Bastardization of words

[Diabeetus]

What made me start the topic is seeing the phrase "light years" used to quantify how far behind a team/player is in several different locations. Light years measure distance, not time, and the misuse of the word bugs the hell out of me. "Unbelievable" is another one that just drives me up the wall because almost always, the scenario is believable.

What other consistent misuses of words make you cringe?

 

[Dickens Cider]

Literally.

 

[lone star scribe]

Senseless.

 

[SixToe]

basically

I also hate "on the season" and "on the year" and even "on Saturday" but I veer toward threadjackery and shall stop.

 

[Barsuk]

Literally.

You mean like, "He is literally on a high wire without a net," vis a vis Jerry Jones when referring to Pacman Jones?

 

[Joe Williams]

I could care less.

No, really, too many people say that when what they mean is, "I couldn't care less."

 

[Ace]

Notoriety to mean fame rather than infamy.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Notoriety to mean fame rather than infamy.

I made that mistake in a story once and it was brought to me attention by a reader.

 

[cyclingwriter]

"shocked the world/ surprised everyone"
East Podunk beating West Podunk in table tennis was not shocking to the world...just the kids on the table tennis team and their parents.

over/more than is also a pet peeve. I won't shop at stores that use over in their ads when they mean more than.

 

[goalmouth]

"quantum leap". Refers to subatomic measurement, not vast improvement.

Also, I was taught early on that 'very' is a meaningless word, and I live by it.

 

[Illinoissportseditor]

Well, I always hate it when a coach throws out the phrase, 'One game at a time.' I want to say, no sh*t.

 

[Ace]

Well, I always hate it when a coach throws out the phrase, 'One game at a time.' I want to say, no sh*t.

That's more if a trite cliche than a bastardization, however.

 

[User 4332]

For me,impact and its many variations (impacting/impacted/impactful) are like fingernails and a chalkboard when used incorrectly or in the case of impactful, used at all.

 

[Steak Snabler]

"Fantastic" is one that kind of bothers me. It literally means "hard to believe" — as in something out of a fantasy — not "really, really good," which is how it's almost always used.


"Winningest" is another. I'm not sure that's actually a word ...

 

[Flash]

Cue up the Alanis CD won't you ... ironic.

 

[spnited]

For me,impact and its many variations (impacting/impacted/impactful) are like fingernails and a chalkboard when used incorrectly or in the case of impactful, used at all.

That's fingernails ON a chalkboard...nothing like ****ing up a cliche on a bastardization of words thread.


Invite as a noun... as in "they got an invite to the tournamnt." instead of invitation.

 

[Birdscribe]

Redundancies drive me bat**** crazy, with "past history" and "close proximity" leading the straitjacket drive.

I told the journalism class I used to teach that I guarantee they would turn on the TV sometime in the next week and hear some clueless talking-head mutter "close proximity."

 

[goalmouth]

The proliferation of adding "-ness" to words to make them adjectives. Oy.

For you sports talk radio fans, 'untracked' is not even a word, even as people use it to mean "on track."

 

[ink-stained wretch]

The verbization of a noun.

 

[Illinoissportseditor]

Well, I always hate it when a coach throws out the phrase, 'One game at a time.' I want to say, no sh*t.

That's more if a trite cliche than a bastardization, however.

I just wanted to point that out.