RANT: Phrases That Bug

Do you ever hear a slang phrase that really bugs you? Slang always bugs older people, probably because "new" slang is supplanting their own favorite phrases. And if you're older, the new phrases can sound stupid, and even worse when used by older people.

Unfortunately, some of these phrases are here to stay. At least until they are replaced by even newer slang. I think my acceptance of some of these phrases is due to my late-in-blooming, but total fan-boy love for Joss Wheden, and his creations, most notably Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss has his own way of writing slang--known by some as "Buffy-speak," and many of his phrases have worked their way into my own vocabulary. Even the title of this post is sort of Buffy-speak.

Here are some phrases that I've grudgingly accepted. I'm sure you can think of others.

"Old School" - I'm sure this phrase comes from "older school of thought," but it was originally used to mean anything older, even just a few years old. Now, it seems to have morphed into meaning "simple," "unadorned," or "in its original form."

"My Bad" - This phrase, which means "sorry, my fault" was one that really grated on me, because it usually sounds quite insincere. And it sounds very stupid coming from older, unhip individuals like RNC chairman Michael Steele.

"At the End of the Day" - I've accepted that this phrase is here to stay, but I don't have to like it. Meaning "ultimately," or "when all is said and done," at the end of the day has become a lazy way to bridge a response, especially to a difficult question. It's the kind of thing that Sarah Palin would inject into a long winded answer, along with "all these years," and "this great country of ours." Also.

"The Bomb" ("Da Bomb") - As old as this slang phrase is, for (the even older) "cool," it still pops up with alarming regularity. I'll bet young, hip people don't use it anymore, but you'll find it from unhip people to this day.

"That's So Gay" - OK, this one is hard to take. It's clearly here to stay, but I will protest it anyway. Meaning "that's dumb," or more often, "that's retarded," people who say it will allege that it has nothing to do with homophobia. They don't mean actually "gay" as in homosexual. Except when they do. Because they modify the phrase with clearly gay imagery: "Liberace gay."

OK, so this wasn't really a rant, more of a whine. I'll try to come up with a graphic for that!