# Words I am Done With



## skip.knox (Oct 18, 2018)

Double down (just say emphasize, or stand firm)
Badass  (only if there's goodass ... and oh, shut up)
It is what it is (well, it ain't what it ain't, which is equally profound)

How about you?


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## Orc Knight (Oct 19, 2018)

skip.knox said:


> It is what it is



That is my job's motto nowadays. Practically a benediction at this point, really.


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## Steerpike (Oct 19, 2018)

Pretty much over “paradigm shift.”


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## Svrtnsse (Oct 19, 2018)

Cascade - when used to describe a way of distributing information


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## CupofJoe (Oct 19, 2018)

Cognitive Resilience - Which seems to mean "Sh!t happens; deal with it".


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## skip.knox (Oct 19, 2018)

Ah,cascade. Which cascades me over into "drill down" -- an oldie and a baddie


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## JGCully (Oct 20, 2018)

Going forward (I hate business speak)
In a nutshell (*sigh*)
Thus (over used in a lot of my first drafts)


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## summondice (Oct 25, 2018)

Orc Knight said:


> That is my job's motto nowadays. Practically a benediction at this point, really.


My workplace's version is "It's fiiiiiiine." Which I admit, I love and use often. It's sometimes the only way let a build up of things go. 

SK - I think I used those first two just today. I don't use the first one very often, but it's the best way I've found to describe out loud to people about the humorous side of a frustrating situation. The second I also have only used to describe the character I'm basing on a certain toddler. 

Both of those have definitely become pretty cliche. 

WORDS I AM DONE WITH: 
See, Look, Hear, Know, Realize, Wonder, Decide, Notice, Feel, Remember, Think - They're all disguised as "show not tell" words, but they usually inhibit it. 

This, That, Then, Of, As, Really/Very/Only (and any other word intended to emphasize where better words would be, well, better), Just, Start/Begin, Suddenly, Almost/Rather/Somewhat (and other hedge words that end up meaning nothing at all), Prepositions like up and down when they are redundant or, at best, poor word economy. 

But possibly most of all the verbs: Make, Got, Look, Move, Come, and Has

Of course, I'm mostly sick of these in a very particular sort of circumstance and not in general conversation or even in general writing (though I notice each one every time in writing that's meant to be Writing.


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## Agam Ridelle (Oct 25, 2018)

gasped, gasp, gasping
breath, breathed, breathing


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## summondice (Oct 25, 2018)

Glance - that's one I need to add. I'm starting to absolutely loathe all forms of this word.


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## Demesnedenoir (Oct 25, 2018)

That.

Not that you can't get too far without using that, but that doesn't mean you can't try that.

Finally.

Dead word to me, outside of dialogue or one helluva justification. But then, all -ly adverbs need justification outside dialogue, heh heh.

Saw, heard, wondered... all of those are distancers, but again, it's hard to be "done" with them. It's a matter of limiting their usage.

Otherwise, most words are fair game unless they just don't fit the style of writing.

The F-bomb in Fantasy lit not set in our time period... in RL I'm full of them, but in my writing? I don't like it, it becomes meaningless and so often out of place. Part of my issue comes from screenwriting and the PG-13 F-bomb, so often thrown into films randomly to get to PG-13, and they come off as pathetic.


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## Demesnedenoir (Oct 25, 2018)

For me this will depend on usage. If you are writing in intimate third and use "Joe glanced" you've created a gap (distancer) between the character and reader. In 3rd omniscient it plays better, so long it's not over used. But in general, over used is the trouble, as with most words.



summondice said:


> Glance - that's one I need to add. I'm starting to absolutely loathe all forms of this word.


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## TheCrystallineEntity (Oct 25, 2018)

I was looking at this recently: Forty Four Words to Seek and Destroy


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## Ban (Oct 25, 2018)

Moist.


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## DragonOfTheAerie (Nov 20, 2018)

Ban said:


> Moist.


Mmmmmooooooooooiiiiiiissst.


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## Ireth (Nov 20, 2018)

Ban said:


> Moist.



Don't ever read Pratchett's "Going Postal" or "Making Money" then. I kid you not, that is the MC's name.


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## skip.knox (Nov 20, 2018)

Also from my list:
breaking news (linguistically equivalent of saying new news)
utilize (as a synonym for use)

My list is more about general usage than about poor writing. But the above posts are all points well made. 

Except for the damp ones. <g>


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## ChaoticanWriter (Dec 10, 2018)

"Sardonic". 
I read a book that used this word too much, and kept referring to the main character in that way, and it completely ruined that character for me.
_Re-using a single descriptive adjective is NOT how you make a character edgy!_


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## skip.knox (Dec 10, 2018)

Unpack. 

Please, news people. You can explain a news story. You can expand upon it. If you're feeling feisty you can even explicate.

The only thing you can unpack is luggage and I'll thank you not to unpack mine. Bonus tip: there is never, ever, a lot to unpack here. You're in a broadcast room, not a baggage carousel.


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## Demesnedenoir (Dec 12, 2018)

Unhinged... I used to like this word, modern politics has made it meaningless... pretty much what modern politics does to everything.


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## skip.knox (Dec 12, 2018)

You presume politics was previously hinged. 

Going forward, here's another: going forward. The phrase is either superfluous, or is a poor synonym for "do" or other simple action verb. Whenever you hear it, see if it's necessary. It can be a party game. When the phrase is needed, take a drink. Everyone drives home sober.


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## Demesnedenoir (Dec 12, 2018)

Politics has always been unhinged, it’s now to the point of deranged... which is also overused in X derangement syndrome. Done with that one also, heh heh.



skip.knox said:


> You presume politics was previously hinged.
> 
> Going forward, here's another: going forward. The phrase is either superfluous, or is a poor synonym for "do" or other simple action verb. Whenever you hear it, see if it's necessary. It can be a party game. When the phrase is needed, take a drink. Everyone drives home sober.


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## Sitra Achra (Jan 22, 2019)

I (and my partner) keep a list of hateable words and phrases. 
Reimagine.
Game changer. 
Love child.
Pamper.
Pleasure.
Sensual.
Fabulous or gorgeous.
Guesstimate. 
Curl up (with a book or a cheeky wine).

Bleurgh *shudder*


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## Mythopoet (Jan 22, 2019)

Demesnedenoir said:


> Unhinged... I used to like this word, modern politics has made it meaningless... pretty much what modern politics does to everything.



It should really only be used in a sentence like "and then he unhinged his jaw and swallowed the hero whole."


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## Demesnedenoir (Jan 22, 2019)

Or, ate the politician whole... which is always a happy ending, heh heh.


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