Language Police?

The new list of banned words & phrases is out & I can't say that I don't really sympathize.

"Lake Superior State University on Sunday released its annual 'List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness."

Ya know in the 80's I'd have banned the word "like" if I could have. Cause, ya know, like every girl I'd like talk to would, like interject that word like 25 times before she like got around to just saying that she, like, well, you know - just didn't like, like me.

"Real estate listings were targeted for overuse of 'boast.' As in 'master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces — never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,' quipped Morris Conklin of Portugal."

Ayup.

"Take 'ask your doctor,' the mantra of pharmaceutical commercials. The university called it 'the chewable vitamin morphine of marketing."

Oddly enough I always took "ask your doctor" as a challenge - the ones I've known have been very elusive. But I can see how it'd be grating if I paid attention to commercials at all.

"Sometimes people write us and tell us, 'This isn't working,' Pink said. 'I tell them we need an enforcement division."

Again I really sympathize. I just don't think an enforcement mechanism will help.

& I wonder if phrases such as "spray from the hip", "bullet hose", "no sporting purpose", "saturday night special", "junk guns", "ballistic fingerprinting", "hidden handguns" & "assault weapon" were included in the list? Probably not but they should have been. & from our side I have to say "tactical" has been a little over-used. I came to that realization while browsing a line of tactical long johns some time back.

For the helluvit go ahead & tell me which gun or anti-gun catch phrases &/or terms you're sick & tired of hearing.

Posted by Publicola at January 1, 2007 04:53 AM | TrackBack