January 2011
In terms of acquiring one’s "capra aegagrus hircus", recently my goat has been fully got by the over-use of two words - one typically English and one typically American.
The first word that has been winding me up is “Ultimate”
The dictionary definition of Ultimate is ”Of the greatest possible size or significance; maximum, representing or exhibiting the greatest possible development or sophistication, utmost; extreme.”
In my mind, it’s one of those words that should be used sparingly, for the rare occasion when something has truly reached its utmost. But it's all over the bloody place! In fact, it is now so ubiquitous that “ultimate” is becoming the “norm”.
I think it is advertisers and TV show editors who are the main culprits. I mean, really, can you actually have the “ultimate sandwich” or the “ultimate shampoo”? Most programmes on Channel 4, or 5 or the Discovery Channel now seem to include something that is ultimately ultimate. Note to diary - must set Sky+ to record “The Ultimate Street Fighter”
Now that I’ve drawn your attention to it, look and listen out for it, you will be amazed just how often it’s used. In fact, I think its use could be categorised as “awesome”.
Actually, I don’t think that at all, but it does lead me on to my next goat-getting word “Awesome” or, to give it its more popular American pronunciation “Ossum”
Once again, the dictionary definition shows us that it’s a word that should be used sparingly: “Causing awe; appalling; awful; expressive of awe or terror".
And “awe” is defined as ”The emotion inspired by something dreadful and sublime; an undefined sense of the dreadful and the sublime; reverential fear, or solemn wonder; profound reverence”
So, when an English chap, or more likely an American “dude”, walks up to his friend and says “Hey mate (dude) your new trainers (sneakers) are awesome (ossum)”, is he really expressing his reverential fear, his solemn wonder, his profound reverence, for his friend's new sports shoes?
I think not...