THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 22, 1996 TAG: 9601220039
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Continuing the nominations of words for banning, Jo Ann MacDougall of Virginia Beach finds ``a special annoyance in the current use of `attitude,' not preceded by an appropriate adjective.''
It irks me, too.
Often, especially in sports and politics, you hear it said of someone, that he or she ``has an attitude.''
Just that one-word censure, without any explanation of what the attitude may be - as if it's a disease people won't talk about.
After all, Jo Ann said Sunday, there is such a thing as a positive attitude, but we are left to assume the worst.
Most of us are dogged by attitudes as we try to sort them out and clarify those that cloud the truth.
To the list of ``overworked words,'' she also would add ``awesome'' and ``incredible.''
Nearly everything is labeled by those two words, especially among teenagers - it's a part of their excess energy, I guess, whether it's the thunderstorm that slammed through Saturday or a pizza.
Pat Phillips, a librarian at Eastern Shore Community College, is amazed at the use of the noun ``fellowship'' as a verb, even if it is in the dictionary. As someone says, ``let's fellowship.''
``I get cold chills when somebody says it,'' she says.
Al Williams of Virginia Beach knows that some people strew the word ``basically'' so often through their speech, it's as if they are taking a breath. ``Everything becomes basic,'' he said.
Wiley Gary of Norfolk nominates ``upscale'' for deletion from the contemporary vocabulary. Indeed, when everything is presented as upscale, what is left to define the others?
It's time, says Grace Tazewell of Norfolk, to retire ``wake-up call'' from general usage. The wake-up call is sounded so often it induces stupor.
Eleanor Kanter of Portsmouth would banish the use of the noun ``fun'' as an adjective: ``EEK! It isn't a fun thing to have the skin crawl over language abuse.''
Brian Bell of Virginia Beach offers for banning ``at this point in time.''
``It's either `at this point' or `at this time.' Never both,'' he says. To use both is time wasted.
He also deplores the failure of talk show hosts to distinguish ``laying'' and ``lying.''
``I was just laying there watching TV,'' the host errs in saying.
Following sports has long been the favorite pastime of Leslie Hanan of Suffolk. ``I think if I hear one more remark from commentators about the `character' of a team or a group trying to `make a statement,' I will be ready to take the cure.''
And, indeed, you hear more of those expressions from sports announcers at halftime than you do in a nominating speech for the presidency. by CNB