[net.nlang] phrases that rankle

presley (04/10/83)

In a TV commercial today I heard the phrase "Join the new tradition with
the New Jersey Generals".  I find it difficult to consider something
which has been in existence only a month or two a tradition.

Another phrase which bothers me a little is "First Annual <anything>".
There's no guarantee that there will be another.  (There's no problem
with "Nth Annual" so long as there was an "(N-1)th Annual" the previous
year).  If there isn't another <anything>, should it then be called "The
Only <anything>"?

Send in your favorite cliches and phrases.  Remember, we should avoid
cliches like the plague.
-- 
	Joe Presley (Iga no Kagemaru)
	...!{mhuxj,alice}!presley

cas (04/11/83)

   One of the meaningless phrases that politicians love to use these
days is "... send a signal ..." (usually to someone they don't like).
For example, they are always worried about "sending the right signal
to the Soviets". I could well be wrong, but I think this started when
Carter was president, and I certainly associate the phrase with him.
When he lost the election I had hoped it would sink into oblivion, but
the present administration seems to like to say it too.

			Cliff Shaffer
		     ...{ncmc,we13,seismo}!rlgvax!cvl!cas

furuta (04/11/83)

A few weeks back there was an article in our newspaper pointing out
that saying that something is "quality" is meaningless ("For quality
living, buy our product").  "High quality" or "low quality" is
meaningful, "quality" isn't.

I think I have the same reaction to "Join the new tradition with the
New Jersey Generals."  Based on how they performed the first couple of
weeks, I'd also ask, "why would you want to?"

mac (04/11/83)

        "Another phrase which bothers me a little is 'First Annual
        <anything>'.  There's no guarantee that there will be another.

	(There's no problem with 'Nth Annual' so long as there was
	an '(N-1)th Annual' the previous year)."

If you can't have a 1st annual, and you can't have an Nth annual without
an (N-1)st, then how can you have a 2nd (or any other) annual.  See the
discussion of recursion over in net.lang.

If something's an annual event (e.g. the Boston Marathon), can't the
first be called the first annual ...?  Fully parenthesized, it could be
called the (first (annual Boston Marathon)).

mac (04/11/83)

        "Another phrase which bothers me a little is 'First Annual
        <anything>'.  There's no guarantee that there will be another.

	(There's no problem with 'Nth Annual' so long as there was
	an '(N-1)th Annual' the previous year)."

If you can't have a 1st annual, and you can't have an Nth annual without
an (N-1)st, then how can you have a 2nd (or any other) annual.  See the
discussion of recursion over in net.lang.

If something's an annual event (e.g. the Boston Marathon), can't the
first be called the first annual ...?  Fully parenthesized, it could be
called the (first (annual Boston Marathon)).


     -- (like (avoiding cliches) (plague the)))
     or (avoiding (cliches (like (plague the))))

bobm (04/12/83)

#R:mhuxj:-13500:hp-pcd:7200004:000:342
hp-pcd!bobm    Apr 11 11:57:00 1983


	The same phrase has popped up on the promos for a new
	TV station in Eugene, OR (KMTR 16). They have a song
	that includes the catchy line "...Like a new tradition
	we're Oregon's own..." Some ad-man must have figured that
	we were getting tired of the old traditions and would like
	some new ones.

					Bob May
					...hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm

presley (04/12/83)

If you have a similar event a year after the first one,
then you can call the first the "First Annual <blah>", and
the current even the "Second Annual <blah>".

The first Boston Marathon can be called the "First Annual"
because there have been others since the first.  Calling a new
even the "First Annual" before you have (or plan) a "Second
Annual" is what rankles.
-- 
	Joe Presley (Iga no Kagemaru)
	...!{mhuxj,alice}!presley

dwl (04/13/83)

Along the lines of the "First Annual" anything... I still remember a
highschool pep rally a few years back.  The Headmaster stepped up to
his microphone and said, "Our UNDEFEATED Hockey Team" (...several
hundred people cheered...) "...will play its first game of the season
next Tuesday at..."

It could have been their first annual season, for all I remember.

-Dave Levenson
-ABI Holmdel

and (04/13/83)

What about printing "Vol 1" on a periodical?
There are such that have not produced a second volume.

What about coins inscribed, e.g. Elizabeth I?

Richard

lynn (04/13/83)

     The all time winner in this group has to be :
   "Because we've always done it that way."

ggr (04/14/83)

It seems to me that all promos for new TV shows say
	"... watch the new hit series ..."
I think they even say this before the first showing.
I suppose 'hit' has become an "advertising" word (i.e. without meaning,
just occupying syllables).
				=== Guy Riddle == BTL Piscataway ===

hxe (04/20/83)

My .project states that my goal in life (besides becoming a
member of the decadent rich) is to rid the world of "orientate."
"Anything"-dependent and cost-effective are also biggies in
the fun fun world of big business but, then again, that's just
the bottom line, right?

"Not afraid to ..." Heather ...!decvax!brunix!rayssd!hxe

mjl (04/21/83)

Words, phrases, and usages on my personal hate list:

viable		Usually redundant, always boring.
prioritize	Overworked and trite. (I once heard the President of the
		Buffalo, NY, Teachers Federation say (in reference to
		a proposed budget) "the Board of Education has to
		reprioritize their priorities."
message		A useful noun, but unfortunately it's being perverted
		into a verb ("I'll message you about the meeting").
		Yucch.
articulation	This useful word has been perverted in academia to mean
		"the processes and procedures for transferring from community
		colleges to four year institutions."  I get sick every
		time I hear of another meeting of the Articulation Committee.

Mike Lutz (ucbvax!allegra!rochester!ritcv!mjl)

mmt (04/22/83)

How about a phrase from today's news: "useful utility"

Martin Taylor

furuta (04/25/83)

>From a netnews article:

	Does this impact on the system performance ?