4 ms·
Why do I cringe when I see "at a high rate of speed" where "at high speed" should be?
by baltimore 6y ago
Why do I cringe when I see "at a high rate of speed" where "at high speed" should be?
- sneak 6y agoSame reason I cringe when people use “as per” where a single “as” or “per” will do (per means as), “thusly” instead of “thus”, and, my personal anti-favorite, “individual” to mean “person”. It’s a special kind of pretentious language that people use to make them seem more authoritative or accurate/deliberate. It’s manipulative.
- sokoloff 6y agoFor me "leverage" instead of "use" is like nails on a chalkboard.
- dnautics 6y ago- usage instead of "use" (they are different words) - quantify/fication instead of "measure/ment" - problematic instead of "a problem" - such that instead of "that" (the correct usage is as a phrase that comes from math proofs, "pick an x such that y")
- sneak 6y ago> problematic instead of "a problem" I think this one comes out of a fear of or desire to avoid confrontational language in general in the US. Something can be called problematic without declaring “a problem exists”. What, you got a problem?! :)
- ssanders82 6y ago"utilize"
- bonestamp2 6y agoIt's the same for me when someone says, or writes, "as of late" instead of "lately". Sometimes people think that more words make their writing more professional, but it's usually the opposite. Sentences that are more polished and concise are the hallmark of professional writers.
- troymc 6y agoI also cringe at that phrase, so you're not alone. It seems particularly prevalent among police officers. I guess it's just part of "police English." Every group has its own language and jargon, used to signal group membership. It doesn't have to make sense grammatically or logically.