KEY POINTS:
Disney never misses a marketing opportunity. (Source: Boingboing.net)
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Browsing through the CD specials at The Warehouse, a reader saw a sign "under $10" while selecting a CD marked $9.99. "A helpful but bemused assistant confirmed that he could not fulfil the advertised price as he would have to charge $10 for the $9.99 CD, ergo it would not be 'under $10'. Is this false advertising, overcharging, treating the customers as idiots, or perhaps just a little short of commercial nous?" he asks.
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Misused or overused words #1: Jane Skinner reckons the most overused, awful word is "absolutely". "I remember hearing Sally Ridge on her TV programme once, and almost every second word was 'absolutely'. Now I hear it all the time, and it makes me cringe."
Misused or overused words #2: John Lewis says his favourite language hate is "hearing people ask for 'one of those ones'. If there are so many that you have to select one of them, why are they 'ones' at all? I always ask for 'one of those, please'. As for 'would of' for 'would've' - scream!"
Misused or overused words #3: Starting a sentence with "Yes, no, well ... " "What's that about?" asks Judith. "Is this the result of the media age, which doesn't allow a moment of silence while thoughts are gathered and we feel we have to open our mouths to fill the gap - and any old nonsense will do?"
Misused or overused words #4: Mike Edgar doesn't like the phrase "I am in agreeance with that" used by the peasantry. And also media people who do not know that the word "media" is plural. "But what really irks me is our leaders who use two synonyms to make a point where one word would do. There are myriad examples, but one I recall is Brian Edwards saying he would be 'angry and irate' if something happened. Keep your ears open and you will be 'amazed and astonished' at how often it happens."
Misused or overused words #5: " 'Passionate' must surely be the most overused word," says Don Pointon. "Now that 'out of the box' is no longer sufficient to describe every HR department's desires for their staff's thinking, you are all supposed to be passionate about everything you do. Why not see if your readers can find the most ridiculous use ... Somewhere out there must be someone who is claiming to be passionate about sewerage or maybe toothpicks, for example."
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A warehouse in Chicago is "the world capital of fake [latex] vomit, where it's still made the old-fashioned way", reports the Chicago Tribune. It is not as popular as it was 50 years ago (7000 a year, against 60,000 then), Fun Inc president Graham Putnam said. "It's the best vomit on the market. The texture is soft and sturdy, pliable and complex, with ridges of multihued solid chunks looking like a jagged lunar landscape ... perfect for the bathroom, refrigerator, auto seat or sidewalk." (Source: News of the Weird)
