As I mentioned in my post, The Unparalleled World-Class Mission-Critical Hero: Words Sucked Dry In Business, some terms just get under your skin and start gnawing their way toward your brain. Obviously, this has resulted in mass hysteria in some business circles.
But the people are not taking this lying down! They’re fighting back by…
Entries Tagged as 'language'
Anarchy in the U.K.! Or Just Getting Their Ducks in a Row
December 12th, 2008 · No Comments · Random Observations
Soccer Moms Voted Off The Island For Jumping The Shark: 10 Odd American Expressions You Should Know
October 28th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Random Observations
Despite an economy that resembles roadkill, America still excels at media, including entertainment and news. We give good hype, and the Internet brings it to the rest of the world 24/7. One problem: all this unfiltered Yankee content poses a linguistic challenge for people in other countries, even those fluent in English. That’s because Americans [...]
Tags:beer·communications·expressions·Happy Days·Jim Jones·Joe Six Pack·John Kerry·Jonestown·journalism·Jumping The Shark·language·media·Miss South Carolina·Nixon·slang·Soccer Moms·swiftboating·Urban Dictionary·Watergate·words
To "The" or not to "The"? That is the Question in Product Naming
October 24th, 2008 · No Comments · How To Tips
As a USC Trojan, I have a twisted interest in the Ohio State University football team this season. I was thrilled when my Trojans throttled them earlier this season 35-3, but this weekend, I’ll be rooting for the Buckeyes as they play Penn State. (Penn State is ranked higher than USC, and therefore must be [...]
Tags:automobiles·Buckeyes·cars·communications·Dan Neil·grammar·language·marketing·Ohio State University·Toyota·Trojans·University of Southern California
The Unparalleled World-Class Mission-Critical Hero: Words Sucked Dry In Business
September 21st, 2008 · 4 Comments · Random Observations
As yet another Cool Rules Pronto public service, I’ve identified a few words and phrases that have been so overused, misused and abused that they no longer have any meaning. (Kind of like the joke in an average Saturday Night Live sketch.) These terms sound important without saying anything, which makes them ideal for press [...]
Tags:advertising·business·communications·jargon·language·marketing·PR·public relations·slang·terminology·words·writing
Totally 'Tarded: The Tropic Thunder "Controversy"
August 21st, 2008 · 4 Comments · Media News
As you’ve probably heard to death by now, the hit film Tropic Thunder has stirred up a little hornet’s nest in politically correct circles. (I would say wasp’s nest, but the PC folks would probably object to offending White Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Those Saxons can be a gnarly bunch.) To promote Tropic Thunder, actor/writer/director Ben Stiller [...]
Tags:Ben Stiller·language·political correctness·Tropic Thunder·Urban Dictionary·words


