Words & Phrases No One Should Use

At work, we frequently talk about incorrectly pronounced words and phrases that drive us insane. Maybe it’s because we’re in advertising. Maybe it’s just because we’re all Type A.

Before you go searching on dictionary.com to prove me wrong about anything written here, I’ll tell you right up front that some of these words (sadly) are now acceptable because they’re so commonly used, but they’re marked as “uncommon usage.” As I like to say, you can’t stop progress. I guess this is a side effect of the many vs. the few winning again (I’m sure that’s what Ashton Kutcher would say, but I don’t think he’s following my blog yet). I wish I could be the person at Merriam-Webster who gets to decide which new words are added to the dictionary each year! But I know I’ll never get that job, because I’m so anal I’d reject most of the suggestions.

Regardless, the word at the top of my list is “irregardless.” My closest friends use this word frequently (you know who you are). It’s meaningless. Now you’ve read it on the web, so you know it must be true.

But I’ve realized that different “wrong” words drive different people insane. One friend hates the term “same difference”…which is something I say frequently. It never occurred to me that it’s a pointless phrase. I’ll have to wait and see (or is it “wait to see”?) whether or not I stop using it now that it’s been pointed out to me. Other irksome words/phrases include:
supposebly (I still can’t believe people actually say this)
pacificly (for specifically)
pitcher (for picture)
tarot cards (it’s tar-oh)
I could care less (it’s couldn’t)
besides the point (it’s beside)
a mute point (it’s moot…although this term has it’s own issues. Look it up if you’re concerned)
Gorilla Advertising (this is an industry fav! FYI…it’s guerrilla!! Although we argue about the spelling of that one too. My way is right.)

Writing this reminds me of when I was in the third grade. I had a friend named “Wendy” and our teacher used to chastise all of us for pronouncing it “Windy.” We had no idea what she was talking about. We all thought she was insane. And I bet most of you hate the phrase “I’m fixing to ” What can I say…that’s a southern thing that came from my parents. My Louisiana cousins used to torture my 10-year-old self (from California at the time) for saying “you guys” instead of “y’all.” And if you live above the Mason-Dixon line, trying saying a word like “foil” to someone in the deep south…they won’t even know what you’re talking about. (If you’ve never been there, they pronounce it “foal.”) Needless to say, moving around a lot resulted in a confusing childhood for me, from a dialect standpoint.

I guess none of us are perfect (yes, I just admitted I’m not perfect, you can stop laughing now), and where we were raised has a huge influence on our pronunciation. But if you have a word or phrase to add to the list…please share! If you’re too busy…same difference.

1972's Vision of The Future...in 2010

My husband and I just inherited a box of books from his childhood. One of them (which Dan vividly remembers reading decades ago) is called “2010 – Living In The Future.” It was written in 1972, when he was 2 years old. Looking at this vision of the far-away future (egads! that’s now!), made us laugh hysterically.

The book illustrations include computers looking like HUGE beasts with dials (like our TV sets had back then). The description of the kitchen’s control panel includes the phrase “it looks like a typewriter.” If only there were a reference to 8-tracks somewhere, the imagery would be complete.

Much of it is reminiscent of The Jetsons – machines showering and dressing us, food appearing on conveyor belts just after you order it, etc. (Although there was no prediction of flying cars, which frankly, was my favorite part of the Jetsons.)

A few things have actually happened. They somewhat accurately describe using computers to order things like groceries…except they’re using telephones along with the computer screen to do so. There was no way to envision the Internet! There are not-quite-right, but still close to the idea, descriptions of going to school from home and using videophones. There’s a page about reading and ordering books on a computer screen, which amazon.com recently pioneered with their Kindle.

I really wish the description of airline travel had come true, which is described as being so cheap and prevalent that you don’t need advance reservations, and so fast that you can be in Australia in a couple of hours!

Interestingly, on the heels of “Earth Day” last week, they wrote that all of our dishes would be disposable and simply washed into the sewers. Apparently there was not much of a concern about conservation issues in 70s…and sadly, they couldn’t envision that our oceans would be filled with garbage swirls the size of Texas by 2009. There’s also a mention that “no one is concerned about pollution anymore” because of technological advances eliminating that problem. If only that one had come true!

But I’m also glad that not all of their predictions are a reality. SO thankful that we are NOT all wearing jumpsuits, which is a major theme in the book (along with still wearing 70s hair styles!)
The most disappointing line says “no matter where people work, they will work for only three days a week” (due to the increases in efficiency). How unfortunate that those changes have actually only resulted in everyone working harder, and wanting more, for less! Sigh. I can only hope my kids don’t have 80-hour workweeks when they grow up.

I can hardly wait to see what happens in another 40 years. I really hope we can pay with things using only our fingerprints. I’m sick of all the change in the bottom of my purse.