# Words/expressions I want to be eliminated from usage RIGHT NOW TODAY ENOUGH ALREADY! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609 "2014-09-05T20:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/81 "2014-09-06T10:34:53Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I’m not opposed to the concepts expressed by these words, but I’m so freakin’ tired of hearing and reading them. Find another way to say this stuff for pity’s sake!! > > Baby bump > > Iconic > > Multicultural > > Awesome > I’m sure I’ll think of some more and I will add to the list. I approve of all, except for ‘Awesome’, since I have just, recently, incorporated it into my vocabulary; even so, we can agree to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/82 "2014-09-06T10:43:27Z")
I think that this may be stealing the high road, since we’ve looked at it a few times, but, I cannot let this one go. “We’re pregnant.” The phrase, as well as it’s pimps, needs to be eliminated , per the OP, RNTEA! I will not be so presumptous to say “What do I win”, but, I will allow others to honor me by universal acclaim. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/83 "2014-09-06T11:30:02Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > Speaking of which, I have what I imagine most will feel is a wholly out-of-proportion loathing of the word “utilize” — which is frequently found in corporate mission statements (a phenomenon that ought to be banned outright anyway). > > Many have tried over the years to argue that there is a genuine distinction between the words, but no one has yet convinced me that “utilize” says something that “use” does not. > > Perhaps it does, but I’m afraid I’ve seen the word…er, used in too many of those mission statements in an attempt to sound classy. To me it just sounds pretentious and hackneyed. I agree. I freaking’ loathe the word _utilize_ when use will do fine. Nods to **CookingWithGas**. 😉 > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I wish people would use “begs the question” to mean “predicates an argument upon itself,” and not, “raises a topic for discussion.” I love that concise clarification. > [@chiroptera](#): > > A woman who works for me has the incredibly annoying habit of speaking in “baby talk.” As in: > “Them are so pretty!” > “I need to go potty.” > “I didn’t go beddie-bye until almost midnight last night.” > “I wuv you!” (To her husband.) > > She’s otherwise a fairly mature and sensible person and this is clearly some sort of weird affectation but damn it gets on my nerves sometimes. She should be fired. > [@handsomeharry](#): > > I think that this may be stealing the high road, since we’ve looked at it a few times, but, I cannot let this one go. > > “We’re pregnant.” > The phrase, as well as **it’s** pimps, needs to be eliminated , per the OP, RNTEA! I agree with you, but I cannot let this one go: ITS not IT’S. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/84 "2014-09-06T13:28:49Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Actually, it’s a score of years (drat, ninjaed). And 20 years means exactly 20 years, 2 decades does not. What’s two decades if it’s not exactly 20 years? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/85 "2014-09-06T13:42:00Z")
I’m glad all these phrases are being collected here so that I can put them down the memory hole once and for all. Otherwise, I’m all for throwing them under the bus. Do we have the boots on the ground to prevent their continued usage? Oh, well, I guess that train has left the station. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/86 "2014-09-06T13:52:20Z")
“That moment when…” and “just saying.” These two have taken the internet by storm and make me want to take a shotgun to the people using them. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/87 "2014-09-06T14:08:01Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I’m glad all these phrases are being collected here so that I can put them down the memory hole once and for all. Otherwise, I’m all for throwing them under the bus. Do we have the boots on the ground to prevent their continued usage? Oh, well, I guess that train has left the station. Oh God… I forgot “boots on the ground.” :smack: ---
**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:** [September 6, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/88 "2014-09-06T14:52:33Z")
“Thank you for your service” and “support the troops” seems to have largely died out, thank the Christ. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/89 "2014-09-06T16:08:13Z")
I’m not sure how I forgot this one, but “cray-cray” needs to be put in a straitjacket and removed from society. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/90 "2014-09-06T16:34:24Z")
[Cray-cray is dead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXst_0eVO6o) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/91 "2014-09-06T16:49:26Z")
And then there’s “Cool story, bro”. It’s good that I only ever see this on the Internet, because every time I do, I have an uncontrollable urge to beat the person who said it to death with a shovel. I think it’s the “bro”, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/92 "2014-09-06T17:07:34Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > A woman who works for me has the incredibly annoying habit of speaking in “baby talk.” As in: > “Them are so pretty!” > “I need to go potty.” > “I didn’t go beddie-bye until almost midnight last night.” > “I wuv you!” (To her husband.) > > She’s otherwise a fairly mature and sensible person and this is clearly some sort of weird affectation but damn it gets on my nerves sometimes. Does she have a child under 5? sometimes the talk spills over into the real world, unfortunately. Give her time. If not, well, maybe dope-slap her. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > What’s two decades if it’s not exactly 20 years? Some people will tell you that a decade is a particular ten years, like 2000-2009, or 1950-1959. 1998-2007 is not a “decade,” it’s just ten years. I’m not arguing for this usage, just saying that if you are talking to someone who thinks this, and you tell them you are two decades old, but you were born in 1995, you might get a lecture. I wish people knew the origins of the phrases “Pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps,” and “The Twinkie defense,” so they would stop misusing them. Also, the New York legislator who originally proposed a predicate felon law under which a third strike put one in prison for life, or at least a very, very long time called it “Three strikes and you’re _ **in** _.” Get it? it’s a play on words, and it makes sense. You are IN. Not OUT. “Out” makes no bloody sense, because you are not free, but in fact, IN prison, for a long, long time. It’s a losing battle I’m not even going to bother to fight, but I cringe a little each time I hear “Three strikes and you’re out” in reference to giving a long sentence to someone who has been convicted of a third felony. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/93 "2014-09-06T17:14:26Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > [Cray-cray is dead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXst_0eVO6o) I can deal with just one “cray”, because then I can pretend they’re talking about the [supercomputer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cray) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/94 "2014-09-06T17:38:06Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Some people will tell you that a decade is a particular ten years, like 2000-2009, or 1950-1959. 1998-2007 is not a “decade,” it’s just ten years. I’m not arguing for this usage, just saying that if you are talking to someone who thinks this, and you tell them you are two decades old, but you were born in 1995, you might get a lecture. That’s idiotic. Doubly so since the original root of decade literally means “ten.” > **[Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/decade)** > > The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/95 "2014-09-06T17:48:54Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That’s idiotic. Doubly so since the original root of decade literally means “ten.” > > [DECADE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decade) Note that I did not say I was defending the usage. I have just been “corrected” in this manner before. Some people seem uneasy with the fact that sometimes yes, two words really do mean exactly the same thing, so they have to invent subtle differences. I know someone who insists that a present is given in person, and a gift is either sent, or given in person, but to be opened at a later time, when the giver is not, well, _present_. He just can’t accept that two words mean the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![yawuntz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a5b964/32.png) [@yawuntz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yawuntz)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/96 "2014-09-06T18:11:01Z")
It’s “closure” that pushes my buttons. Later gator, have a good one! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/97 "2014-09-06T18:13:44Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > A woman who works for me has the incredibly annoying habit of speaking in “baby talk.” As in: > “Them are so pretty!” > “I need to go potty.” > “I didn’t go beddie-bye until almost midnight last night.” > “I wuv you!” (To her husband.) > > She’s otherwise a fairly mature and sensible person and this is clearly some sort of weird affectation but damn it gets on my nerves sometimes. I have a coworker who does this. She’s in her mid-50s. The only thing that keeps me from punching her in the face is my suspicion that she was sexually abused as a child. Why else would she regress to a three-year-old? ---
**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:** [September 6, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/98 "2014-09-06T19:05:47Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > What about beginning a sentence with: “So,…” > Does that fit the theme here? I’ve been listening to Robert Heinlein on audio, and for some reason it makes some of his verbal tics stand out with a clarity they do not have on the printed page. Heinlein uses “So…?” a _lot_ in _Starship Troopers_ and _Stranger in a Strange Land_. It seems to be a favorite of Jubal Harshaw’s. He uses it in the first of his juveniles, _Rocket Ship Galileo_, as well. Those are the only three books of his I have on audio, but they have made me _hate_ that usage. It’s probably in a lot of his other works, too. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/99 "2014-09-06T19:10:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve been listening to Robert Heinlein on audio, and for some reason it makes some of his verbal tics stand out with a clarity they do not have on the printed page. Heinlein uses “So…?” a _lot_ in _Starship Troopers_ and _Stranger in a Strange Land_. It seems to be a favorite of Jubal Harshaw’s. He uses it in the first of his juveniles, _Rocket Ship Galileo_, as well. Those are the only three books of his I have on audio, but they have made me _hate_ that usage. It’s probably in a lot of his other works, too. He also has characters say “Eh?” a lot, which really jumps out in audio form. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/100 "2014-09-06T19:16:59Z")
Zombie anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609.md?page=6)