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Words that must die
In last week’s post, I wrote about the need to stop using the worn-out expression thinking outside the box and replace it with the fresh and more accurate term maxing the box.
Today I’d like to expand on that theme, adding more threadbare terms that should be buried or at least wheeled out only for brief cameos.
Some of these I blogged about on my ingénue wordpress site, but are still annoying me. Others have made me clench my teeth more recently.
To help people remember how we used to write simply, I am accompanying each expression with an old-fashioned but clear alternative.
ROI: achieved results
Short for return on investment. Why can’t you just say you achieved a return or results? Why the alphabet soup?
Boot camp: intense learning
I’m still inundated with pitches for boot camps, some run by barking fitness trainers, but mostly intense learning sessions that don’t actually involve sweat and pain, though sometimes my brain gets tired. Enough.
Low-hanging fruit: easy pickings
This metaphor was fine—the first hundred times I heard it. Now it’s a low-hanging phrase for easy-thinking people.
Moment of truth: realization
What marketers call moments of truth are simply when people realize something. Too dramatic a description for an experience that’s only one step above the mundane. Unless you’re a hill billy.
Moving forward: we will
How about using the future tense instead of preceding the latest C-suite proclamation with this pretentiously grandiose phrase? The phrase is not only over-used, but can also be inaccurate if the future involves, as it so often does, staying in the same place or moving backwards.
Palpable: feel it
Although palpable can mean intense or obvious, this word came from medical science, like when the doctor says that tumor on your leg is palpable. Creeps me out.
Granularity: detailed
I keep thinking they’re talking about healthy bread, but then they get started about detailed designs or plans or something and I’m disappointed and hungry.
What expressions would you like to kill?
How about any modifier for “unique,” such as “very unique” or “the most unique”?
It’s either unique or it ain’t.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Donna Papacosta, Barb Sawyers. Barb Sawyers said: Words that must die. http://bit.ly/bv8aYk [...]
Words that must die « Sticky Communication…
Let’s put to rest tired expressions, such as ROI, boot camp and moving forward….
All great ones Barb.
A word I see to often is “very”. And it’s often found nearby exclamation marks….both are used too much.
Cyrus
“At the end of the day.” As I have started saying to others, “At the end of the day, it’s night.” As an alternative, maybe “ultimately,” or more likely, it’s not even necessary.
How about “utilize” and “diarize”? Awful, unnecessary words. I’m not even sure if you would find “diarize” in a dictionary. And as for “utilize” … what’s wrong with “use”?
Great examples, guys. I feel like I’ve opened a Pandora’s box. I keep reading and hearing expressions that should die. Worse still, I catch myself using them without thinking. Ouch!
[...] Need I say more? You too probably have some expressions that should rest in peace. [...]
Words that must die…
Which tired old expressions made you clench your teeth this year? Expressions like “moving forward” and “moment of truth” deserve to be put out of their misery….