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Has anyone else noticed how overused this phrase is recently? Especially with respect to Iraq, it's all "going forward" this and "the way forward" that. I even heard a reporter ask two students who captured footage of police descending on VT during the shooting incident, why, given that they (the students) weren't sure what was going on at the time, they had decided on, "going forward" (read, "to continue filming what was taking place"). It's driving me nuts, because, well, it seems to say something while saying nothing at all. Going forward Is there a term for this kind of "specious specificity" ?
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Joined: May 2005
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Perhaps "fluff", or possibly "filler"? It makes little sense without one's being on a ship or similar craft.
ÅΓª╥┐↕§
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Overused perhaps, but they could also be going backward, going home, or going nowhere.
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old hand
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old hand
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't think there's a specific term, other than something along the lines of 'currently popular expression'. We had a discussion here one time about the phrase 'growing a business'  . They make sense in one kind of (twisted) way, but. A former pastor of mine used the term 'baby Christian' all the time, and that REALLY got on my nerves. 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
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"Equivocal" is close but not very. I think Jackie is right but you might consult your friendly local thesaurus http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/#lookup ,entering words like "unspecific," "misleading," "ambiguous,"etc
dalehileman
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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My English teacher (flash back!)called them weasel-words and disliked them almost as much as she did wimpy-words which were overused, boring adjectives such as "nice."
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, yeah! "Have a nice day". And ever since somebody asked on here about hearing 'graduated high school/college', I hear that all the time; thanks a lot! 
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Joined: Apr 2007
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It seems like 'buzz words' stay in usage for shorter periods of time but with broader coverage. Think about words like 'groovy'--popular for years, in different regions. Now, if you say groovy, you're either a throwback or discussing records (which may qualify you as a throwback).
tempus edax rerum
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Now, if you say groovy, you're ...a throwback
Or so far behind you are ahead - again.
I'm of the opinion that there is a Cabal Of Intriguers (COI)
who decide on a phrase, arrange to have it dropped into printed and spoken language for the sole purpose of annoying people. Since these words/phrases cause much tooth-gnashing I suspect COI has a good many dentists in its membership.
And of course at meetings the COI gleefully peruse language forums like this to see how well they are doing.
Last edited by wow; 05/20/07 04:47 PM.
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