Once an editor, always an editor. I see phrases in newspaper stories and on TV news every day that make me cringe. The helpless part of it is that I can no longer fix these phrases that have become acceptable even though they don't make sense.
It would take up entirely too much bandwidth if I listed all of them, but here are a few that absolutely should be banned:
In broad daylight
It would take up entirely too much bandwidth if I listed all of them, but here are a few that absolutely should be banned:
In broad daylight
Often used by broadcasters in a feeble attempt to make a crime sound worse because it was committed during the day. "He was shot in broad daylight!" Am I to assume that if he was shot under mostly-cloudy skies that it wouldn't have been as bad? What's wrong with simply saying, for example, that "he was shot in the early afternoon?"
Collided in mid-air
Why is it that whenever plans collide, it's in "mid-air." It's never high air or low air. Why mid-air, anyway. How about, "the airborne planes collided."
He was taken to the hospital/a local hospital
Announcers describing accidents that happen in areas with multiple hospitals often say that "he was taken to the hospital" -- as if there only was one -- instead of "a hospital." There always is relieve when it's reported that someone was taken to "a local hospital." I hate it when they take them to an out-of-town hospital. I realize that there are times -- such as burn patients from around N.C.who are taken to the N.C. Burn Center in Chapel Hill -- when a distant hospital is the desired destination. But, for the most part, it's a silly thing to say.
Got behind the wheel
This is often used when speaking of somebody who was drinking and driving. He drank and "got behind the wheel." But there's no harm getting behind the wheel as long as you don't drive. Why is it so hard to say driving? It's shorter and a lot more accurate.
He turned the gun on himself
Sadly, this is used so often that you know what is meant. But think about it: All they are telling us is that he turned the gun in his own direction. Did he pull the trigger? Did he drop it? Did he try to play music with it? What exactly did he do after he turned the gun on himself? Obviously when this phrase is used, he shoots himself. Then why not simply say that he shot himself?
The store closed its doors
This tired old phrase is used when a store goes out of business. So are we to assume that when the store was open for business that the doors never were closed? Of course they were. Just say the store closed for business.
They met behind closed doors
More obsession with doors, which have nothing to do with what is trying to be conveyed. This phrase is used to describe closed meetings. But aren't there numerous occasions when the door is closed during an open meeting? Of course. Just say it's a closed meeting!
This will save the taxpayers money!
Often used when a government official finds ways to trim the budget. But I never see any money added to my savings account when this happens. It's not saving me any money. If this helps cut taxes, it could help me save money, but the action being reported at the time it isn't really saving me any money. What they actually are doing is saving the government money. But politicians love to talk about saving the taxpayer's money, so that phrase never will go away.
Walk-off home run
I've watched lots of baseball games and I've seen people walk off the field even after games that end with a routine out. While it unfortunately has been so widely used that people know what is meant when the phrase is used, it isn't nearly as descriptive and to the point as game-ending home run.
Blown save
When does a baseball relief pitcher earn a save? When the game is over. Since you can't earn a save until the game has ended, it's impossible to "blow a save." What they mean to say is that it's a blown save chance.
Complete-game shutout
An irritating redundancy. A pitcher must complete a game and allow no runs to get a shutout. If you don't pitch the complete game, you can not be credited with a shutout.
In the paint
This is one of the stupidest basketball phrases around. For years, "the lane" was a more than adequate way to describe the area between the free-throw line and the baseline. I can guarantee that the rules of basketball say that an offensive player can only occupy the space in the lane for three seconds and that it makes no reference to "the paint." When you hang a picture on a painted wall, are you hanging it in the paint? Of course not.
Score the ball
I've seen many basketball games, but I've never seen anybody slice a ball into small slits. Yet I keep hearing announcers say that a "player scored the basketball." Of course, they aren't cutting up the ball, they're scoring. That's why it's silly not to just say that "the player scored."
Partially blocked
Another silly way that announcers describe when a shot is deflected. Block is an absolute word. Either the shot is blocked or it isn't. It can't be modified. (And there is the even more maddening "partially deflected.") Much like when traffic reporters say that a road is "partially blocked" rather than saying that lanes on the road are blocked.
Now I feel better.
