Today I would like to concentrate on two words that are definitely overused, and arguably misused. I will make the case that they are indeed misused, or at least frequently used in a way that pisses me off. (And, I mean really, what's the difference?)
The two words are "explore" and "celebrate." They are used in ways that irritate me not so much in fiction (hardly at all, actually) as in the professional world. I'm not talking about management-speak either: "think outside the box" or "dialogue" as a verb or that sort of thing. These two are examples of words that are far too evocative for the way they are often used, and they are used deliberately to make things sound more dynamic than they are. And that annoys me.
Let me show you what I mean.
First, "explore." This word has an aura of adventure, of the unknown. We all learned "the explorers" in school. (If you're me, you learned them five or six times.) It also has an aura of the physical and the spatial, either literally or metaphorically. One can "explore" the Amazon or Manhattan (though I think the second is stretching it). A surgeon can "explore" your chest cavity (a physical space) or two teenagers in heat can "explore" each other's bodies.
Exploration also sometimes connotes certain kinds of science and discovery (space travel, expeditions to faraway places) but it is very easy to overextend this analogy. In my view at least, one does not open up Excel (or SPSS, for that matter) and "explore" data (one analyzes it). This blog is not an "exploration" of my life or my quest to get published (heck, I don't know what it is). I do not "explore" my Outlook calendar to see what I have to do today (I look at it). The expert panel did not "explore" the future of health care (they talked about, discussed, argued, speculated, and/or pontificated on it). The word is simply too much for those cases.
"Celebrate" is even more annoying, because it conjures festive images: party hats and noisemakers, or at least cake and some booze. A group of people sitting silently in an auditorium in suits at 8:30 in the morning listening to someone talk are not "celebrating" anything.
Indeed, if I have to write a paper for or give a Powerpoint on the occasion, then the occasion is not a "celebration." (If we all go out to the bar afterwards and someone else is paying for drinks, then ask me again.) People seem to want to use "celebrate" to mean "commemorate" or "acknowledge."
Or people will urge us to "celebrate" a concept. "Celebrate diversity" is the most often-used example I can think of. They mean "accept" or, more enthusiastically, "embrace" or "appreciate." They do not mean go buy an ice cream cake and think about the ethnic foods aisle in your supermarket while gobbling away (though I would be happy to do that).
A third but less frequently used example is "weave." And there are probably more. But I won't belabor the point.
Anyone else down with me on this kind of over/"mis"use? What other examples do you hate?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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10 comments:
Ha! Very funny. I guess I don't feel that strongly about these (or any) verbs. What annoys me is the overuse of adjectives. I think it's an easy way to write without saying much.
I love to hate word misuse and this is right up my ally. I'm right there with you on these. Naturally I have no contributions myself of the same nature, but I really hate the misuse of "comprises" and "begs the question" absolutely blows my head head up.
Thanks, guys. Sierra, I don't even try to use "begs the question" anymore - I can never get it right. (But at least I recognize that!)
It took me forever and a day, but I thought of one: enjoy as used in advertising. Like "Enjoy $20 off a pair of pants" or "Enjoy free shipping." While I do like to save money, I'm not really enjoying it the way I enjoy a book or a Broadway show. Those things I remember and can speak to with enthusiasm. That I got free shipping on something? Not so much.
I work with someone who uses "Kamikaze" constantly, when "Nazi" is really the appropriate term. Except, really...in science? Using either more than once a months is inappropriate, IMHO.
Welcome, Teri Anne! "Kamikaze" for "Nazi"? Well, I guess they are both WWII allusions, but beyond that...?
So "explore" and "celebrate" seem to come up when people are giving talks, and not so much hard-core research talks as talks about all the great things their organization, department, agency, whatever is accomplishing. I think they should tone it down, especially when they're talking to other researchers.
My least favorite word that has been taken over by the corporate world is "opportunity". I always thought "opportunity" was such a positive word, but now there are no "problems", just "opportunities". In MY world, you can't fix a problem unless you recognize it as a problem!
But, Giggles, didn't you know that every challenge is an opportunity?? It's become a cliche at this point, but you're right: some things just suck, and pretending they are "opportunities" in disguise does not help a thing.
My pet peeve is the phrase "no problem" Store clerks use it, gas station attendents use it. I guess now we should just be happy that the clerk can ring up your sale (no problem) or the attendent can actually pump your gas (yes Im from NJ one of two states that still has attendents) But really these simple tasks shouldn't be a problem to begin with....lol
Denisef - People seem to have very strong feelings about "no problem." Some view it as an extremely undesirable alternative to "you're welcome." I'm usually a stickler about these things but I have to admit "no problem" doesn't really bug me. In fact, I sometimes use it myself (and wonder if I'm pissing people off when I do!).
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