Tuesday, January 17, 2006

And the Call Goes Out!

I know it comes with the territory of being a teacher of English, but I must admit that I am growing tired of being a Defender of the Language. My battle-scars are many and my spirit is flagging. These days in particular, I feel as if I am reduced to leading what amounts to a bayonet charge against the ubiquitousness of a single word.

This word has become the 2005-2006 equivalent of what "awesome" was to the 90s. It is the new "whatever". It is fast becoming the single most overemployed adjective to describe everything from food to fashion. I dare any of you to watch "How Do I Look" on the Style Network and not hear it at least a dozen times in an episode. You cannot listen to a single interview on any infotainment show and not be subjected to it. It is as cringeworthy to me now as the word "like" peppering a student's monologue about why he doesn't have his homework.

The word is "amazing." And it's everywhere.

The made-over ugly duckling-turned-swan now looks it. The fragrance of the grilling tuna smells it. The scene of the devastation can only be described as it. And the effect it has on my blood pressure is certainly approaching it.

The only solace I have is that now I have extended the fight to you, compatriots. Take up arms with me in this fight. Stop using this word. Tell others how sick you are of hearing its overuse. Employ thesauruses! It's not too late!

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:07 PM

    Ha! I read this yesterday and purposefully did not use the word. I typed it, then I back spaced quickly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bless you! Thank you for joining the battle. One by one, we SHALL make a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fis4Freak2:15 PM

    The overuse of the word 'amazing' would be nothing short of an 'epic' 'fail.'(ure) ;P

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sister Susan2:17 PM

    Whoops, Fis4Freak = Sister Susan. Do you have a preference on my ID?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sister Freak Susan--Oh, use either one. I'm just ama--er, make that ASTONISHED that you are this deep into my archives. Did you realize this post was almost FIVE YEARS OLD!? That's...incredible! Hee hee.

    ReplyDelete
  6. F is for FreakSusan--And those two words, you're correct, are getting up there, too. I don't mind epic quite so much as I do "fail." I do have a little soft spot in my heart for FailBlog, though. Too funny.

    ReplyDelete

Oh, thank you for joining the fray!

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