Brennan’s Blog

There are words I find people using too often which causes the word to become useless, such as cool and smart. I think these two words are too vague and have no meaning. For 2006 I will work on not using these words anymore.

There was a point when I was in high school when I described most things as cool as if I was unable to use any other adjective. And I think my overuse of the word pre-dated Beavis and Butthead where everything was classified as cool or not. I did not even notice it until a friend pointed it out to me.

Smart is a word which has become a pet peeve of mine because of other people using it to describe new hires or co-workers. I prefer to describe people as productive, resourceful, knowledgeable, experienced or something else which is tangible. If someone is described exclusively as smart I am inclined to think they may not be resourceful, experienced, etc. And I would be happy to work with someone who has little experience but is resourceful and productive anytime. I have worked with plenty of smart people who are not productive or resourceful.

In fact, if you hear me describe someone or something as cool or smart I am probably being sarcastic. Watch for a subtle eye roll when I use those words.

Speaking of poorly chosen words, one improperly used phrase discussed on the radio a few years back was "I could not care less." Now I notice this phrase misused all the time. People often leave out the not which makes the phrase meaningless because what you mean to say is you care so little you cannot care any less. Frequently I have heard my drunken friends misuse this phrase, but recently a friend of mine who I choose to believe is very intelligent used the phrase properly which, to me, confirmed that he is intelligent. After he said it I silently thought to myself, "he is smart."
For more banned words and phrases check out the List of Banished Words for 2006 by Lake Superior University. A few of the items on the list made my laugh.