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Author: | J Kaufman [ Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:00 am ] |
Post subject: | This and that |
Everyone at TCE is hereby deputized to follow WaPo and see how many times these cliches turn up anyway. Quote: Washington Post Outlook section editor Carlos Lozada writes: “After I saw the ‘iconic’ post, I thought you’d enjoy this running list that we keep in Outlook of words and phrases we should avoid. (I just added ‘iconic’ to the list.)” [Jim Romenesko]
THINGS WE DO NOT SAY IN OUTLOOK At first glance As a society (or, “as a nation”) Observers TK is not alone Pundits say (or “Critics say”) The American people (unless in a quote) The narrative (unless referring to a style of writing) Probe (as substitute for “investigation”) A rare window (unless we’re talking about a real window that is in fact rare) Begs the question (unless used properly – and so rarely used properly that not worth it) Be that as it may It is important to note that Needless to say [Anything] 2.0 (or 3.0, or 4.0…) At a crossroads Outside the box/Out of the box TK is a favorite Washington parlor game Yes, Virginia, there is a TK Underscored Midwife (as a verb that does not involve childbirth) Call it TK Pity the poor TK Imagine (as the first word in your lede) Palpable sense of relief Rorschach test (unless it is a real one) The Other Effort (as a verb) Gestalt/Zeitgeist Little-noticed (that just means the writer hadn’t noticed it) Hastily-convened Ignominious end Tightly knit community Rise of the 24-hour news cycle (it rose a long time ago) Remains to be seen Feeding frenzy/feeding the frenzy Double down Dons the mantle of Hot-button issue Face-saving compromise The argument goes (or its cousin, “the thinking goes”) Shutter (as a verb) Paradigm shift (in journalism, all paradigms are shifting) Unlikely revolutionary (in journalism, all revolutionaries are unlikely) Unlikely reformer (in journalism, all reformers are unlikely) Grizzled veteran (in journalism, all veterans are grizzled – unless they are “seasoned”) Manicured lawns (in journalism, all nice lawns are manicured) Rose from obscurity (in journalism, all rises are from obscurity) Dizzying array (in journalism, all arrays make one dizzy) Withering criticism (in journalism, all criticism is withering) Predawn raid (in journalism, all raids are predawn) Sparked debate (or “Raised questions”) Ironic Capitalizations Implying Unimportance Of Things Others Consider Important Provides fresh details But reality/truth is more complicated (oversimplify, then criticize the oversimplification) Scarred by war Shines a spotlight on (unless there is a real spotlight that really shines) TK is no panacea (nothing is) No silver bullet Shifting dynamics Situation is fluid (code for “I have no idea what is going on”) Partisans on both sides Charm offensive Pushback Going forward Stinging rebuke Mr. TK goes to Washington (unless a reference to the actual movie) The proverbial TK (“proverbial” doesn’t excuse the cliché, just admits you used it knowingly) Fevered speculation Oft-cited Iconic Growing body of evidence Increasingly (unless we prove in the story that something is in fact increasing) Tapped (as substitute for “selected” or “appointed) Any “not-un” formulation (as in “not unsurprising”) There, I said it (more self-important than “voicey”) To be sure |
Author: | KfitzR [ Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:11 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: This and that |
Nice list. |
Author: | Phillip Blanchard [ Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:33 pm ] |
Post subject: | Re: This and that |
I am confident that Carlos can keep those phrases out of Outlook, but I don't expect them to disappear from the rest of the paper. |
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