If you’re going to make your living using words, like most marketers do, you should use them correctly. It bugs me when I see marketers, and others, take the meaning of words lightly.
My first rule is to make sure that you are using a word that means what you think it does. It reminds me of the line in The Princess Bride when Montoya says, “You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.” I’ve been tempted to use that line in many business meetings.
Of course, correcting the word usage of your friends and colleagues isn’t always recommended. I’m advocating making sure that you and I use words correctly. You can satisfy your need to be right by surreptitiously using Google’s define function. Then, after you have confirmed that you are correct you can subtly bask in the glow of your verbal superiority.
But, do it quietly. I wouldn’t recommend going around correcting everyone else. It can make you vastly unpopular.
Have a commonly used word that you think is misused? Let me know about it. We can commiserate.
Perhaps the most often abused is "anxious" when the speaker usually means "eager." Kills me.
ReplyDeleteAnother one that's just absurd is the phrase "I could care less." Ridiculous!