Most Loathed Cliches 2

[Dagon]

I've never posted in this forum before, but it seems like a suitable place for me to have a little rant about my most loathed expression and ask if you have any more nominations.

Here is mine: the ridiculous overuse of the word "unbelievable", especially by sportsmen. Every time I watch TV and I see there is going to be an interview with a sportsman, I have to run for the remote because I know it's only a matter of time before the dreaded word is uttered.

Italy won the World Cup ? Unbelievable ! Roger Federer won Wimbledon yet again ? Unbelievable ! I got a strike in ten pin bowling last night ? Unbelievable !

Quite why, in a sporting contest designed specifically so that someone will win, it is "unbelievable" when one of them actually does is something I've never understood.

I favour drastic action to eradicate the use of this word - a life time ban from giving media interviews for anyone caught using it in a context which cannot be proven to be genuinely unbelievable. Also, offenders must attend a compulsory re-education programme to be taught the difference between things which are really unbelievable and things which are merely good or slightly unexpected.

As my contribution to the course, here are a few examples of things which are really unbelievable:

a) people will start building homes on the surface of the Sun
b) a fish will write a thesis on quantum mechanics
c) the rich will start paying the same rate of tax as everyone else

 

[mjldba]

In the same vein, I want to throw-up everytime I hear "amazing" sprinkled on a conversation. ON the way to work this morning the DJ's must have used "amazing" in every other sentence & I found myself talking to my radio.

I said "If both of the DJ's stopped using the word amazing to describe everything from their alarm clock to their cereal to the parking ramp to the next song they played, now that would be amazing".

Other examples:

My friend is so amazing.

The salad bar is at Tony's Place is amazing.

The movie was amazing & I was blown away by the amazing effects.

I talked to Ed and Larry last night, it was amazing.

I saw a new Pontiac Solstice that was the most amazing color.

Tonight's line-up of guests is really amazing.


Just using the word makes me feel like I'm going to taste my lunch again.

 

[eyeswideclosed]

awesome"
"totally"

Also anything posted in my "corpspeak" rant!

If more than 1 goose are geese, why aren't more than 1 moose meese??

 

[donbott]

How about " John Smith is 39 years of age ", no one in real life says that. Also in american football the ref will say " Prior to the snap, offsides...." (offsides by definition is prior to the snap).

DonBott

 

[AlexCuse]

Dag, I like your idea! And I almost busted open laughing when I read c)

I hate the cliche "a penny saved is a penny earned"

This one is just the worst. What if you steal a million bucks, and save half of it. Does this mean you earned half a million bucks? Maybe you "earn" the interest, so it could be "a dollar saved for a year is four pennies earned"?

I also think it should at least be updated to a nickel saved. After all, it may be a penny earned, but it is still just a penny

Later,

Alex

 

[mjldba]

Similiarly, "see a penny, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck".

Seriously, all day long you'll have a useless penny in your pocket and nothing more so you'll probably end up leaving it in the "take a penny leave a penny" cup at the convenience store.

 

[RegistrationMark]

Selling like hotcakes
Spreading like wildfire
When in Rome... though no one ever finishes this cliche
Think outside the box
Head 'em off at the pass

All loathesome
Mark

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> Also in american football the ref will say " Prior to the snap, offsides...." (offsides by definition is prior to the snap).
Actually, encroachment is by definition prior to the snap. Offsides is by definition, simultaneous with the snap.

The reason that referees are instructed to say "prior to the snap" is to reinforce the notion that encorachment is a dead-ball foul whereas offsides is a live-ball foul. It is redundant to say, "prior to the snap, encroachment", but there were too many players and coaches who didn't understand why they couldn't take the result of the play, if the play were allowed to continue.

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[mmerlinn]

"Trust me"

I cringe every time someone says that to me for I know that better than 90% of the time the person saying it CANNOT be trusted. Makes me want put it in overdrive and burn rubber to leave before I am blindsided by that untrustworthy person.

People that can be trusted have no reason to try to convince me that they are trustworthy.




mmerlinn

"Political correctness is the BADGE of a COWARD!"

 

[BJCooperIT]

Earth shattering.
Every dog has his day.

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
My website: Emu Products Plus

 

[gbaughma]

Similiarly, "see a penny, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck".

... and actually, that was originally "See a pin, pick it up...."



Just my 2¢

"In order to start solving a problem, one must first identify its owner." --Me
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[stackdump]

A favorite of newsreaders "Ahead of next weeks..."
What's wrong with "before"?

My pet hate is "waste not, want not", I never understood it.

- Am I supposed to keep all of my trash in case I need it one day?

- If I over eat but have something left on the plate, should I force it down anyway? i.e. no waste. And one day years later when I'm starving, over eating that time many years before will somehow help the situation?

 

[stubnski]

I have always hated the word sorry. Very few people are genuinely sorry when they say they are... at least in my experience.

Stubnski

 

[Gooser]

Perfect

For nothing is.

Any superlative tied to ..."in the world."

Best coffee...
Worst restaurant...
Longest drive...
Wooliest sheep...
Most misbehaved monkey...
Cutest kid...
...in the world.

They all induce vomitting.



v/r

Gooser

Why do today
that which may not need to be done tomorrow --me

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

stubnski ... sorry to hear that!

[Cheers]

 

[SamBones]

I hate the cliche "a penny saved is a penny earned"

My variation has always been, "A penny saved is rediculous!

 

[Scott24x7]

I live in Tokyo... what are pennies?

Before that I lived in Australia... What are pennies?

LOL

I thought these were more "saying's" then cliche's...

cliche

n : a trite or obvious remark

Best Regards,
Scott

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[SilentAiche]

TheManiac,

Penneys are common cents.

"offsides by definition is prior to the snap").

[blue]So, THAT'S what I was feeling...[/blue]

Tim (who collects cent-pieces, by not bothering to spend them, and who once had a dog named Penny.

BTW - The "C" in J.C. Penny stands for "Cash." I always thought that was kinda funny.

[blue]_______________________________________________________
"Although many figures are strange, prime numbers are truly odd."[/blue]

 

[Scott24x7]

Hmmm that must be my problem... I'm living in countries which have no common cents...

You're scaring me now.


Best Regards,
Scott

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."

 

[2ffat]

You can't have your cake and eat it, too." What's up with that? How can you eat cake if you don't have it to begin with?

"Cool beans." This one make me cringe.

James P. Cottingham
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