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Stream of Consciousness
Challenge Ended
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Ended August 10, 2017 • 13 Entries • Created by TheTallOne
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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for JustQuinn
JustQuinn in Stream of Consciousness
190 reads

I Do Care

I could care less.

This means that you could care less. Meaning, you do care in the first place. And though this phrase is originally intended, as "I couldn't care less," which means that you do not care at all, humanity's lack of attention to detail has turned this phrase into the complete opposite of what it was intended to mean. Therefore, it should either be retired, or corrected completely.

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for LilacMaroon
LilacMaroon in Stream of Consciousness
96 reads

No more, man(o)

Mano a mano - hand to hand combat, intense fight

Misused:  "Hey, man, let's just calmly talk about it, mano a mano." -> frequently, the phrase is misused to represent some sort of fraternal/friendly relationship, assuming the expression means "man to man."

Correct: "Hey, man, let's settle this properly, mano a mano!  Let's fight!"

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for ckopeck
ckopeck in Stream of Consciousness
153 reads

Not literally going to kill you.

If I hear one more airhead use, or see one more post about someone "literally" doing or wishing something that's clearly incorrect, I'm metaphorically going to kill them.  

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
MarissaLynn in Stream of Consciousness
155 reads

Irregardless

It doesn't make sense. Literally. In school, you are taught that putting "IR" in front of a word makes it a negative word. Like irresponsible, not responsible. Regardless by itself is a negative word. It means "without regard". Adding "IR" makes it "without without regard". So making it a double negative would not be a good thing to do. By getting rid of it completely, we would better our vocabulary.

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for JadeRain
JadeRain in Stream of Consciousness
109 reads

Where’s the Proof?

People often say: "the proof is in the pudding." However, the original goes: "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." The latter makes much more sense. When I hear the former, I always imagine someone swimming through a giant bowl of pudding looking for "the proof".

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for jboulette5671
jboulette5671 in Stream of Consciousness
97 reads

Defiance

Not exactly following the dictate

But, never one to vainly negate

An opportunity to vent my disdain

From the use of this single refrain

"Irregardless"- a common misuse

Fingernails on chalkboard, this abuse

Redundant, dribble, sheer ignorance

Its application, a great grammar offense

"Lighten up," my friends so urge

When eruption, I'm on the verge

I KNOW there are things worse

But, the offenders I wish to curse

To keep my blood pressure in check

Please keep your verbiage correct!

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for kanders6
kanders6 in Stream of Consciousness
168 reads

I’m just saying...

It's usually said right after something that could be interpreted as insulting or accusatory, such as:

"Someone sure made a mess in here!"

"Are you saying I'm a slob?"

"I'm just saying..."

The first person makes a comment that is ambiguous and can be interpreted in several ways. This causes the  second person to ask for clarification, lest he respond inappropriately. However, given the opportunity to clarify, the first person responds with "I'm just saying", implying that it was merely an observation, a statement of incontrovertible fact "Someone made mess in here."  Of course that begs the question, "Why did he make make this observation?" Was this a startling revelation not readily apparent? Did he just conclude that the mess was man made, and not a natural phenomenon? Either way, why not clarify his intent?

Instead he hides behind the pretext of stating apparent facts, and refuses to enter into a healthy dialogue. He deceives himself into thinking that he has made his point of slovenliness, while still having plausible deniability, which fools no one. Instead of diffusing the situation it inflames it.

This phrase needs to be banished from our conversations, assuming of course, that we want to improve our relationships. 

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Cover image for post I survived, so it must be safe, by starryEyes
Profile avatar image for starryEyes
starryEyes in Stream of Consciousness
179 reads

I survived, so it must be safe

It's prolific on Facebook: "Share if you _____ and survived."

      Drank from a hose.

      Rode in the back of a pickup truck.

      Drank lots of soda.

      Biked without a helmet.

      Didn't wear a seatbelt.

How about, "Share if you got into a car accident, were thrown through the windshield because you weren't wearing a seatbelt, and died a tragic death." Oh wait, you can't.

The risks involved in a behavior cannot be determined by popular vote among the living and healthy. It's a matter of data and analysis. One must consider how frequently harm occurs and with what severity.

Friends, your survival isn't an indication of the safety of the activity. It's a cause to be thankful for your well-being:

      Be thankful that you didn't get lead poisoning from your garden hose.

      Be thankful that you weren't thrown from the back of a pickup truck.

      Be thankful that your genetic makeup gives you strong teeth.

      Be thankful that you didn't suffer brain injury from a biking accident.

      Be thankful that you weren't involved in an automobile collision.

I'm not here to tell you to wear helmets and seatbelts and only drink purified water. Parents, I'm not going to tell you how to raise your children or how much supervision you need to exercise over them. These are your choices to make.

But let's stop this Facebook campaign for the "good old days" of risk ignorance. To imply that an action is safe because you are unscathed is illogical at best, and callous at worst. 

Do what you will, but respect the risk tolerance level of others- whether it is higher or lower than your own.

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
Profile avatar image for marsmorpheus
marsmorpheus in Stream of Consciousness
133 reads

Originally, the offensive definition of the term "basket case" was an amputee who no longer had any limbs. It suggested that the recipient of the insult required carrying around in a basket. So, all right, that's a logical though unkind term.

But now, "basket case" means someone struggling with crippling anxiety or stress. I sort of understand why that would make sense to some, but not entirely, because it is offensive as well as a bit of a stretch logically. Also, in my admittedly limited experience, the turn of phrase has a confusing connotation.

A basket case could be someone who is reduced to tears when faced with a difficult decision.

In "The Breakfast Club", the character called the Basket Case is pretty much just weird.

Either way, it's fairly impolite. So, I propose removing it from our vocabularies or narrowing it down to one straightforward definition. 

But, of course, it doesn't really matter what I think about this deemed-improper colloquialism, does it?

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Challenge
Pick a turn of phrase that needs to be retired due to misuse or one that should be brought back. Such as, "You need to pull yourself up by your boot straps." Misused, this phrase originally meant to be ironic and a reference to completing an impossible or ludicrous task. Pick one and explain yourself.
AlexGranger in Stream of Consciousness
87 reads

“Money Can’t Buy You Happiness”

Money can't buy you happiness. I'm not sure where the origin of this phrase came from or if it meant something different back then, but it today's modern society, it basically means this: "Money is not the most important thing to have in life, especially when had in excess." Which is true. There are many things far more important. Family, friends, education, a warm home. However, people often use this phrase incorrectly, considering money is extremely important. Money isn't simply paper and shiny coins. Money is the plane ticket to see family overseas. Money is the helper to get a future cancer-curing doctor into college. Money is the roof a mother wishes she could put over her starving children. When money is excessive, it is unhealthy. But money in general, especially when well-deserved, could be the key to one's happiness.

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