we crash? “Your waitress will be with you momentarily.” Long enough to take my order, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/19 "2006-07-23T18:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] In sports circles, a word that got old _really_ fast is “ **three-peat** ”. “Now with 2 championships under their belt, can they make it a 'three-peat”? I am trying to enact a law whereby using that expression (except for instructional purposes as I’m doing here) incurs the death penalty. :mad: [/QUOTE] I’m right there with you! What was so cool is when it turned into a one-peat since they only had one legit claim and couldn’t get another one done. Sick ESPN geeks. ---
**Author:** ![leafrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@leafrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leafrog)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709/20 "2006-07-23T18:33:40Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] **Harmonious Discord** I have never heard the word “gifted” used to describe people with developmental disabilities (aka retarded). What I have heard overused for a long time is the term “exceptional”. When I was in college decades ago, there were courses such as “Psychology of the Exceptional Child”. Yes it meant retarded but couldn’t the term “exceptional child” also mean a genius? [/QUOTE] Decades ago when I was studying Elementary Education, I took a course called “Psychology of the Exceptional Child”, and it dealt with students on both ends of the spectrum, both gifted and disabled. My nomination for this thread is “Go to”, (Rachael Ray, I’m talking to you!) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-and-phrases-youre-sick-of/365709.md?page=2)