Trendy Words I Do Not Like

[Hibush]

While I do think that 'best' carries a conversational implicature of uniqueness, I think it's a little weaker. It seems to me that it can be equalled--perhaps because 'the best' typically denotes a class of objects rather than a particular individual (e.g. "the best knife is...").

The truth in advertising rules (probably gone now) held that a claim of "better" required objective evidence, whereas "Best" was subjective. Therefore it was ok to advertise that you are selling the best knife, but not practical to advertise that it was better in some way.

[dismalist]

A post on the "favorite student emails" thread reminded me of  "I'm confused".

"I'm confused" used to be a confession that one was, well, confused. Nowadays, it is used as an accusation, in the sense of "you have caused me to be confused". How did that happen and why?

Sorry, that was me. I phrased my comments to visiting speakers as "I'm confused. You said X but then you said Y, but X implies not-Y." It seemed politer than "You are taking nonsense."

Nothing to be sorry about. I suppose trying to be polite does explain some of the usage, except that ITRW the tone in which "I'm confused" is said amounts to an attack.

[ergative]

My husband uses 'I was surprised  (to hear) that . . .' in a similar way. It means, in his mouth, 'I thought you were great, but then you did/said this thing that is not great, which surprised and disappointed me, who expected better.'

I don't think he realizes that this is what he means when he says it. I think he thinks he was genuinely surprised by the event. But somehow he only ever says 'I was surprised' about bad things (surprise dishes, surprise errands), not good things (surprise cake, surprise presents). Drives me nuts.

[Aster]

"mandate".

I really can't use this word much anymore in any context. Not in the U.S., anyway. It's too tied into the over-politicization of the covid pandemic.

[dismalist]

Plural of collective nouns to end with "s".

Behavior, as written, is many, but uncountable. Behaviors is supposed to be countable. It used to be that "behavior" was sufficient, but "behaviors" seems to be taking over. And there are other words like that. Googling around, I learned that "behaviors" is a term in psychology, social science, and education. Is that true? If so, why not use "behavior"?

Drives me up the wall. :-)

[FishProf]

Behaviour is collective (as in the totality of what an animal does), but behaviors is a pluralization of specific things.

Mating behavior covers the whole shebang, but mating behaviors refers to the individual aspects (courting, grooming, mate guarding, nest clearing, etc etc).

Note - yes I know I switched British/American spelling along the way above.  It is one of my pernicious behaviors.

[dismalist]

Behaviour is collective (as in the totality of what an animal does), but behaviors is a pluralization of specific things.

Mating behavior covers the whole shebang, but mating behaviors refers to the individual aspects (courting, grooming, mate guarding, nest clearing, etc etc).

Note - yes I know I switched British/American spelling along the way above.  It is one of my pernicious behaviors.

Yeah, I got the definition. It's the apparent increase in one usage rather than the other that irritated me.

Anyway, checking Ngram, use of the word behavior was always there but peaked before 1980 and has declined a tad since then. Use of the word behaviors is a logistic beginning about 1920 and exploding from 1960. Seems to have peaked right about the present.

I was wondering why.

[little bongo]

"Orwellian."

I think even George would say, "Enough, now" at this point.

[fishbrains]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

[jimbogumbo]

Behaviour is collective (as in the totality of what an animal does), but behaviors is a pluralization of specific things.

Mating behavior covers the whole shebang, but mating behaviors refers to the individual aspects (courting, grooming, mate guarding, nest clearing, etc etc).

Note - yes I know I switched British/American spelling along the way above.  It is one of my pernicious behaviors.

Yeah, I got the definition. It's the apparent increase in one usage rather than the other that irritated me.

Anyway, checking Ngram, use of the word behavior was always there but peaked before 1980 and has declined a tad since then. Use of the word behaviors is a logistic beginning about 1920 and exploding from 1960. Seems to have peaked right about the present.

I was wondering why.

Like many trendy things it has become the norm?

[downer]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

How am I going to describe my preferred olive oil?

[jimbogumbo]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

Not for statistics! That meaning is clear and useful. I'm with you in spirit otherwise, and would like to say the same about "nimble".

[little bongo]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

Not for statistics! That meaning is clear and useful. I'm with you in spirit otherwise, and would like to say the same about "nimble".

Well, we can't get poor Jack over that candlestick without it.

[dismalist]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

Not for statistics! That meaning is clear and useful. I'm with you in spirit otherwise, and would like to say the same about "nimble".

Interesting. My new toy, Ngram, reveals that "robust" really took off around 1980. "Nimble" did as well, but with a much less steep rise, and that after a long decline. Fulfilling my dream of turning the clock back on speech use would not help.

[apl68]

"Robust" has to die. In all forms and in all contexts.

Good luck killing that one off.  Given that it's so...well, you know.