At the end of the day, we use too many clichés
Just think, they were all once some clever-clogs' brilliant phraseApril 21, 2004 Edition -1
James Clarke
There was an item in The Star last month regarding a poll in which people were asked to name the cliché that irritated them most. The collective worst was: "At the end of the day".
They also hated "very unique". One cannot qualify that word - a thing is either unique or it isn't.
The overused word "basically" was also slated.
The cliché that irritates me most is when a politician says, "Let me be honest." Ha! I also bristle when I hear "at this point in time". And 24/7 and 9/11.
But let's be honest (aaaaaaah!), clichés start life as cute, succinct phrases.
The first person who said "At this point in time" forced one to focus on the moment. It was a brilliant phrase which became worn out.
Macmillan, the London publishing firm, has just produced The Macmillan English Dictionary, which includes some quite modern phrases that it deems are now established.
A delightful one is "marmalade dropper". It appeared in the mid '90s and refers to a piece of information, especially in a newspaper, that stuns the reader.
Car and Driving in 2000 used it when a writer described how his editor would bellow: "And I want at least one marmalade dropper from you this week!"
He meant the journalist must produce something that would cause a reader, seeing it over breakfast, to forget that the marmalade was dribbling from his slice of toast - poised in mid-air - thus resulting in it dropping into his lap.
Then there's "flash mob". The flash mob phenomenon swept across major cities in Europe and America during the summer of 2003.
The idea is that a large group of people receives a communication and responds by gathering at a pre-determined location. They then briefly perform some mildly humorous act and quickly disperse, the whole thing intended to be some kind of practical joke.
In August last year the bizarre phenomenon - which began in the US - resulted in a gathering of hundreds of strangers, organised over the Internet and by text messaging, who then descended on Manhattan Macy's and surrounded a large oriental rug.
And how about "Bogof" which can also be written: "BOGOF".
It sounds vulgar, but it means an offer of a free product providing you buy a product of the same type - from the phrase: "Buy one get one free".
And there's "earworm" - a song or tune that a person hears repeatedly in their head.
How about "sheeple"? We'd call them "stemvee" - people who flock aimlessly, like sheep, or the crowd at Macy's.
My favourite is "trolleyology" - the study of how the contents of a person's shopping trolley reveal their character.
"Trolleyology" - making judgments about people from their shopping - was originally coined by American anthropologists to describe those evaluative glances of other people's purchases.
Macmillan explains, "If your trolley is full of junk and convenience food, then maybe you don't like cooking or don't have a kitchen.
"If it's full of creme fraiche and fresh herbs, then the chances are you're some kind of amateur gourmet, or you live with someone who is."
Trolleyology has become a real craze in America, in popular magazines and on the Internet.
It can be used as a means for people to find out whether or not someone is their ideal partner.
"Trolleys containing two different brands of toothpaste are likely to indicate that the person already has a partner.
"A man who wants to convince people he loves the finer things in life should fill his trolley with smoked salmon, brandy and tins of dog food. If he wants to show he is steady and reliable, he should heap his trolley with Brussels sprouts."
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e-mail: jcl@onwe.co.za
