Just stop saying it.





Do you ever get to the point where a particular phrase has been so overused that you shudder whenever you hear it? Is there a string of words that you loathe so much that you immediately think less of the person who has just uttered them?

I beg of you all, please stop saying "AT THE END OF THE DAY..."

It started as an idiosyncrasy. It just bothered me that the phrase tumbled out of a particular co-worker's mouth with so much frequency. Then I noticed it becoming contagious. Others picked up the habit. Watch any news interview on TV--there's a good chance it'll pop out of some talking head's mouth.

I soon began to wonder about a deeper meaning. I mean, what little I know of linguistics leads me to believe that phrases fall into popularity for a reason. Analogous to "When all is said and done...", or "What matters most is...", ATEOTD prefaces a statement from a speaker who wishes to draw attention to a particular goal, at the expense of the steps taken to achieve that goal.

The phrase operates to enforce the concept that the "ends" always justify the "means". I dislike that concept very much. A lot of evil has been done by those who embrace that attitude and approach. I'll leave the rest of the political argument off this page, and let you draw your own conclusions.

I recognize one legitimate use of this phrase. If you mean to say "at 5pm or 6pm, when my co-workers were wrapping things up..." That's okay. If you mean "at about midnight, when I usually go to bed..." Fine by me.

But if you use ATEOTD around me one more time, expect me to spit on the floor, or groan, or ask you to explain in great detail how your statement is made more clear by your use of a tired cliche.

Oh, and while we're at it, it's NEW-CLE-AR, not NUKE-YOO-LER.

Thanks.

Posted: Tue - January 31, 2006 at 08:50 PM            

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