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[OM] Re: [OT] gibberish ... was Re: Re: Another AP article full of prais

Subject: [OM] Re: [OT] gibberish ... was Re: Re: Another AP article full of praise
From: Andrew Dacey <adacey@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 13:29:16 -0400
On 11/24/05, savvo <zuiko@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I just have to add 'leverage' to your list. And don't get me started on
> that pointless neologism, 'proactive.'

I think those are both cases where the words have been so severely
mis-used that to hear them used (even in proper context) is grating.

Leverage is the action of a lever so that's perfectly valid. But using
leverage as a verb ("we leveraged our position in the marketplace to
synergise paradigm shifts within key target groups.") is not, the verb
"to lever" would be correct.

Proactive is SUPPOSED to be the opposite of reactive but I'd have to
say that 90+% of the time I see or hear it used what is being proposed
is actually in reaction to something. For instance, "we need to
proactively address our problems with customer satisfaction," there's
nothing proactive in that sentence; they're reacting to an existing
problem not attempting to anticipate potential problems and address
them before they arise.

Similar mis-uses would be the frequent use of ignorant to me rude or
disrespectful. Probably the most frequently mis-used word would be
"literally" which is frequently used when the person wants to add
emphasis to a figurative statement. "Practically" being used to mean
"almost" is another one you run across a lot.
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