Cliché Corner - the  if I hear this one more time I'll scream  list                   Every one knows that in business and general conversation clichés should be avoided like the plague. However, as this Institution is literally almost unique in being user-focused and empowered to share the big picture, we have, by popular demand and in order to keep up with the Jonses, established Cliché Corner as a sub-section of our Spotty Ribbon Campaign. The primary function of this section is to record those hackneyed, well-worn words and phrases that get right up one's nose when they are trotted out willy-nilly. The list is quite small at this moment in time, but once we get up to speed we may turn into an interactive database like that which contains our isms collection. If you wish to share your thoughts and add to Cliché Corner then please contact us at our usual e-mail address; we'll run your suggestion up the flagpole and see who salutes. Hey, but don't just send us a cliché, tell us why it annoys you. We're hoping to list more clichés than you can shake a stick at. Here are a few to get the ball rolling....... Cliché Contributor's comments Contributor So I turned around and said..... Thus, facing away from the person you were talking to? JRP Free gift As opposed to a gift you pay for? JRP The vast majority Must every majority be vast? JRP Clearly, ..... Clearly, this is being overused and clearly, I'm just fed up with this one! Clear? JRP Captions under newspaper photographs where 'Mr X and Mr Y can be seen sharing a joke...." Usually they're caught doing nothing more than standing close to each other having a drink and a sandwich. JRP Safe haven A safe place of safety? JRP Utilisation Instead us use. Mostly in relation to operating theatres JRP Soccer: "... there's no score yet!" Yes there is, it's nil-nil ME Let's make sure we're all singing from the same hymn sheet Oh, go away..... ME Go the extra mile If, every day, I went the extra mile, by Friday I'd be miles away from home SLR He speaks 5 different languages In case you think he speaks 5 languages but they're all the same? JR Rushed to hospital Do paramedics sometimes take a leisurely drive? IV Giving 110% Stop it. It's mathematically not possible, and you're making the rest of us look bad! GW Thinking outside the box Until someone thinks outside the box and comes up with a replacement for thinking outside the box we're boxed in with this cliché. JRP It strikes me ...... Sometimes I just wish someone would strike them. Hard! JRP Oh my God! Standard, meaningless exclamation for 90% of the UK population - offensive to the other 10%. What does it really mean?? Most often heard at the 'reveal' stage of every tatty home makeover programme on TV. JRP Send no money now! How can I send no money? JD I'm going into solution mode! Eh? Is that from a Red Dwarf script or is he changing into a puddle of water? RP I'm not up to speed I just hate it, is that enough to get it on the page? ME Let's get back to the drawing board Old hat, mate! We're all using CAD these days. RR At the end of the day Thinking of phrases that only debaters use, surely, at the end of the day, this is the most over-used? (see also ism #845) DP 24/7 24/7 was always a cliche that I hated but recently, it had to happen eventually, I heard 24/7/365. Is there no end? JRP At the end of the day the bottom line is... A real double whammy! SLR-R I feel your pain This usually comes from the person who is the source of one’s “pain” and what they are actually implying is “I don’t care about your problems, just shut up and do what I asked.” DR At the minute Isn't it supposed to be "at the moment".  It really grates on my nerves.  WES So _____ Everything these days is so cool, so amazing, so gross, so like Friends. So what! (see also Totally) RP Totally ______ Everything these days is totally cool, totally amazing, totally gross, totally like Friends. Totally pathetic! (see also So) RP Major breakthrough police, scientist and so on no longer just make progress PI Voice mail Whatever happened to the answerphone? DW I'm on my mobile A child's toy hung above a cot? [we've always wondered why a portable computer is never referred to as a mobile computer - Ed.] DW Best practice It seems to be commonly thrown into phrases like “Industry best practice in this area is &ldots;” or “Best practice guidelines dictate that &ldots;”.  Surely this should be “good industrial practice”, or even “the best practice”, but never “best practice” by itself. KB Soccer: "We're hoping for a result today!" OK, just don't turn up and you'll get one: 0-0 (result!) and the other team will win (result!) H-L I'll take that on board! Ahoy, there and weigh anchor? JRP I wanted to touch base with you.  Not on a first date you don't! And what are these people wanting to touch? MY Let's do lunch. What are we going to "do to it?" MY Funner Speaks for itself. Television personalities are using this non-word! Well, being on the television--say no more. MY Irregardless Don't people use dictionaries? MY Aks me Am I supposed to chop them into kindling? MY Well, at the end of the day we should see some light at the end of the tunnel, but if Mr X is not up to speed than that's his lookout and we can't be bending over backwards 24/7 to help him! Heard in my office today from a colleague on the phone. Is this a record for the longest set of Clichés in a sentence? JRP       But:     If we're talking about the number of people at the ball game surely we can give a ball-park figure? Are the USA President's bodyguards just beating about the Bush?                    An ISMS Member has suggested to us that a new lease of life could be breathed into some clichés and well-known sayings if they were changed slightly. Here are a few examples but if you have any other suggestions please let us know by email: Never put a gift horse in the mouth A hair on the head is worth two in the brush Where there's a will I want to be in it To err is human, to forgive is not company policy Today is the dawn of a new error Two heads are better than one, but not if they're both stupid If at first you don't succeed, redefine success back to Spotty Ribbon Campaign

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