MetaChat - Phrase Overload: Can we please let "a perfect storm" die now?

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24 April 2008

Phrase Overload: Can we please let "a perfect storm" die now? →[More:]I read it in articles on politics, about finance, and just about everything else. Movies and weather, that is the only place I want to see it. Grrrr.

post by: King of Prontopia at: 14:41 | 14 comments

Agreed.

Likewise "on the ground," as in "the situation on the ground." It's acceptable in war coverage (it's a military phrase) but I'm sick of hearing it ten times a week in stories about everything else.

posted by BoringPostcards 24 April | 15:02

I vote to retire the recently trendy "would" as in "I would disagree." If you would, why don't you just go ahead and do it already?

posted by Miko 24 April | 15:03

I kinda like 'perfect storm.' What's a good replacement?

posted by box 24 April | 15:04

A lot of people use it to mean "coincidence" or "confluence" or the like. I would suggest we all use terms like these strictly on a go-forward basis to maximize synergy.

posted by middleclasstool 24 April | 15:51

I'm just going to start saying "a perfect poop".

Poop poop poop.

posted by Specklet 24 April | 16:38

Between 'a perfect poop' and 'shitstorm,' maybe we've got it covered.

posted by box 24 April | 16:52

It's already on the Lake Superior State University Banished Words list; I don't know if Matt Groening has added it to his "Forbidden Words", but the Web doesn't have anything more recent than 2005...

posted by wendell 24 April | 16:57

Can we get rid of some of these election words? "Surrogate." "Kitchen sink." "Close the deal." Bleh.

posted by Claudia_SF 24 April | 21:11

This might be just a British thing but I'd retire/ban/kick to the far corner of Hell 'a million and a half', 'a billion and a quarter' and the like.

A million and a half = 1,000,000.5
One and a half million = 1,500,000 - which is what you meant, no?

posted by altolinguistic 25 April | 03:03

I've always assumed that they meant "a million and a half" when thy say that and not "one and a half million".

Also, please stop putting ducks in a row.

posted by dabitch 25 April | 03:40

then again, while on the island known as England Whales and Scotland, and people makes dates to meet me at half eight, I show up at seven thirty which is half eight to me. Quit confusing me!!!

posted by dabitch 25 April | 03:44

I agree dabitch: half eight = 7:30. It's the same in NL

posted by jouke 25 April | 07:17

we get it a lot on the news here (hello BBC) where one and a half million is clearly what's meant, usually in terms of money - they'd have no reason to mean 'one million pounds and fifty pence'.

posted by altolinguistic 25 April | 09:41

*phew* Good thing I'm not going to any UK auction houses thinking "Gee, one million pounds and fifty pence is a bargain" and then bidding. ;)

posted by dabitch 25 April | 15:00

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