Let's all agree to stop using the word "curated" in any non-art context. It's driving me insane. Today I flipped through some ridiculous magazine called Monocle. They proudly announced the success of their store which sold "carefully curated" shit.
Come on.
Let's add to this list "gastropub".
Feel free to add other words to the grave in the comments section.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Word funeral.
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174 comments:
I know I sound like a complete ponce for this, but I wish "vintage" would be used more selectively. Just because it's old does not make it vintage. Many deco bloggers love passing off their kak as vintage. It's like the word "fetch", you're not going to make your shitty thrift store purchase "happen" by calling it vintage (that was a "mean girls" reference, sorry). Btw. I love Monocle! By far one of my favourite magazines. Does this make me as pretentious as people who call old crap vintage?
Well, in a similar vein to the recent (mis)use of curated, I could stand it if fashion boutiques would stop referring to their selection of clothing as a 'tightly edited collection'. Um, no it's not, editing, u do it to wordz only.
Every time I hear the word Pop I reach for my revolver.
Add a POP of colour
It just makes the room POP
Please add pop to the grave.
i agree with POP!!
I can't stand the word ARTISANAL. And the use of the word GREEN.
"sourced" (verb)
"colorway"
"porcelains" (as a noun)
"slips" (short for "slipcovers")
"Just because it's old does not make it vintage."
Actually, it does.
I use craptastic too much. Add that to the graveyard.
I also hate pop of color.
Hmm...if I never saw the word upcycle again, I'd be fine with that. Most of the time, the stuff that's "upped" looks worse than it did when it started its life as what it was.
I may not love the overuse of the word "curated", but I do have to say I am smitten by Monocle.
That Tyler Brulée can do no wrong in my book. Being as easy on the eyes as he is doesn't hurt, either!
I have to politely disagree with EmilyKate. Editing can just mean to expunge or eliminate which is an appropriate useage when discussing a collection of anything. You pick and choose what you want in the collection- hence the use of the word 'editing'.
Add my hearty "hear hear!" to calling for the death of a "pop" of color. Similarly, I can't stand any business-y neologisms that involve turning nouns into verbs. Sit in on any corporate meeting and you'll know what I mean.
We tasked him with calendaring time for all team members to start journaling their ideas about gifting.
Myself!!! It should only be used as in "I, myself, would ....." Even some of the media is using it incorrectly, and people are getting used to the sound and think it is correct.
I just did a similar post on words that make you wince. but it segued into words people hate. like verbing nouns...
I would like to politely ask for the end of using the phrase, "over the moon," when referring to new babies, marriages, etc.
Can we please add in "Voila" aka "Wal-la". Everyone is using it -- I heard it about 10 times on an HGTV show this moring -- THE SAME SHOW, IN 30 MINUTES! It's driving me nuts! And Wal-la doens't even mean the same thing, it has become a slang. *Climbs down off the old (not vintage) soapbox now* :)
I still hear people using the phrase "think outside the box" that was so annoyingly overused in the '90's.
staycation.
I'm ready for people to stop saying the word "amazing." Drives me nuts. It's the go to adjective for EVERYTHING. I think reality television is responsible for this word's overuse in America. Every Bachelor or Bachelorette meets "amazing" men and women on the show. Every HGTV decorator sees a completely "amazing" sofa or room makeover. Make it stop. Please.
recessionista is somewhat new, but it's already getting old.
also, i hate how everybody is always swooning over or coveting things. sure they make sense, but find some new verbs to express your like, people!
Too funny, the first word that came to my mind was staycation. I hate that. And chillax.
Chic.
@Anonymous 6:02 AM
In general pieces from the 1920s to 1980 are considered vintage BUT the term also relates to the quality of manufacturing/materials and availability of the item. A 1960s Balenciaga Silk Day Dress is vintage, some nylon get-up you bought at the salvation army for 90cents is not. As far as I understand the word's original intent is to denote high-quality, especially something from the past. Man, I'm such a twat, but while I'm at it, I can't stand it when people use arbitrary french words to sound more cultured like bon weekend (which should be bon week-end)!
"Staycation" and saying "Non-Voyage" to someone taking a "staycation" - these make me bleed from the ears and eyes.
I want to gently slap people who overuse the word ACTUALLY
fruition - yuck. oh and stay-cation.
"Honestly,"
"To be honest,"
"smalls" (retail-speak for "tchotcke"
're-nesting' No, Dear, just call it 'White Flight Part Two' and I'm related to most of the hillbilly meth heads you'll encounter in your new 'enclave'.
'High Hollywood Regency' A gilt cherub shitting grapes is no more advanced than shag on the walls.
'Gen X' When I found a gray hair on my dick, I stopped being part of any 'gen'. Now I'm just the asshole who wants public healthcare in case I develop ass cancer.
maven
guru
edgy
vibe
As in job ad: "Looking for a design maven/ guru to create an edgy vibe (with something retarded like purple walls)"
"master" for "master bedroom" (very HGTV)
icon
iconic
I agree with John.. Tyler Brulee is a hottie! Yum,yum, yum....
but if we need to "retire" any words, how about "theme"? As in every HGTV show... what "theme" do you want for this room? REALLY? you want your house to be like Disneyland? oh, no, we want "Tuscan"... what the heck is "Tuscan"? I have half of my relatives living in Tuscany and none of their homes look like these abominations shown on these "design" shows. I say "tuscan" is dead and buried. From now on, we shall call all tacky "tuscan" interiors, Umbrian....
Umbria is the new Tuscany, there, I said it..... let's start bastardizing a new part of Italy.
woah, holy shit, i don't think i've ever heard of these, let alone *said* the aloud. you love me??
"Charlotte Moss"
water "feature"
I agree that "Chic" is the new "Classy". If you use them, then you are neither.
(But nothing against HC--still love that blog).
I just really hate with people say 'Personally, I...'
REDUNDANT.
Also, reoccuring is not a word. Ugh.
In my job of working for an Italian luxury fashion company, I hear CHIC way too much. This is SOOOOOOO CHIC. How CHIC is that? Oh, she is CHIC to the max. That could be really CHIC. See how chic these shoes are? She is terribly un-CHIC. Gasp, I'm dying at how CHIC this is! This is very CHIC collection. I was inspired by Jackie Kennedy's CHIC-ness.
STOP. JUST STOP IT.
here, here, alison--covet, swoon (esp. as in "swoon-worthy," the worst!) and bespoke must die.
Instead of "curated" or "edited" the correct word should be "MERCHANDISED" when referring to products for sale in a store. That's my two cents!
Literally , because it is used WRONG 90 percent of the time if not more
I also agree with staycation (fairly new but already old)and vintage
My husband's boss tells him to "populate" his time sheet. What? When did "fill in" or "fill out" become inadequate?
"going forward"
"brand"/"branding"
"swoon" ugh.
"made with whole grain"
I like the comment about people hating it when others begin "verbing nouns". Turning the noun "verb" into "verbing" is the perfect example!
Shuzsh.
I think that's how it would be spelled; nevertheless, it is that word that means to tweak in a fabulous way.
Add tweak and fabulous to the list, too.
-ness words (e.g., "all that lacquered goodness")
"awesome"
"bust out the..."
"loves it"
Whatever happened to "You're welcome"?
GOD I MISS IT SO!!!
NO PROBLEM, MY PLEASURE,Happy to, all those ridiculous things!
The word "retro" drives me crazy. It's usually used by people who don't know what the crap they're talking about in terms of style, decor, music, etc. It is often used by the Craig's List poster to lure you to click on their ugly 1970's crap in the guise of something "hip and funky".
I'd like to stop hearing "Right?" as in a response that means "I agree" or "Me too." I could also go without "Really?" to mean "Are you serious?" "Are you kidding me?!"
"Oh please!" (to indicate disagreement)
"Gifted" and "thrifted"...I'm with anon 10:27, the noun into verb phenomenon is extremely irritating.
Repurpose
"Closure" - as in "There were reports of 15 school closures due to the weather" - OMG. It's closings!
What Paul said..."We tasked him with calendaring time for all team members to start journaling their ideas about gifting."
It's corporate-speak like this that makes me glad I'm unemployable. and.... have a shop (or 2) and I do edit...I select that Vintage which is Cool, and reject that which is blahhh.
The word that should be shot/stabbed/let go/tossed on the compost heap...is...Nesting. You, human, are not Nesting. You are buying stuff for your home to make it functional and beautiful.
Birds nest. They make their nests with their beaks. Can you do that???
;-)
I'm starting to HATE the word "organic." Wait. too late. I hate that word and how it is applied to EVERYTHING.
Things that are organic:
1. vegetables
2. wallpaper
3. butt-ugly fabrics
4. traffic patterns in a room
5. methods of design that involve dumpster diving (i'm 100% in favor of dumpster diving, let's just call it what it is.)
Another one that bothers me: campy
"That's just so campy." *grinding teeth*
bespoke and whilst
Amazing, surreal, fabulous, awesome.......Really? Yeah, he is. Ya think? Sort (ie. it was sort of....). I'm over it.
(Connie said: "Myself!!! It should only be used as in "I, myself, would .....")
Actually, Connie dear, there's almost no reason to use "myself", unless you are saying, "I did it myself, or "I made it myself" or something similar. Myself shouldn't be used in place of "I" or "me". It's just that people don't know when to use "I" or "me". And, you certainly shouldn't use it in your example, Connie. I've never understood the use of "I, myself". Who else could you mean when you say "I" but yourself?
"Change OUT," "Swap OUT," etc.
"I'm loving/hating/coveting/whatevering this". Why the "ing"? Why not just use the present tense of the verb, as in, "I love/hate/covet/whatever this"?! Grammar nerds help me out. What's the term for the "ing" tense about which I'm referring . . . er, I mean, about which I refer?
The "ing" form of a verb is a gerund. So everyone stop excessively gerundizing, please :)
ANON 1:18 pm--
Present participle.
MS. PEA--
There's no difference between
"I did it" and "I did it myself."
People add "myself" for emphasis. It may not be technically necessary, but it can be helpful.
Gerunds are "-ing" words that function as nouns, not verbs. Example:
"Going to the store is a drag."
Anon 1:18, it's the present progressive tense.
i hope you never catch me saying:
those typically described as curse words
"um ..." and "uh ..." (not really words, but annoying all the same)
"swoon"
"i don't care" (because i always care and always have an opinion; i just may not want to share something personal at the time or say something that could lead to an argument or a lecture)
any variation of "spill" (as in "sorry i spilled my sadness during the party") unless it has to do with a beverage or food
i apologize for the times i've said those words - in case they bother you as much as they irritate me.
I dislike smitten, seriously, and agree completely with "vintage", pop, and staycation.
"sorry i spilled my sadness during the party"
?!
Who says this?
I say get rid of hipsters.
Not the word, the actual people.
1. "Whatnot"
2. "Anyhoo"
3. The use of "Mc" to emphasize an adjective, as in "That is so chic-y McChic!" or "Why are you so McBitter today?"
"thrilled to announce"
Myself, personally, I actually am hating when girls say or write "sista" It would be SO AMAZING to slap their faces every time they say it. Amazingly awesome.. It would be my pleasure to tell them how caucasian they sound whist trying so desperately to be hip and "down". They come off as trés un-chic and awfully pedestrian with their forced urbanism. If they could only curate a new spin on their vocab, then I would just be over the moon.
I feel the same way for: GROOVY (wtf??) And Gnarly, and the god-awful: SWEET.
Let's just be thankful that rad/radical isn't a buzz word. Phew. Who the fuck came up with that?
"Smitten" is so McSwoonworthy.
"Thrilled to announce" LOL.
"LOL" for that matter (unless used in a lolcats reference).
Him and me.
home before dark:
That one's correct.
From:
http://www.eiu.edu/~wacnews/wac-newsletter/grammar%20babe-1.htm
"Between him and me" is, indeed, the correct usage. "Between" is a preposition. When the object of a preposition is a personal pronoun, it takes the objective case (makes sense) -him, her, it, them, us, you, and, in the case of the first person singular, ME.
Let's tell Lucky magazine to cut out using "tough" to describe clothes. It's been done to death.
We could also lose "stakeholders."
Also now that I think of it "done to death" can go.
Absolutely
Anyhoo!!!!!!!
my theory about the origin of using incorrect verb tenses: an attempt to effect cosmopolitan foreigners' charming mistakes
I too hate the "cutesify-ing" of words, which Domino magazine used to be so guilty of - adding a "y" to nouns
a new one I heard over the weekend, from a Bronx native: "dumb hot"
"Gamine" is an interesting word, but not when every single fashion mag and blogger picks it up.
Also, I think if I hear one more supposedly intelligent newscaster or commentator say "tweet," I'm going to go ballistic. It's absurd. Grow up.
Anon 1:33
Actually, an -ing verb can be a noun as you said and a verb when used with a "helping verb".
For example:
I am going to the store.
The helping verb is "am" and it is working with the gerund.
I've always hated the word MOIST but I guess I don't want it to die because then my cakes would be "lacking dryness" at best or, horrors, "slightly wet." *shiver*
I would like to not only have a funeral for "LOL" but also stick it in its little beady stupid eyes.
Anon 3:30 - let's get married.
"Theater" as a synonym for "battlefield."
The blood is real, people.
Oh honey, we already are.
(But I will get us a new boyfriend; how's that?)
--Anon 3:30
"Functionality" (is "funtion" too short)? and
"Heighth" instead of "height."
Anon 4:13--
In your example, "going" is a present participle, not a gerund. Gerunds function as nouns.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participle
I remembered a new one: FIERCE.
Please,please let it die. So trite I could hang myself when I hear it. Gag.
"Sick."
I was tired of it instantly.
Anon 3:30 / BPPI:
Go get Leighton Miester's boyfriend for us. Have you seen that guy? Yum.
re-purpose
Do phrases count?
"that being said...."
"Architect" when not in reference to buildings but to plans, schemes, political campaigns, etc.
"Gifted" in reference to children (because they almost never are) and as a verb ("I was gifted this ugly tie by my gifted child.")
"Foyer" with a French pronunciation because, like gifted children, they almost never are foyers. In France, "foyer" is used only to refer to vestibular spaces intermediate to a theatre or assembly hall or like public or quasi-public space; it's not an entrance hall or space within domestic architecture.
"Flustrated" (no explanation necessary.)
Runners-up include: "pop"; "accent wall" (the concept and the word); "vintage" (at least 9 times out of 10); the use of "Hollywood Regency" should limited to those who have passed a six-hour examination; "master" as shorthand for master bedroom; and that mysterious Ebay word "chippy."
Dear, Dear Connie
"I, myself, would..." is completely redundant. Like, Helloooo, Dude, we already SO know its you... Puhleeze try to aim a tad more outside the box, s'il vous plait.
(Please count how many irritating words I just used whilst crapping on Connie)
:)
corporate jargon bullsh*t talk. the less work you do in the corporation the more money you make and the more corporate lingo you use to sound important and oh so knowledgable. give us a break please we know you are full of sh*t and the corp. talk is a way to cover it up.
STOP THE CORPORATE TALK!!!
"It is what it is"
"fair enough" (cringe)
"green"
"organic"
"plugged-in"
"ridonkulous" (I must stop saying it, I know)
"slow food" (that you can order online, huh?)
Dude, I think we need to bring Leighton with him. They are so pretty together we can't break them up. They're like a salt-and-pepper set.
"Anal warts"
(I object to this phrase being uttered by my doctor, as he examines me.)
To all of you who objected to "I, myself"...please look it up. It is correct, and it is used for emphasis.
Connie's got a point. It's useful sometimes.
I hate the term "window treatments" !! We call them curtains in my family.
"Vegan leather" for vinyl or PVC. Who can't see right through that bit of spin?
"Does it not...?" or "Is this not...?"
No "-ly" on adverbs where appropriate.
Modifying "unique" with "kind of unique" or "totally unique." It's either unique or it's not and it's usually not.
"Lurve."
"Simular" for "similar" (but oddly never for "simulate"). Of course this isn't a trend or necessarily found in the media, but it sticks in my craw whenever I hear it.
Anon 8:07 PM,
What about "meat curtains"?
Ha! So gross. You're naughty, anon.
Bespoke must die. Glad I'm not alone on that one.
Also, cottage. Your 4,000 sq. ft. home is not a cottage. Please stop calling it that to make it sound more charming.
A Gracious Good Evening to You , Ms. Decorno --
Here are a few words and phrases that make me cringe:
"Carbon Footprint"
"Giving Back", when used in terms of charity (Whatever happened to just plain giving?)
In the design world:
"Bling"
"Faux"
"That is so (pick a year/decade)"
When "Contemporary" and "Modern" are used interchangeably.
"Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb"
"McMansion"
And finally, and most disturbingly, whenever someone leaves comments on your blog saying " I just threw up in my mouth a little bit".
pronunciation funeral:
pronouncing "nuclear" to sound like
Noo-kyuh-lur
Been there, done that
mybad...what could that possibly mean?
This is fun. Oh how I hate the corporate speak. You're not "downloading" information from the meeting. You're sharing it,, telling me, or relaying it. Laying people off is not "rightsizing." Doesn't feel right if it has happened to them. "Synergy." Ugh.
Gi-normous.
laid-off
let go
short sale
foreclosure
broke
bk
I have been so assaulted by him and me, that I failed to put the proper energy into completing my nomination for word funeral. Him and me when used in the nominative case: Him and me went to town.
Conversely, using I in the objective case: It's just between him and I.
"I wish I were" is gone, gone, gone. No one remembers. No one cares because I wish I was is all people know.
CHILLAX. that word can just die. let's not even give it a funeral.
My pet hates:
- misuse of "to beg the question"
- misuse of "ironic"
- turning nouns into verbs
- adding "out" to perfectly useful words such as change, to read "change out" and switch, to read "switch out". What's wrong with you people? I changed my sofa cushions becomes "I changed out my cushions".
- being asked to "sign off on" something. What does this mean and will it hurt? What's wrong with "will you approve this", or "will you sign this".
- superfluous, unnecessary use of words such as "does", as in "my car does do that", and not in response to a question or to contradict a previous statement. Just as some kind of hick intensifier.
- "way shape or form" used ad nauseum. It's something to be used sparingly.
- liberal use of the word "like", like, every fifth word. Like, I so hate this.
- use of "so" in the way I've used it above.
- LOL, ROFL, LMAO etc etc.
Sheesh, now I'm cross and I only just got started.
And anyone who says "I nearly gave myself a brain aneurysm [assembling this bit of Ikea/re-designing my kitchen]" deserves a sharp slap. Just read it on one of my frequent blog reads. I won't name the writer as they are rather sensitive.
But it's a stupid, insensitive thing to say, for obvious reasons, and it should stop. It's not funny, it's not cute, it's not smart.
Speaking of which, I think I'm sick of snark and snarky.
FLAIR in any way, shape, or form. But, especially in describing fashion or decor.
Just came across this multiple-offender this morning:
"...white slips with pops of lime green and a crystal chandelier are so fresh looking!"
" 'Foyer' with a French pronunciation"
If the word is being misused, how would giving it an American (i.e., wrong) pronunciation help?
"That is all."
(particularly overused by Gawker commenters)
People who verbize make me want to weaponize.
For 9:38 AM - July 14:
"If the word is being misused, how would giving it an American (i.e., wrong) pronunciation help?"
"Foyer" to describe an entry hall in a house or apartment is an American (not French) usage, so why not the American pronuciation for that use (not only acceptable but preferred in dictionaries)?
When in Paris, use the French pronuciation for "foyer," aware that it means something different than in the U.S. But on his home turf, there's no grandeur or even correctness to be had in an American who calls his dishwasher a "réfrigérateur."
Anon 9:36-
If you have such a hard-on for Joni, as it appears that it is you that continues to repeatedly deliver zingers about her, then why not just stop reading her fucking blog? Seriously. Your mean-spirited nature is pathetic at best.
xoxo,
Andrea V.
to anon at 2:24 on july 13 -
thankfully none of my family members and friends use it, so i don't technically hear that phrase ("sorry i spilled my sadness ...") so much as read it on many blog entries and their comments. whether spoken out loud or written, i agree with you - please don't use "spill" unless a drink or some food is dropped. :)
and to decorno and all the other commenters - your "word funeral" suggestions are making me laugh out loud (and cringe when i think "i've said that"). thanks.
The word "reference" when discussing art. I'm so tired of people "referencing" things. Artists seem to think it sounds more intellectual if they throw that word in a few times. I'd be more impressed if someone admitted they just pulled it out of their butt last night because they HAD to make something. I hate "my bad" too but then that's not one word. ;-)
Death to "spot on."
eco chic, urban chic, country chic, cheap chic, recession chic, summer chic, shabby chic, euro chic, vintage chic...
Rich - when not referring to people with bucks or chocolate cake.
Wildly - when not referring to antelope stampeding
To die for - Really? You would give your life for a throw pillow?
Using.Periods.In.Between.Words.For.Emphasis.
Stop.Now.
The fill-in-the-blank thing. E.g., "This summer I'm doing the Europe thing"; "So are you into the slow food thing"; etc. There's no need to thingify.
Andrea V:
"continues to repeatedly" = redundant
'uber' as in 'She's an uberbabe'. Sorry I couldnt find the umlaut. Everytime my ageing boss says uber I want to rip off my ears and shove them down his mouth. Maybe I should just look for a new job.
Lurve
"... And I'm okay with that."
It's a phrase rather than a word, but I'm so sick of hearing that "this is the new that." E.g., white is the new black. The irony is that the phrase is supposed to denote something new and fresh yet the phrase itself is so very old and tired. But wait! This insidious phrase can turn on itself: old is the new new! Ack. Make it stop!
Irregardless. Period.
using "couture" to describe everything in fashion that is just not Couture!
i.e. Juicy Couture is anything but.
"Diane Vreeland"
Quit bringing her up already! She's dead! She lived in a red apartment! We get it!!!
i'm surprised no one has said 'I die' or 'i heart'...these make me sick in the gut.
i'm surprised no one has said 'I die' or 'i heart'...these make me sick in the gut.
"Anchor" (verb)
You see this in shelter magazines a lot. It doesn't seem to mean anything except something like "We had a rug, so we put a picture above it."
"At the end of the day" and "directional."
I loathe the following words/phrases. . .
Whimsical
Zany
Funky
Edgy
Tough
Tongue In Cheek
Touch of. . .(whimsy)
Drool Worthy (really are we drooling here??)
It isn’t the words themselves, per se, it is the over use of them in magazines like domino (dearly departed and much maligned) lucky, and Cosmo. And yes, I still read Cosmo.
Oh and I have always hated the word Moist. It just sounds. . .well. . .Moist. Yuck!
"bring to the table"
"a lot on my plate"
"I wanted to bring the outside in" Attention designers--please don't say that anymore.
RobtW:
Your rule,
Use "Foy-ay" in France when referring to public lobbies,
Use "Foy-er" in the US when referring to home entryways
Is anyone else following this at present?
"Impact" as a verb "it was impacted" or "impacting the following areas." I get that nouns can be (and are) verbed, and it's sometimes (but not usually) a creative and interesting use of language, but some uses are more annoying than others. I'm with the haters of "staycation." Blech.
Teenage boys who can enunciate saying "a'ight" instead of "all right." I get it. I saw The Wire, too. Enunciate. And yes, it makes me feel like a finicky old spinster advocating proper diction just typing that.
But reading through the comments, I am guilty of any number of word offenses. It made me laugh at my own word-related pet peeves.
"I get it"
(thanks to Oprah)
Really anything Oprah says.
"I'm all about [fill in the blank]"
you are a boob.
Curated does not now, and never has applied exclusively to art. emilykate is equally stupid in her comments about 'editing' which hasnt ever applied only to words. Both of these can apply to clothing, toupees, mice, turds, or whatever else you can think of.
Um, no you are. (I figured I better sound 12 since, well, you started it).
Please re-read the post. I never indicated that using "curated" in a non-art context is incorrect. I simply asked people to stop using it because it bugs the crap out of me.
So there you go, boob.
Going "green". Oh my gosh, like a prius is going green. A prius is horse shit for green. The batterys wear out at a fast rate. How long do you think it takes for a prius battery to melt into the earth? Another word I hate is prius.
I'm over Oprah too. Anything that comes out of her mouth is like fingers on a chalk board.
"Own it."
The post from The Blendeds wins.
"Funky" is the worst word ever.
No it's not.
In blogland I see a lot of "so and so has done it again!" Done what? I never recall the previous thing they did. I just don't like it. Along with crushing or smitten with anyone or thing you are not having sex with for real. I would never say I have a crush on an armchair. GET A ROOM!
Use of the phrase 'the current climate' as another way to say 'the recession' is really bugging me. It doesn't even make sense. It's as if the recession is an impolite thing to mention in public or tv or the workplace and another more pc phrase is needed.
To the following [generally speaking, the same handful of phrases and adjectives on all of the design blogs and magazines] :
"I'm loving..." [why not just "I love"?]
"I heart..."
objet
recessionista
using the word "sassy" to describe shoes
the suffix "-ini" to describe cocktails that are not made with gin and vermouth
bling [die, please]
"make it happen" [overused by my bitch of an ex-boss]
using the term "fun" to describe an object that is not a toy
*swoon*
please go away!
I have a contract on "would", as in, "I would say..." Just fucking say it you moron
"Green" must be stopped at all costs. It's all gotta go through a factory, a truck, etc. to get into our hands. We ain't living on Gilligan's Island. Please continue to use "green" to describe a color.
"All new" in car ads. It's 2009 and I still have to gas it up, change the oil, buy new tires, and steer. Nothing new there. When they fly and I can snooze in the driver's seat, you can bring back "all new."
"What is up with...?"
"an ALL-NEW episode of..."
-Peeps
-Pop
-ginormous
-spendy (as in expensive)
-like (as in "I like have to like use the like bathroom.")
-lover
There are SO many.
Ridonculous
Chillax
Czar (referring to a federal government employee)
"Buttery" to describe leather. Enough.
How about "rocking" to describe someone wearing something? That is one I was sick of the first time I heard it and sure enough, I've heard it about 1,000 times too many since then!
Politically correct terms: "newcomer" = immigrant, "differently sized" = fat, and "financially challenged" = poor.
Celebrity, sassy, funky, fierce, flair, rad, hip, lurve, edgy, in the know, to die for, fashionista, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, boho-chic, eco-chic, rock chick, passion for fashion, bling and other hip-hop references. And yes, vintage. Some so-called "vintage" is just smelly, ugly clothing.
Using chic, elegant, classy, and sophisticated to refer to things/people that are obviously not.
Here in Manila we like to turn the word "house" into "haus," and "The mall" into "D' mall." Or overuse the term "world-class." Aargh why??
Recently I've noticed local fashion publications saying their editorials and features were "curated by..." I'm an art curator and I find this irritatingly pretentious. "Curator" used to be a rather uncommon (in Manila) and quaint term to refer to dusty museum types. Now it seems to have been pirated by trendy fashion people to convey substance or gravitas.
I'm glad you brought this up. Thank you.
EDGY
I am a creative at an ad agency. NON creative folks - clients and account service folks alike love love love to throw around the term edgy. It's like NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD people. I realize it's b/c they can't articulate but still, it drives me crazy. And they don't want edgy anyway they want SAFE. So, for the love of god, don't use it people!
Sorry, I too am with the other Monocle fans...a must read for anyone is a little over reading quizzes about whether your man really loves you or not...and if he does - 10 ways to please him in bed...
Anything corporatease, including the word "corporatease".
- "I don't have enough bandwidth for that." , going forward, enough on my plate, branding, team building
nee, sans, doyenne, bespoke, travertine, piquant, couture (unless you have 15 seamstresses huddled in France), tumbled, distressed, mid-century, Danish (unless there is cheese involved), unctuous, umami, shag, what evs, whatever's clever, scenster, hipster, latte liberal, bourg (as in bourgeoisie) pronounce "boozj", eco-anything, green, organic, spot-on, over-the-moon, Christian, neo-anything, swoon, mini-crush, drool worthy, salavate, shuttered, bling, honestly, seriously, fashionista, shut.up., blogosphere.....
Ha, yeah, verbing weirds language.
I also hate:
- I heart, and I covet
- Oxford commas (he he)
- "pops" of anything, or anything that "pops"
- ... just sayin' (arrh! I really hate this one!)
- whimsical;
- "inspiration" including "inspiration boards"
- ...no?
- repurpose
- when less is used instead of fewer
I can't stand how people 'do' things incessantly. They don't EAT pizza for lunch, they 'do' it.
'I'm going to bake a chicken and do a stuffing on the side'
'We decided to do a warm color on the walls to make the artwork pop.'
HGTV, TLC and Food Network ... I defy you to watch any show on one of those networks and NOT hear 'do' used in that way.
omg I hate the word 'moist', too.
staycation
right?
diva
a-mazing!
I agree that some of these misuses and trendy twists of words is annoying. I think the Internet is probably a major culprit; formerly the "words" or usages were confined to certain industries or social cliches. By the time they had filtered into the mainstream, they often had lost their cache with the "in" crowd, and were being consigned to the ash heap of pretension. Now, the trends spread with lightning speed, and seem to have a tendency to hang on long after they should, though perhaps the sighting of these twists of the language everywhere at once makes it seem as if they have always been with us.
I take comfort in knowing that humanity's pomposity will soon trash these terms, if only to make room for newer forms of grandiosity. Choose to be amused rather than feeling abused; and remember, a raised eyebrow now and then will do wonders in deflating these people and their exaggerated self-importance, and in so doing, rescue the language.
Verbing "valet"! As in "May I valet your car?"
EEEK!!! My friend said..."Only in California"!!
Into the grave!!!
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