Posted by shitty speller...DEAL WITH IT! at 63-204-49-1.ded.pacbell.net on March 24, 2004 at 15:30:22:
In Reply to: OT: Posters be warned.... posted by nogoodnik on March 24, 2004 at 15:28:27:
: ...certain behavior will no longer be tolerated.
: from Yahoo news:
: 'At the End of the Day' Tops Cliche List
:
: LONDON - At the end of the day, it's the most irritating cliche 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 cliches.
: 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.
: "Using these terms in daily business is about as professional as wearing a novelty tie or having a wacky ring-tone on your phone."
: Lister said people should follow the 1946 advice of writer George Orwell: "Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print."
: The Plain English Campaign, which offers annual awards for good use of the language, surveyed its 5,000 supporters in more than 70 countries for the poll.
: Other terms that received multiple nominations included: 24/7; absolutely; address the issue; around (in place of about); awesome; ballpark figure; basically; basis ("on a weekly basis" in place of "weekly" and so on); bear with me; between a rock and a hard place; bottom line; crack troops; glass half full (or half empty); I hear what you're saying; in terms of; it's not rocket science; literally; move the goal-posts; ongoing; prioritize; pushing the envelope; singing from the same hymn sheet; the fact of the matter is; thinking outside the box; to be honest/to be honest with you/to be perfectly honest and touch base.
: Formed in 1979, the Plain English Campaign is an independent group that campaigns against cliches, jargon and obfuscation, particularly in official and public documents.