Yes, awful words are still awful, even in a pandemic. Let me put it this way: If I were being drawn and quartered, and someone said “Yaass queen!” I would flinch.
This year has brought a whole trove (or tranche, to use a horrible word that’s having a moment) of stupid words related to Covid 19. Should we bother including them? There are so many!
Pod, bubble, maskne, quarantini, zooming, super-spreader, herd immunity, and all the rest are hard to get away from, and unpleasant reminders of how our culture has devolved. What is your least favorite Covid-related word or phrase? Mine is “new normal.” There are so many that the Oxford English Dictionary, for the first time, declined to choose one for it’s New Word of the Year.
Let’s go with words and phrases that have reared their ugly heads in 2020 to make our miserable lives even more miserable.
Qanon
Proud Boys
“So” at the beginning of each sentence
Fire (meaning great)
Lived experience
Deeper Dive
Unpack
Cancel culture
Truth to power
Self-care
Karen
Tik-tok
Ask as a noun
Shattered norms
Thirst trap
Inflection point
The other day I heard a guy on the news say “Marxian” instead of Marxist. I also heard someone say “uncomfortability.” I objected but nobody cared. People on TV also keep saying stuff like “My wife and myself” or “Myself and my crew” because they must think myself sounds more intelligent than me. People trying to sound intelligent are just ridiculous, whereas people who say “anyways” are at least sincere.
As this fucking horrible year comes to an end, I am ready to announce my vote for most egregious of all new words: WAP. WAP is so tragic, I don’t know where to begin. A wet pussy is obviously a good thing. I mean, it’s better than a dry pussy. It’s a good thing to discuss between lovers. But it doesn’t belong in an anthem!
Snoop Dogg admitted that he was against WAP, explaining that it referred to a “jewel” that a woman should not devalue. I think he got some shit for that on Twitter. Cardi’s husband Whatshisname”pushed back” by saying something about empowering female sexuality. I’m sorry, no. Just as I don’t want a guy to sing about Big Hard Cocks, I don’t want to hear WAP. I wouldn’t want little kids asking about WAP, but that’s just me, i.e. Karen.
Weigh in with your own list of awful words! I want to see what I left out.
My biggest word problem (so to speak) is service people, friends, strangers in the street and so on, saying “No problem” to things and actions that shouldn’t be a “problem” in the first place. The worst are service workers (bless their hardworking souls for our useless pleasures) saying “No problem” to giving us an extra sugar, our cold meal reheated, etc. But only today, a person held a door open for me in a public place (a very nice gesture since I’m now an octogenarian and holding doors that have already been touched open for the next person so that person doesn’t have to touch said door is in my opinion an incredible act of kindness and consideration generally, and especially in the time of surface Covid, that I do so every time I’m able). I profusely, and sincerely, thanked said person as I always do, and she said “No problem.” Well, it is a slight effort to hold the door open for the next person, but it’s not really hard or a problem. One might say “You’re welcome” or “My pleasure” as I do and I am no paragon of politeness though I am pretty close to being one. “No problem” should be banned from all conversation unless one is asked, and performs, an act way beyond the call of job or duty or puts oneself out in a major way. For example, I just save someone from a burning car and they thank me. My saying “No problem” is actually in that case a very great way to say “I did something great for you, including putting my own life in danger, but since it saved your life and made me feel really good doing so, it really was not a problem at all though it might have seemed like one.” I could go on but I’m sure you all get my drift and have experienced this “No problem” response in mundane, or uncalled for, situations many times.
Sure instead of yes. Condescending.
Snack to describe someone as ‘tasty’ and maybe small. Ick.
Thank you for the round up of terrible words.
Food insecurity. Not necessarily my least favorite, but irritating as hell.
A solid list Sister. My own most-hated word (it’s been around for longer than this year, though) is “pivot”. What’s wrong with just saying “change” or something like that? Anyway, hope you’re staying healthy and sane and thank you for your post, which makes my lonely day a bit brighter.
Are these odious turns of phrase adding insult to injury or is it all just lacerations and gore?
I hadn’t heard it until you pointed it out, but now I only ever hear “pundi*t.”
Does “simulation theory” have any value other than as an excuse to beat up virtual prostitutes in video games?
Boomer. Almost always said “Okay, Boomer.” Usually used by kids to describe anyone over 35.
Peng
The kids have also started saying “Actual?” in response to their disbelief (where one would normally use “Really?”) Fuck that!
I can’t think of any more right now, partly because your list is wonderfully comprehensive, and partly because I’m knackered.
WAP is disgusting. I thought the title was bad until I listened to the lyrics. There’s no need for pop-porn.
Thanks for all the wonderful entertainment, Sis. I still relish your writing after all these years and sincerely hope you have a tolerable Christmas and New Year. xoxo
stunning
lazy click bait word now standing for: amazing, impressive, beautiful, outstanding, remarkable, unique, vivid, fantastic – thereby replacing words that express a range of impressions and reactions for something mainly meaning ‘numbing’. if that’s not the fucking internet, show me something better that is.
Snoop Dogg, the arbiter of linguistic aesthetics, fo shizzle.
These are completely unrelated to our Covid-19/2020 year but i cannot tolerate ‘impordant’- I even hear news reporters say this. And ‘nothink’, similarly ‘somethink.
These may be just unique to Australia though?
“I gotcha” I am hearing this everywhere by service people in 2020. It doesn’t bother me though, they have it tough. I think my biggest irk though, in professional life….”can you add some color to that” when asking for details. That I hate.
excellent list Sister!
my all time hated word that is not going away…FOLKS! I fucking hate this word! You know, the FOLKS who are rigging the election? The FOLKS who are hacking our national security?? Meddling…you mean the folks in Russia who are meddling with our elections? Grandmas meddle…Literally…enough! This word finds its way into every sentence I hear coming out of 20 and 30 somethings…agree on SO starting sentences. Thank you Silicon Valley dweebs. Hoax. Liberty. Patriot. People who ask for “an amen”. Trumps cheap Queens boy accent. There are so many more, just too exhausting…..happy new year!!
Literally.
Dear Sister Wolf, your awful word posts are some of my favourite! Still going strong after all these years… so many awful words!
“Unpack” and “drill down” are two on my Most Hated of All Time list – now dating back around 15 years. They have spread from the corporate world into general parlance, and seem to be a particular favourite of all manner of coaches these days. On that note, let’s add “Life Coach” to the list.
I’m with Betty on “pivot” as Most Hated in the COVID era (but “unprecedented” and “new normal” are close second/third). I want to weep every time I hear it. Visions of millions and billions of little humans pivoting away… so stupid.
I concur with Thomas on the use of “no problem” in situations where whatever is being done for you absolutely should not be a problem/imposition. Irks me to no end!
“Pivot”
Anybody who is that word instead of “adapt” or “change” needs to be punched right in their mouth.