Completely Meaningless Words

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i have a probably very naive faith in natural selection in language - that is, that words or phrases only become widely used if they actually express something useful. HOWEVER you often hear people complaining about, you know, the proliferation of jargon (in business-speak especially), the imprecision of the modern vocabulary, etc, etc.

i don't really see this. i (would like to) think that most jargon and neologism succeed because they DO express a subtle shading of meaning. are there any actual examples of widely used, recently created words/phrases that add NOTHING to the language?

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:02 (twenty years ago)

Dunno, I went to say 'Cheers' but my mouth wanted to say 'thanks' to the guy in the corner shop last night, and I ended up spluttering 'Chanks'. He looked at me as if I was mental.

― Rumpie, Friday, 8 April 2005 08:10 (twenty years ago)

UTILISE!!!

God, I hate this word. I wage war against this word. For gods sake, just say USE!!!

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:10 (twenty years ago)

Hear hear!

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:13 (twenty years ago)

I dislike 'implementing', but not as much as I hate the phrase 'rolling out'. Gaah, DESTROY!

― Rumpie, Friday, 8 April 2005 08:15 (twenty years ago)

'rolling out' and 'implementing' definitely mean something quite specific though. 'utilise' is a good one, although i think it does have a specfic meaning. it just isn't utilised properly lots of the time.

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:17 (twenty years ago)

Oh, god, I hate that one too. Destroy!

At my last ad agency, we had "Wank Word Bingo" which we used to play during meetings. I wish I could remember more, because all of them were words that should have been on this list.

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:18 (twenty years ago)

Guesstimate. The most pointless word ever.

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:19 (twenty years ago)

THAT IS A GREAT WORD

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:21 (twenty years ago)

ok maybe it's not that meaningful

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:21 (twenty years ago)

i've played that game too kate, but i don't think that many of these words really are as useless as people say. i want to stick up for some of them.

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:23 (twenty years ago)

It's just "estimate" for people that don't get the concept that an estimate is a guess anyway. Defining a word by inventing a new word that incorporates the definition as well? Dumbing down? Hah!

(xpost)

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:24 (twenty years ago)

'Adhere to'. One of our contract managers uses this word when he's in a flap, generally when his company have failed to deliver. I called him to give him verbal one day and he kept pausing before using it as if to try to add weight to it.

I piss him off by saying 'stick' instead of adhere, it's my own little war and I'M WINNING.

― Rumpie, Friday, 8 April 2005 08:30 (twenty years ago)

This is less to do with the semantics of the words than it is to do with the pragmatics, no? They all have meaning, but it's the way they're being used by people that seems to be the problem. I may be wrong; it's early, and I didn't pay much attention in my sem/ prag lectures because I thought the lecturer was a tit.

― Alix with an I ? (alix), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:34 (twenty years ago)

that sounds OTM. it's not the words' fault!

― pete b. (pete b.), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:37 (twenty years ago)

But guesstimate does open up wordspace! It makes an estimate much more official than it used to be, innit?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:38 (twenty years ago)

Utilise is the only one so far which really just seems indefensible.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:41 (twenty years ago)

yeah, i thought this thread was about completely meaningless words...

i suppose "guesstimate" was supposed to be humourous at the start, and implies less rigorous thoughts than those behind a plain old estimate (which implies a more informed/educated guess)

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:43 (twenty years ago)

from dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE A number of critics have remarked that utilize is an unnecessary substitute for use. It is true that many occurrences of utilize could be replaced by use with no loss to anything but pretentiousness, for example, in sentences such as They utilized questionable methods in their analysis or We hope that many commuters will continue to utilize mass transit after the bridge has reopened. But utilize can mean “to find a profitable or practical use for.” Thus the sentence The teachers were unable to use the new computers might mean only that the teachers were unable to operate the computers, whereas The teachers were unable to utilize the new computers suggests that the teachers could not find ways to employ the computers in instruction.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

Also it makes you seem as if you've got a big brain if you use "utilize" instead of utilizing "use"

― Dadrock, Meshach and Abednego (Dada), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

"You're not smart. You just use big words." - Nathan Gossip

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:51 (twenty years ago)

don't patronise, utilise!

recognise.

peace out

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 08:53 (twenty years ago)

"You're not perspicacious. You merely use enormous words."

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Surely you mean:

"You're not perspicacious. You merely utilise enormous words."

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

"basically" is basically meaningless when most people use it

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

haha!

xpost

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Surely you mean:

"basically" is basically meaningless when most people utilise it

― Dadrock, Meshach and Abednego (Dada), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:04 (twenty years ago)

Management speak is pretty shocking. "Going forward" can fuck off and die. I also wage a personal war against my manager, and whenever she says we should do something "going forward", I reply by saying "Yes, in the future we should." Works like a charm!

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:14 (twenty years ago)

I think we should contact the Plain English chaps and see what they reckon.

― Alix with an I ? (alix), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:15 (twenty years ago)

I am sure you are used to people calling you annoying.

Surely you mean:
I am sure you are utilised to people calling you annoying.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:21 (twenty years ago)

Please DNFTT

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:22 (twenty years ago)

How I can lose wit' da stuff I utilise?

― Dadrock, Meshach and Abednego (Dada), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:22 (twenty years ago)

Utilise your illusion

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:25 (twenty years ago)

this thread makes me feel so utilized

― wetmink (wetmink), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:47 (twenty years ago)

y'all are utilizing me!

― latebloomer: strawman knockdowner (latebloomer), Friday, 8 April 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)

Some people where I work use / utilise the word 'traction' to mean progress. It annoys the hell out of me.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

Do you work on a farm?

― Dadrock, Meshach and Abednego (Dada), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:15 (twenty years ago)

I am tractioning well today.

― Alix with an I ? (alix), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

That's precisely the point - i work in an office not a farm.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:20 (twenty years ago)

"Roll Out", "Going forward" , etc...

People hear always say "Go-around" as in "we're not going to do that in this go-around." It annoys the fuck out of me.. doesn't answer the thread question, but we're usalizing this thread for tangent comments also.

Also, most people seem to misuse "myself" when they mean "me", and that bugs me too.

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

LITERALLY

kill kill kill.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

utilize your illusion has some very good chord traction in it

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

totally

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

Bon, ben, French is cram-packed with meaningless words.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 8 April 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

French is generally meaningless to me.

― Alix with an I ? (alix), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:11 (twenty years ago)

To me (and I accept this is just my own reading of it), "use" has a passiveness to it whereas "utilise" seems somehow more active, like a choice is being made while "use" just takes for granted whatever subject is being used. Maybe I'm trying to say I see "utilise" as put to use?

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:18 (twenty years ago)

I know someone (actually a couple) who use 'literally' so much it makes me want to cry bile.

― lukey (Lukey G), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

it makes me want to cry bile.

Literally.

― caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:29 (twenty years ago)

yay!

― lukey (Lukey G), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

I'd like it if everyone could consult a dictionary, give it a good thinking to, and provide written justification for everything they utter. Save us all a lot of trouble.

― Alix with an I ? (alix), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

I dunno, I use "literally" quite a lot, but usually in the sense of "warning: extreme hyperbole alert!" because I do tend to exaggerate when I get excited. [/understatement]

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

Saunders always made more sense.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)

xxxxxxpost

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:32 (twenty years ago)

I dunno, I use "literally" quite a lot, but usually in the sense of "warning: extreme hyperbole alert!" because I do tend to exaggerate when I get excited. [/understatement]

surely "literally" implies that extreme hyperbole isn't taking place

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

I'm being, you know, like ironic to show how silly the overuse of the word "literally" is.

― Adherents of the Repeated Kate (kate), Friday, 8 April 2005 12:36 (twenty years ago)

the thing with 'literally' is that on the rare occasion it's used properly it can actually be a good, funny word. so the 99 times out of 100 it's misused/overused/unnecessarily shunted on to the end of a sentence to make the speaker seem slightly more intelligent, it hurts that bit more.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:00 (twenty years ago)

Also when its misused, it can also literally be funny...

e.g. "The boy literally played a blinder"

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:03 (twenty years ago)

what bothers me is that thezse people are well educated lovely interesting people in their mid 20s and it just reminds me of being 16 and surounded by all the people i no lomger see during the whole 'literally' phase

― lukey (Lukey G), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:05 (twenty years ago)

'm being, you know, like ironic to show how silly the overuse of the word "literally" is.

You're being ironic? Which means you're not? Which means you are?

(How do you do that antipodean inflexion on a message board, anyway?)

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:16 (twenty years ago)

I totally mangle English when I speak & write. Sometimes it's because I consider English my younger brother, & me muffing words = me giving wedgies. Sometimes it's because I'm a dolt. Sometimes it's both.

Re: business speak - when I started my most recent job, I didn't have a PC for nearly a week, despite my higher ups requesting the PC for a couple of weeks. So my boss told my underboss to "escalate" my request, which involved, um, calling someone to ask where the PC was. Yay.

I've also taken to using "going forward" in conversational speech. I want to kick myself in the tit every time that comes out of my mouth.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)

Eschew obfuscation.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:18 (twenty years ago)

meaningless words... like ilxor?

― g-kit (g-kit), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:31 (twenty years ago)

The woman at the bank wanted to make an appointment for a 'review' of my appalling financial situation. We mentioned a particular date and then she said 'can I diarise that?' Diarise!!??!! I tried to point out, as nicely as possible, that I'd never heard this word before, but she wasn't in any kind of mood for light-hearted banter.

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:35 (twenty years ago)

PROVERBIAL

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

"So"

― I DESIRE...MACARONI NECKLACES AND SOAP SCULPTURES (Matt Chesnut), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

"freedom"

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

"poignant"

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

"Casual Friday"

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

slightly off-topic, but...

'to coin a phrase' [when the phrase has already been coined and what is really meant is 'to repeat a hackneyed phrase']

oh and pathetic overuse of 'ironically'

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Friday, 8 April 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

I'm looking forward to the day when the folks at the airport tell me when to "plane the aircraft" as well as "deplane the aircraft." That'll be awesome.

― Fa Fa fa FA, Fa fa Fa fa FA Fa (poop), Friday, 8 April 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

maybe they'll ask you to craft the plane

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

my boss started saying "sanity check" a while ago, and then carried on saying it, all of the time. and now EVERYONE ELSE start saying it, too. Ironically, this drives me insane.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

and i keep thinking about sanitary check

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 8 April 2005 15:00 (twenty years ago)

i hate when reality tv people use "male" or "female" instead of "man" and "woman," particularly dating show people. I guess they want to sound more intelligent, but really they sound like idiots. "i am a 25 year old female"? "i'm looking for an intelligent male with a good sense of humor"? bleh. we aren't lab specimens after all. or are we?

― carly (carly), Friday, 8 April 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

Dating show people are lab specimens.

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 8 April 2005 15:30 (twenty years ago)

'dynamic'

― Remy (x Jeremy), Friday, 8 April 2005 16:44 (twenty years ago)

In Japanese poetry there is a concept that is translated as 'pillow words'. If I understand this concept correctly (for I do not know Japanese) 'pillow words' are not words in any denotative sense, but rather are stylized interjections that convey a tone rather than a meaning. The nearest English equivalent would be 'alas'.

The purpose of using a pillow word is to fill out a line with an emotively appropriate sound that mingles well with the more meaningful words that surround it. Similarly, ordinary people often fall into patterns of speech that incorporate meaningless words, used pad out their sentences with mere sounds that do not interrupt the trajectory of their intention.

When overused, such unconciously-interjected pillow words become annoying verbal tics, such as "uh" or "like" or "you know". However, as anyone who has ever transcribed speech knows, a large part of any verbal communication is fluff, fragments or nonsense. That is why, if you analyze writing that is intended to have an informal and conversational tone, you will find many words that could be edited out and many sentences that could be condensed.

OTOH, writers who strive to pack every word with meaning often come across as contrived, stilted or opaque. Most people hate that, as it is so demanding upon a reader's attention. Transposing this to speech, where one's attention must be even more acute, can be excruciating.

So, let us celebrate our meaningless words and idiot tendencies. Like baby talk and singing "dum-dee-dee", they are a part of our core humanity and shall endure long after Wittgenstein has become a name forgotten.

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 8 April 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

who?

― Remy (x Jeremy), Friday, 8 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

Damn! What I meant to say was - wazzup with those stupid-crazy words that mean, like, nothing, you know? And toothpaste! Don't even get me started on toothpaste!

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 8 April 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

Behold! My amazing incantatory powers have throttled this thread into lifelessness. [Pronouncing each syllable crisply and apart, thus: life-less-ness.]

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

41Ml3$$ THr34dki114

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 8 April 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)

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