Overused Terms and Expressions

It is what it is.

Bennett Kleinman has a piece on Word Smarts titled “Why Are These Words ‘Banished’?” that deserves a look, if not for reflection on your own vocabulary then for a laugh or two.

Personally, there is one expression and one term that drive me slightly insane in the membrane these days. The first, as you can see above, is the use of “It is what it is.” This has become a favourite go-to crutch for athletes of every ilk, it would seem, especially when deflecting attention away from a mistake or problem or criticism.

Q. “Why did you guys suck the bag so hardcore in tonight’s game?”

A. “Ah, you know, it was, like, I don’t know . . . I mean . . . It is what it is, right?”

The second, most notable in political commentary lately, is “double down.” Pundits can’t seem to get enough of its use — even when there are no cards involved!

Q. Why is the incredibly rational and balanced man trying to take over Greenland?

A. Well, he’s doubling down on his efforts to collect more ice. It started with Alaska, but that proved untenable because the former leader doubled down on global warming, so now everyone seems to want to double down on accumulating frozen water.

Perhaps another article could focus on the ridiculousness of ridiculous abbreviations used in texts and emails of late. Can we not agree that when we’ve resorted to IKWYDLS (I know what you did last summer) to simply save a few seconds of typing that we need to re-examine the whole exchange of information thing?

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Published on January 31, 2025 04:54
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