h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yes, yes, But what words *don't* people say that others do.

'Bottoms up', 'Down the hatch' as toasts.

Thinking about this subject more though...I reckon I say a heck of a lot with mates in an ironic teasy way...like bantery...tongue in cheek whatever...to be playful with language.

I like to 'dance' with it.

But that's oh so much easier in real life when can dance with your eyes and face to indicate that...smileys don't really do it for me...I still don't get the hang of them properly for a lightness of touch thing.

I don't use the management speak that my managers use. I don't talk about challenges when I mean problems.

I never use the phrase "end of."

I try to avoid management speak, but I suspect I use a lot of it without thinking. It's easy to spot 'blue-sky thinking' and 'low-hanging fruit' coming, but these phrases eventually become mainstream, like 'thinking outside the box'.

Some are tricky though. What is a good short alternative for proactive, for example?

sprout

How about 'thinking outside the fruit'?

There's nothing quite as succinct, admittedly, but in the past we would have told people to think ahead, or be prepared, or plan for the worst, or something.

'At this juncture'.

>>Thinking about this subject more though...I reckon I say a heck of a lot with mates in an ironic teasy way...like banter...tongue in cheek whatever...to be playful with language.

There's also a phenomenon of things which are always said as though they were in inverted commas - almost like banter except...never particularly funny. Things like - we've touched on euphemisms for spouses - 'my other half'. Or greeting people 'Ey oop'. (unless it's actually part of your indigenous dialect, of course. That's *almost* excusable.)

I heard a wonderfully example not half an hour since by the dreadful Roger Bolton on Radio 4's dreadful 'Feedback' programme:

'Gender equality is an issue for the BBC, so should they be promoting those of the fairer sex?'

Oh no - I can't believe a living breathing person in the 21st Century actually said that.

I am now about to use this smiley for the first time.

>> What is a good short alternative for proactive

Active?

'Counter intuitive'

Things I don't say

of the famale persuasion
I'm on a diet / I'm watching my figure (though I will say " I'm losing weight" but only if I am)
he's tied up right now (though there's no need thse days, because no-one phones anyone any more)
at this moment in time
going forward (though I do have to concentrate to avoid that one)
"less" when I mean "fewer"
alot
alright
"the girls", "the boys" or "the lads" of anyone under 30

My ex used to say "he's a good lad" about blokes he went to the pub with. To this day I have no idea what "a good lad" is

Edited to say:

Alot - though I might say "a lot"
Alright - though I might say "all right"

What do you mean, there's no difference in how they're pronounced?

'It's a game of two halves'

'You're only as good as your next game.'

'Take one game at a time'...

'Alright' is all right, but 'alot' isn't a word - Alot is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alot

and here: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html

Ah, yes. 'A night out with 'the lads'. What? All of them?

Blunder on my post 97

'You're only as good as your *last* game.'