Several times recently, I've read the phrase, "For all intents and purposes," written, "For all intensive purposes." While this might be a typo—I have a tendency to type "every" instead of "ever" and "boib" instead of "Bob"—it may also be excellent examples of something that bothers and disappoints me.
I'm not a fan of clichés or other catch phrases. People tend to use such phrases without understanding them. When I point that out, the usual response is, "Ugh, you KNOW what I mean!" but, still I feel that we should take the time to know and understand what we're saying/writing. On the other side of the coin, I've also found that people sometimes don't understand me when I avoid using a cliché. It's almost as if they're unable to assemble the words and derive the meaning on their own.
This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while, because I had planned to draw some conclusion or offer some solution. It turns out I have neither.
What do you think about this?
One conclusion might be that people don't care enough to think for themselves. They hear or see something, and mindlessly repeat without bothering to learn. Misused or misunderstood catch phrases and clichés are just a couple of examples.
ReplyDeleteThe solution is that people listen to what others have to say, and pay attention to what it means. Don't know or understand something? Ask, or look it up.
Learning is part of growing, and taking the time to do so shows you care.