Posted
3/24/2004 06:45:00 PM
by Douglas
Let's not beat around the bush: overwrought clichés are getting
oldAt the end of the day, it's the most irritating cliché in the English language. So says the Plain English Campaign which said the abused and overused phrase was first in a poll of most annoying clichés.
Second place went to "at this moment in time," and third to the constant use of "like," as if it were a form of punctuation. "With all due respect" came fourth.
"When readers or listeners come across these tired expressions, they start tuning out and completely miss the message — assuming there is one," said Plain English Campaign spokesman John Lister.
If I never hear the term
"My Bad" ever again in my life, it'll be too soon. Also, "It's not rocket science" is one that gets old in my office after a new-hire uses it once.