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Do me a favor, please: From now on, stop and THINK LONG AND HARD whenever you want to use the word "amazing". It is waaaaaaaaay overused. I will provide some examples on how I hear it being used, but first let's see what Webster has to say about the word:
Now, I'm not a gramar nazi, but it seems to be that it's way overused. I mentioned it to Susan, and after a couple of weeks she agrees. It seems to have taken on the general meaning of "pretty good" to "very good".
Here are some of the types of things that are said that bug me:
She's an amazing friend. - No, she's probably not. She's probably a very good and loyal friend.
Mark makes an amazing queso fundido. - It's cheese and chorizo. It's not magic. I make a pretty tasty one, though.
She & Him's debut album is amazing. - Nope. If you like lighter folksy-alternative and/or looking at Zooey Deschanel, however, it's pretty dern good.
They make an amazing hamburger. - Does it levitate? That would be pretty amazing.
The Amazon Kindle is an amazing piece of gadgetry. - This could be good usage. The kindle is different from anything else that's a major player in the gadget market, and the e-ink technology can cause great wonder, so hey, maybe it is amazing.
My point is this: Some things in this world are amazing. Most things are not. Please, next time you use that word, just stop and think if it's really amazing.
Edited to add: This came out waaaaay bitchier than I meant it to and makes me sound like an amazing douche.
Main Entry: amazing
Function: adjective
Date: 1601
causing amazement, great wonder, or surprise <an amazing coincidence>
Now, I'm not a gramar nazi, but it seems to be that it's way overused. I mentioned it to Susan, and after a couple of weeks she agrees. It seems to have taken on the general meaning of "pretty good" to "very good".
Here are some of the types of things that are said that bug me:
She's an amazing friend. - No, she's probably not. She's probably a very good and loyal friend.
Mark makes an amazing queso fundido. - It's cheese and chorizo. It's not magic. I make a pretty tasty one, though.
She & Him's debut album is amazing. - Nope. If you like lighter folksy-alternative and/or looking at Zooey Deschanel, however, it's pretty dern good.
They make an amazing hamburger. - Does it levitate? That would be pretty amazing.
The Amazon Kindle is an amazing piece of gadgetry. - This could be good usage. The kindle is different from anything else that's a major player in the gadget market, and the e-ink technology can cause great wonder, so hey, maybe it is amazing.
My point is this: Some things in this world are amazing. Most things are not. Please, next time you use that word, just stop and think if it's really amazing.
Edited to add: This came out waaaaay bitchier than I meant it to and makes me sound like an amazing douche.
