In the UK there is an organisation called the Plain English Campaign that strives to uphold standards in everyday spoken English. Some might say it is fighting a losing battle but they deserve a pat on the back for their efforts.
Back in 2004 the campaign held a survey on the "most annoying clichés" prevalent at that time. Although it was two decades ago many of the clichés are still rampant today. For residents of Thailand I'm afraid "transferred to an inactive post" and "the driver fled the scene" don't qualify.
Topping the 2004 list was "at the end of the day" which itself is a substitute for another cliché "the bottom line". I was pleased to see that ranked second is one of my pet hates "at this moment in time". You still hear it in media interviews. It is an unnecessarily lengthy substitute for the simple "now" and even that is not necessary.
One suspects most people, especially politicians, use this expression because it gives them precious seconds to think up what they will say next. It's really a substitute for those horrible moments of mumbling featuring lots of "ums" and "ers". So, perhaps "at this moment in time" does serve a useful function after all. But it is still irritating.
Another phrase that incurred the wrath of the Plain English campaigners was the rather smug "I hear what you're saying". And we must not forget "to be perfectly honest" which unfortunately implies that normally the speaker is less than honest.
Know what I mean?
One irritating expression that has emerged is "I mean", which invariably doesn't really mean anything. Just about everybody uses it in conversation often without even realising it. It's one of those things that just pops out and has rather sneakily embedded itself into everyday English.
Switch on any TV news programme and it won't be long before you hear someone coming out with an unnecessary "I mean..." Sometimes it's the very first thing they say. "I mean" doesn't really have any point unless it's explaining that what you have just said previously was total rubbish, which I must admit happens to me quite a lot.
The reality is that just like "at this moment in time" saying "I mean" is one of those useful filler expressions designed to give the speaker some breathing space before they hopefully say something meaningful… if you know what I mean.
Box tickers
There are some expressions that can be irritating simply because they are too clever by half. In this respect "singing from the same hymn book" has always been a bit annoying, as has "thinking out of the box", not to be confused with the equally maddening "ticks all the right boxes". Then we have "correct me if I am wrong", which really means "I am definitely right and don't even think about correcting me".
One expression we are all probably guilty of using is "but, having said that" after which we go on to contradict everything we have just said, a rather convenient way of sitting on the fence.
Usage and abusage
The word "cliché" is derived from the French publishing term for a printing plate that can be reused over and over again. So not for the first time Brits can blame it all on the French.
As any reader is aware PostScript is not averse to using tiresome clichés or irritating phrases and the column would not survive without them. In fact there are probably half a dozen unintentional clichés in today's offering. But to be perfectly honest, the bottom line is that I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.
Déjà vu
Clichés are not confined to the written or spoken word. For example Hollywood creates situations we see time and again.
American movies involving cops lead the way when it comes to clichés. Whenever an established cop is assigned a new partner you can almost guarantee they will hate one another. Of course eventually they end up being great buddies. A variation on this occurs when a chauvinistic cop is given a female partner who has to put up with all his disgusting habits but naturally saves his life in the closing scenes.
Alternatively the only cop capable of finding a culprit is suspended because he has upset the mayor or some other dignitary. For some reason the Dirty Harry series springs to mind. So the unfortunate cop ends up taking on not only the perpetrator but also the entire police force.
Opening doors
In the movies cops and private eyes, the latter usually being divorced alcoholics, seem capable of opening any door by using a safety pin or credit card. That's never worked for me, not that I am in the habit of breaking and entering. Then there are those doors which collapse obligingly when given a shoulder charge when in real life it's the shoulder that collapses rather than the door.
In westerns, the classic saloon brawl usually starts with just two people involved but invariably ends up with the entire saloon in a mass punch-up. However, there seems to be more etiquette in martial arts movies. The hero is often surrounded by dozens of baddies but they don't all attack at once, obligingly dancing around in the background awaiting their turn. Which might explain why the hero usually wins.
Contact PostScript via email at oldcrutch@hotmail.com