I heard someone on the wireless, in talking about the Freedom of Information Act, refer to the ‘information-requesting community’, as if they all lived together and had much in common.
You could, though, legitimately refer to me as a member of the annoyed community. I do have something in common with thousands of readers and listeners, even if I have never met them, who are enraged by stupid, empty, clichéd and erroneous language.
Now I have read an entertaining little book called She Literally Exploded: The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook (Constable, £5.99). It is by Christopher Howse, who used to work for The Spectator, and Richard Preston.
It includes turns of phrase that I had not noticed, such as ‘Can I get a coffee?’ said by people asking for one at a shop. I am still not sure that I understand what government-spokesman types mean by top-slicing. But I found myself laughing in recognition at ordinarily irritating phrases such as not a problem, pan-fried, doing nothing is not an option, step up to the plate, take on board, and, a sure sign that inspiration if flagging: the list is endless.
Some words and phrases I hate are not in the selection, such as: in shock, transparency, valued customer, ongoing, envision, fit for purpose, real-time. I might have said the authors had ‘missed a trick’, were it not such an annoying phrase to use.
People have used that phrase about things I have written, in which I omitted certain elements because they are too hackneyed to mention. ‘She missed a trick by not mentioning the delicious tale of Queen Elizabeth, the Earl of Oxford and the fart,’ writes a reviewer, ignorant that I had judged the story too well known to benefit from another outing.
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