In 2014, I wrote a piece for The SMH arguing for the retirement of annoying words and phrases like “sweet”, “just sayin”, “#firstworldproblems”, “and typos sent from my iPhone”. Looking back, I shouldn’t have worried. The lexicon we’re dealing with now is way more sinister in terms of smugness and pretension. So here is my highly subjective list of words and phrases I’d love binned in 2022.
I have a creeping unease for “here’s the thing”, which gets overused in NPR-style podcasts (Here’s the Thing With Alec Baldwin has been around since 2011 people!).
"I don't know who needs to hear this..."
“That’s his one wood”
Golf analogy - seems to mean strength / default strategy whereas I find one woods extraordinarily hard to hit.
All references to people as “humans”; e.g. “she’s the most amazing human”, “such an inspirational human” etc.
Related is “this guy” or “this girl” accompanying a photo of a partner or friend looking attractive or doing something apparently social media worthy.
Then the double up “this human” 🤮
"I'm here for it", as in "The latest series of Stranger Things has dropped and I'm here for it"
Ugh. Stop it.
Methodology. When did a way of doing something become a study of a method?
"... you've got another thing coming."
No you don't. Stop showing your ignorance. It's "think". Do you own research (<- also that phrase)
‘and what not’
Annoyingly prevalent in AFL sports interviews when running out of words, though not exclusively footballers domain.
I’d rather know what.
'What the actual' - if you can't be fucked going all the way and saying fuck, please fuck off.
I have a creeping unease for “here’s the thing”, which gets overused in NPR-style podcasts (Here’s the Thing With Alec Baldwin has been around since 2011 people!).
'Are you kidding me'
I don't care whether or not something is in your "wheelhouse
“Moving forward…” Somedays I don’t want to keep moving forward. I just want stay right where I am! 🤦♀️