Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Ms. CRANKY ON TOO MUCH USE OF THE SAME TERMS ON TV (or, anywhere else, for that matter)

Ms. Cranky has trouble with people repeating things, like she didn’t hear them the first ten times.  Ms. Cranky fears she attracts this type of repeating person but Ms. Cranky also has problems with TV people who get ‘hooked’ on a certain word or phrase and use it over and over.  Like, there was a time when Ms. Cranky enjoyed the word ‘venue’ and thought it downright spiffy but, then, over and over the TV newscasters and interviewers and such began using this really nice word to the point of nausea. 
Now, Ms. Cranky, who is a tiny snob, won’t use that word (‘venue’) even when it’s the most appropriate word to use which it sometimes is.  Ms. Cranky, as some of you know, performs at certain, ahhh, ‘places’ (theaters, clubs, dive bars, etc.) herself and has been tempted to use the “V” word but will not --- her lips are sealed.  It takes a lot to get Ms. Cranky really turned off on something but once she’s turned off, that’s it --- goodbye ‘venue,’ sorry it’s not your fault, I really liked you but you but you got manhandled.
The word of the moment on TV that’s really annoying Ms. Cranky and is being bandied about wildly, is ‘backstory’ which, again, is a perfectly fine word to describe the, like, back story of someone’s life and when Ms. Cranky first heard the word used she thought it very clear and telling but now she just about gags when she hears it, particularly on some early evening entertainment TV shows (you know who you are!).  About every third word, or, so it seems, is ‘backstory.’  Come on guys, get another word, it’s a big country out there and you’re TV stars and you have staffs and there are dictionaries and thesauruses (? Is the latter able to be pluralized?) 
Cooking shows are the worst for repetitiveness of words; Ms. Cranky once counted the same word used 11 times in one 30-minute segment.   But, that’s for tomorrow’s column, let’s not mix metaphors or overused words here.  Ms. C. doesn’t want to appear tooooo whiny, you know.  She’ll tackle (now, there’s a wonderful word, actually --- so vivid, so lusty-sounding) cooking show word abuse tomorrow, the good Lord willing and all.
Until then, Cranky thanks you for stopping by.  Have a great evening, morning and such.  The weather should improve and the annual Atlantic Antics Street Festival is in Brooklyn this Sunday which is a brilliant highlight of life here in this wonderful city.  Don’t miss it, if at all possible. It will not disappoint. The Antics might be crowded here and there but everyone’s in a good mood and the crowds eventually flow and the ATLANTIC ANTICS will not, cannot, disappoint. (Unless, you’re a total malcontent but, then, you probably wouldn’t be reading this column if you were!)

Fondly,
Ms. Cranky
Wednesday, September 28, 2011


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