# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/121 "2014-09-07T05:13:55Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I agree with you, but I cannot let this one go: ITS not IT’S. :smack: ---
**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 7, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/122 "2014-09-07T05:29:13Z")
I’m kinda tired of hearing about taking things, especially relationships, “to the next level.” ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/123 "2014-09-07T05:43:34Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > That’s just stupid. I’m know I’m thinking a bit too concrete but a mother is a mother (or mama, if you\* prefer) regardless of marital status. Yes, but the mother is not the speaker’s girlfriend or wife. The baby mama doesn’t even need to be single or unwed–just not married to the child’s father. The term “baby mama” is a descriptive term used by the biological father when mentioning the mother. “Baby mama” came from “baby’s mother”. As in, “My baby’s mother needs me to help her pay rent.” For instance: “I need to stop by my baby mama house to drop of some money.” “My baby mama is always fighting with my girlfriend.” So individually speaking, the single-mother is not just referred to as a “baby mama”. She is _someone’s_ baby mama. The same way she would be referred to as someone’s girlfriend or someone’s wife. “Stay away from Ashley, she is John’s baby mama. They have a little girl named Betty.” Baby daddy is also used for the father. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/124 "2014-09-07T05:47:47Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > I just did. And I would advise against it, to be honest. > OK. Not really. Food babies are [mostly really cute.](https://www.google.com/search?q=food+babies&client=firefox-a&hs=0iP&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=60sKVO_ZFcK2yASA_4LIDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1876&bih=1020&dpr=0.9) Those aren’t food babies. A food baby is what you get after eating so much food that your belly sticks out and makes you look pregnant. The term is just used as a light joke. See the perfectly SFW picture: [![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Po20CmkbPWM/TB_ZqQQVAWI/AAAAAAAAAkA/7uigewBmuXs/s1600/babybrian.bmp) ](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Po20CmkbPWM/TB_ZqQQVAWI/AAAAAAAAAkA/7uigewBmuXs/s1600/babybrian.bmp) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/125 "2014-09-07T05:49:57Z")
What is wrong with the word awesome? Isn’t near as annoying as “pop”. That’s what colors do, apparently. They POP! Fucking hate it! ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/126 "2014-09-07T06:11:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I agree with you, but I cannot let this one go: ITS not IT’S. It’s amazing to me that these two haven’t merged. People who have no problem with “less” for countable items, “another thing coming,” the “can/may” distinction, or “literally” as an intensifier get all worked up over “it’s” and “its”, which basically everybody gets wrong all the time, so far as I can tell (it’s a filler word, so you’re not thinking about it, and the brain really wants to stick an 's on possessives). I’m guessing that in fifty to a hundred years, “its” will have fallen out of use altogether, and “it’s” will serve both functions. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/127 "2014-09-07T09:05:51Z")
“It is what it is” is like “boys will be boys” - a seeming tautology that actually conveys meaning. “It is what it is” means no one can do anything about the thing in question. It indicates resignation. **Missy2U** beat me to “nom nom nom.” It’s puerile. It sounds like a parent trying to get a baby to eat its pablum. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/128 "2014-09-07T11:01:22Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > It’s amazing to me that these two haven’t merged. People who have no problem with “less” for countable items, “another thing coming,” the “can/may” distinction, or “literally” as an intensifier get all worked up over “it’s” and “its”, which basically everybody gets wrong all the time, so far as I can tell (it’s a filler word, so you’re not thinking about it, and the brain really wants to stick an 's on possessives). [. . .] And as long as we’re getting all stabby about mixing up words, I wish more people (meaning _journalists_ ) would learn to use stanch and staunch correctly! ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/129 "2014-09-07T11:07:20Z")
“That ship has sailed.” ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/130 "2014-09-07T15:09:28Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > For that matter, “mouthfeel.” Every time I hear that I want to stab something. Oh God yes. ‘Mouthfeel’ is what a three-year-old says when he’s trying to express the concept of ‘texture’ but doesn’t know the word. If you are old enough to know the word, then USE IT. ‘Mouthfeel’ doesn’t make you sound cute; it makes you sound stupid. And yeah, ‘furbabies’ and all the related crap. It’s dissing two distinct, wonderful and utterly different types of relationships. Also it makes me want to hurl. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/131 "2014-09-07T15:35:57Z")
“To die for.” Honestly? You’re saying that about chocolate cheesecake? Please, then, just get on with it!! ---
**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 7, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/132 "2014-09-07T15:45:50Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Oh God yes. ‘Mouthfeel’ is what a three-year-old says when he’s trying to express the concept of ‘texture’ but doesn’t know the word. If you are old enough to know the word, then USE IT. ‘Mouthfeel’ doesn’t make you sound cute; it makes you sound stupid. I think it’s an industry term that needs to stay within the industry. If you are trying to develop a fat-free version of something, there’s a subtle difference between texture and “mouthfeel.” Texture might have more to do with hiding fiber in something without it seeming to be high fiber. But yeah, the distinction doesn’t matter if you are not a food chemist/developer or whatever those people are called. Someone making a fat-free Oreo is not a chef, or even a cook. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/133 "2014-09-07T16:26:26Z")
Mouthfeel isn’t just texture - it includes viscosity, hardness, brittleness, stickiness and other factors. It’s a legitimate term that has become a vogue word among foodies. It’s like the word “caramelize” - people use it to show off. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/134 "2014-09-07T16:38:39Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > 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. But it’s a putdown. The story is not cool, bro. It’s supposed to be annoying. > [@bobot](#): > > What about beginning a sentence with: “So,…” > Does that fit the theme here? So, I take it you’ve never been to Minnesota, then?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/135 "2014-09-07T16:50:22Z")
Foodies should use dictionaries (at least the ones on Food Network). I blame A. Brown _et al_ for spreading the mispronunciation of plantain. Note to South Georgia: the plural of cent is NOT cent! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/136 "2014-09-07T17:24:37Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > … 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. “Out” may not be what the original legislator said, but it’s more logical than you give it credit for. When someone is “out” in baseball, they’re removed from play. When a felon is put away for life, he (or occasionally she) is removed from play with the rest of us forever. They are out of society. And since that’s where the rest of us live, they are out of our environment. Conversely,“three strikes and you’re in” makes me think “in what?” In my house? In my community? Why would I want that for repeat felons? Yes, I fully get the intended reference. Felons call being in prison being “inside”, and being free being “outside”. But the folks who’re the audience for this law and it’s silly jingle are the law-abiding, not the felons. ---
**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 7, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/137 "2014-09-07T18:08:26Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > What is wrong with the word awesome? It’s used for everything, including everything that is not awesome in the slightest. “I’ll have a hot dog, please.” “Awesome.” :rolleyes: _Hashtag_. It makes me want to punch someone in the throat. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/138 "2014-09-07T18:20:07Z")
I think it was in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row where a woman replies to a man with _“hey, how’d you like to mind your own business?”_ I loved the brassy 1940’s hard-bitten dame sound of it. So, so much better than “you violated my female agency!” ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/139 "2014-09-07T21:11:05Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Mouthfeel isn’t just texture - it includes viscosity, hardness, brittleness, stickiness and other factors. It’s a legitimate term that has become a vogue word among foodies. It’s like the word “caramelize” - people use it to show off. Watching cooking shows, I’ve gotten fed up with “deconstructed”. It just means you put the ingredients individually on the plate instead of putting them all together. You just made less work for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609/140 "2014-09-07T21:25:44Z")
“No problem” in response to “thank you”. Were you raised by wolves? Also, please count me as another vote for “baby bump”. If this nonsense continues, I shall start referring to my rounded tummy as an “ice cream bump”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-expressions-i-want-to-be-eliminated-from-usage-right-now-today-enough-already/697609.md?page=8)