Gag-me-with-a-combine-harvester words of 2007
Cats: words|Since we’re having fun with lists, here is a list of the worst cliches of 2007.
These are the overused and distorted beyond all recognition words that fall out of the mouths of talking heads who to fill up air time on TV news shows, you know, to help us understand the world around us at this hour.
It was sent by GT commentator Hunt & Peck from this website. I’ve taken the words and put my own spin on them. Try not to be sick on yourself. Thanks H&P.
PERFECT STORM – a descriptive overused and distorted beyond all recognition. Was the name of a book that talked about really bad weather that sunk a boat. Now used by those who want to sound literary and probably don’t know about the book, and possibly, have never read a book.
WEBINAR – A seminar distributed on the web. The prospect of going to a seminar is bad enough, but who in their right mind would ever want to attend a webinar? The word if as painful sounding as it is pretentious.
WATERBOARDING – makes torture techniques sounds like fun at the beach.
ORGANIC – word used to make things sound natural, fuzzy and green. Organic corporate growth in the chemical industry. Yeah right.
POST 9/11 – Our post-9/11 world. Overused justifier to make the reduction of civil liberties sound inevitable and pleasing.
‘BLANK’ is the new ‘BLANK’ or ‘X’ is the new ‘Y’ – Brown is the new black; black is the new red; red is the new yellow; yellow is the new brown and you’re right back to where you started. And going in circles.
RANDOM – Popular with teenagers in many places. That’s OK. They’re teenagers, but if you’re over 25, avoid it as it will make you sound like the 25-year old loser who refused to leave high school because the “babes just keep getting younger.”
SWEET – Also popular with teens, but too many sweets make you to vomit.
POP – the creation of make-up artists. This colour makes your eyes pop. Yes, and so does sticking a needle in them.
IT IS WHAT IT IS – just say tautology. It’s more fun and people just might think you have an IQ bigger than your shoe size.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:06 am
OMG. I HATE “WEBINAR”. It makes me go a little bit crazy when I receive emails inviting me to webinars.
Also, good thing I’m 23 because I say “sweet” and “random” quite a bit. I get two more years, right GT?
January 17th, 2008 at 3:07 am
I also hate “OMG”. But I felt the emphasis was appropriate on this occasion.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:12 am
OMG, sweet Deepti, love the random comments.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Well “Gag me with a rotatilla” – here I was, playing around on the keyboard, you know, random-like…and sweet, I found the gifted typist had absconded with my most favorite I HATE THESE WORDS AND PHRASES OUTLOUD list – imagine, I nearly went organic over it.
Thanks a ton, gifted.
Your list just pops.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:17 am
p.s. All the best, Cheddar. That’s quite a mouth you have.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I never understood the “pop” thing. Why did they say it like it was something desirable?
ALso, I never understood using any of those other words either.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I heard a burly manly no collar guy use the phrase “Make it work!” on some testosteroni building, flipping, tattoo, motorcycle, or somesuch show recently. Probably a sign that that phrase has run it’s course.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
E the D, you pop.
BB, not understanding is the first step to renewal. Keep not understand ing this stuff.
MdG, oh, but what a fine exit that must have made.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I’ve been checking out this list for years & it’s always on the mark. I especially hate when celebrities over 50 say “say 50 is the new 30″ No it isn’t. You are getting old. Get over yourself. And isn’t saying “it makes it pop” also a polite way of saying “it sticks out like a sore thumb”
January 17th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
H&P, Pierre Berton said as much when he was in his nineties. I’m old, I don;t like being old, I can’t do the things I used to do, Don’t let anyone tell you getting old is fun. It’s not.
He said that and I always appreciated his honesty.
Cheers for pointing us to this list.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
These are great.
Waterboarding confuses me.
I am so sick of random.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Jacy, we used to say “decent” where kids today say random and my parents got so sick of it too.
January 18th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Imagine someone calling pink “pink 2.0.”
“Pink is the new black” doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?
January 18th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
When ya put it that way BeckEye, it don’t sound bad at all