• Let's leverage the s**t out of some synergies

    • As a professional word-type person, I have a fondness for clear, simple language, and a distaste for linguistic bullshit. I recently read an essay by George Orwell on "Politics and the English Language" where he offers five excellent writing tips, one of which is "Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent." So many people use lame terms popularized in the business or academic worlds that have perfectly good plain-English equivalents. If you're one of them, please cut it out. And don't let me catch you using any of these.


      leverage
      As pointed out by the wise and insightful Matthew Levine, users of this word probably just mean "use" or "take advantage of." No need to get fancy.


      synergy
      This just means "similarity" or "place where our work lines up" or "I'm insecure so I use big words."


      random
      There are times when it is appropriate to use this word, but in the last few years I've noticed people using it when they really just mean "strange" or sometimes even "coincidental."


      ask (as a noun)
      This one kills me. There's already a word for "request." It's "request." Use it.


      space
      When people say that something is the "best in its space" or the "first in this space" or whatever, I want to escort them to a ship and send them to "space."


       
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  • Comments

    headovmetal said:
    That's great! The only thing I want to leverage is a spare tire!
    posted over 4 years ago
    cristina said:
    that orwell essay is complete prescriptivist bullshit. also, i didnt want to create an example out of myself by using the word prescriptivist, but i couldnt think of a simple alternative. anyway, you get my point.
    posted over 4 years ago
    joyz said:
    I can't say I agree with the first two, but I love the last three. I was only aware of one and was laughing by the third. This entry brought the boomwow.
    posted over 4 years ago
    saraxhearts said:
    every time some one says space i think outer space!! i toataly agree with u!
    posted over 4 years ago
    katiewonton said:
    I don't really agree with this.. the whole reason the english language is great is because there are so many ways to say one thing. In many other countries and other languages you're stuck with only one way to say something. It gives people a chance to use their brains. So why not use any-or every, other word you can think of...foreign or not.
    posted over 3 years ago

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