You’re presumably aware of this, but in case others aren’t, I’ll point out that trivial does have a very specific proper usage in computer science, and means the simplest possible example of something, or a program that demonstrates a technique or principal without approaching the solution to a real world problem. I suspect that it’s overuse is an extension of that principle.
gaahhh, principle. I know this. You all know that I know this, right?
Snowperson? …
Snowperson?!
Dear lord.
You would probably not find this place appetizing, then…
Yeah, what’s your point? It’s an irritating sound, like they’re coughing up a lung.
View must be nice from up on that high horse.
“just” as in "i was just saying…
are you justified in saying?
are you merely saying?
are you recently saying?
sigh…
The last one. No one uses it to mean anything but that.
I think alternate uses are more common than you suggest:
“I’m just saying… could you please just shut up?”
“There’s no problem, it’s just that…”
“The plan was just crazy enough to work…”
“Just be yourself.”
Yes, actually. My gym puts up weekly broadsides of tips for healthy living, and one of the items of a list of physical activities was “make a snowperson with the children.”
Webster’s defines untracked as: performing in a manner regarded as normal or characteristic, as after having been in a slump
Webster’s defines untracked as: performing in a manner regarded as normal or characteristic, as after having been in a slump
I don’t know about sportcasters being geniuses, but webster’s defines untracked as: performing in a manner regarded as normal or characteristic, as after having been a slump
Seems to be in proper context to me.
Perhaps you meant untrodden wilderness.
say something, see the effect of resultant facial expression then couch it with “no, I was just saying that (repeat original phrase)”
Confuscious say panties not best thing in world, but next to it.
ducks and runs, trying to avoid the ubiquitous gunfire coming rapidly at him.
For a while I tried saying “hextupilue” which only lead to confusion. Saying “world wide web-dot-whatever” seems to work and cuts the syllable count to a third.
Words I hate:
“irregardless” is annoying as hell.
Hearing input and output when used as verbs makes me want to upthrow.
I have a new one, which I’ve been annoyed by for awhile but which I only recently realized it irritated me: meme.
Don’t get me wrong: like paradigm, it’s a perfectly good word. But people who have read one too many Wired articles end up overusing it and using it to refer to arguments, ideas, concepts, talking points, theories, cliches, and pretty much anything abstract. In most cases, there’s a more specific word that could be used, but folks seem to think that someone who has or repeats memes is contemptible; so they say “meme” as a way of belittling others.
It bugs me.
Daniel
Amen and amen. I think “meme” bothered me so much that I had blocked it from my memory.
I know I’m late to the party, but I had to weigh in on “utilize.” Generally I think you’re right, but strange to say, there’s a place in this world for “utilization.” In the medical business, “utilization” is commonly understood to mean “use or demand for hospital or medical services,” which makes it actually a shorthand. Someone might say, for example, “We expect the aging of the population to increase utilization,” which would be understood in a way that “We expect the aging of the population to increase use” would not. I wouldn’t be surprised if other types of business used the word in an analagous way. I don’t know if this redeems “utilize” or not, except that without “utilize,” there would be no “utilization.”
Anyway, words I hate, words I hate… All right, here’s one that I see a lot on these boards: “m’kay,” and its variants, for “okay.” If you’re an offender, I beg you to stop. It’s undermining my sanity.
I get really annoyed when people use the expression “same difference.” To me, it just doesn’t make sense. Even if you could give me a reasonable explanation I’ll still hate it.