Since the whole point of this blog is to share things that are awesome (so everyone gets to try them) and things that are not awesome (so we can avoid them), I thought I’d share some things that I do not find awesome.
Some things that are not awesome are the phrases and misspellings I consistently come across at work. Let’s explore.
Misspellings.
Everyone misspells things. I know this. I misspell things too. A lot! Spell Check is mean, and it has turned our natural spelling instinct off, so we would type “teh” all day if it did not auto-correct for us. However, I find these two examples to be the hardest words for people to spell correctly in my day-to-day email life.
1. It’s: Ridiculous
It’s NOT: “Rediculous.” As in, “It’s ridiculous that you think the word “ridiculous” has an ‘e’ in it.”
There is no “E” in “Ridiculous!”
2. Definite and Definitely.
I see ‘definitely’ consistently misspelled to have a random “a” or “e” in it: definately, definetely. The word “finite” is right in the middle. Maybe just type “finite” and then stack the other letters around it? Just trying to be helpful.
If you are in need of further clarification, there’s an entire website dedicated to this particular issue: http://www.d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.com/
Phrase Misuse and Overuse.
This hatred stems back to the Belligerent Plague. This illness hit my alma mater during college. It became a way to describe how drunk you were last night. “I got belligerent last night!” Did you? Were you “belonging to or recognized as a state at war?” No? Did you become “inclined to or exhibit assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness?” If so, maybe you were an angry, combative drunk, in which case you were perhaps belligerent. If not, you weren’t belligerent. You were just drunk. Unless, of course, there is another definition for “belligerent,” where it means “I wore madras pants, bought shots on my platinum AmEx, danced with my arms up, ordered Domino’s, threw up, and passed out on someone’s couch.” If so, my b.
1. “We have a call in.”
If I call you with a question, and you don’t get back to me, and then I call again later to check up on it, just say: “I called the client, but I haven’t heard back.” Or, tell me the truth and say you haven’t done anything. That’s fine.
But unless you are calling NASA, or you’re a member of the CIA contacting another covert agency, please don’t say “we have a call in.” It makes you look pathetic and that makes me sad.
2. “Circle back.”
This came out of nowhere and took over like a foreign species destroying a fragile ecosystem. Just do not say this. Say, “I’ll talk to her.” Or, “we’ll regroup in a week.” I really can’t talk about this anymore, it’s making me too upset. Please just do not say it.
