I love words. I love special, unique, words. I love the kind of words that you don’t hear anymore. It’s not destiny that brought us together — it’s kismet. The right word, used the right way, doesn’t just make you look intelligent, it paints a very specific picture.
How painful is it when you ask someone how they are, and they respond with “I’m fine.” What does that mean? Fine compared to what? Fine compared to having your toenails ripped off one at a time? Fine compared to dancing in the streets? Fine is a non-word. It’s just filler. It’s the bland, tasteless white bread of language.
A few more examples…
VERY: If you need to use very to modify a word, then odds are you’re using the wrong word. At a minimum, if it’s very good, it could be excellent. Or maybe optimal? Perhaps it’s superlative? Very is a non-word used out of laziness.
NICE: When you ask someone how you look, and they say “you look nice,” what are they really saying? Nice is meaningless. It’s the basest form of praise. I’d be willing to bet anyone that looks “nice,” could probably look better. It’s as if you have to say something positive, but couldn’t be challenged to find a better, more specific, more appropriate compliment.
In the wild world of marketing, words are important. The properly written press release translates to actual dollars spent. Here then, are a few more words and phrases destined to doom you to mediocrity:
ONE-STOP-SHOP: We’ve got everything you need, all in one place! Odds are, that’s not really true. Also, if you have everything, what’s your specialty? It’s nearly impossible to be everything to everyone with any degree of uniqueness or identity. The one-stop-shop is the enemy of quality.
No doubt there are more … and I’ll add them as they annoy me.