I'm not a fan of these overused phrases

Back when I was an impressionable teenager, I used popular sayings such as “bitchen,” “far out” and “groovy.” This kept me in good graces with the cool kids. It also kept me on top of current words used by the “in crowd.”

I mention this only because I’m about to discuss the absurdity of today’s clichéd phrases. I want it clear that I understand how the use of certain words and phrases can determine whether a person is on top of things or hopelessly out of synch with contemporary society.

That said, I think most of today’s cliché phrases are nonsensical and, well, cliché. Let’s look at a few of these popular sayings:

At the end of the day. People use this phrase all the time to express the same thing as “when all is said and done,” or “when all factors are considered.” So, why don’t they just use one of those phrases? Because, as the online Urban Dictionary puts it, some people just need “an irritating verbal crutch, indicating closure or synopsis.”

I’m not a fan of. This simply means you don’t like something. I tend to think the word “fan” should only be used when discussing sports or celebrities, but it is now acceptable to use it when talking about everything from bread to kitchen countertops. E.g., “I’m not a fan of rye bread” or “I’m not a fan of granite countertops.” I am definitely not a fan of this phrase.

Really? Or sometimes, Seriously? These two one-word replies are designed to show disbelief. Use of either indicates that the person saying them is astounded that someone else has done or said something they disagree with. Here’s an example: “John borrowed my car for three days, and didn’t put any gas in it. Then he asked to use it again. I was like, ‘Really, dude?’” I for one, take great pleasure in replying “Yeah, really!” or “Yeah, seriously!” to anyone uttering this lazy cliché. They rarely have a comeback. Really.

It is what it is. This is another way of saying “Que Sera, Sera,” but for people who don’t know Italian. The idea is that some things in life can’t be changed, no matter how you try — so why try? This phrase is frequently used by people who have no interest in debating or even discussing a topic.

Bring it! Not only is this an annoying cliché, but it’s also an abbreviated annoying cliché. The full phrase is “Bring it On.” “Bring it on!” is so common that no definitive origin can be traced. On the American Dialect Society list, word researcher Grant Barrett wrote: “I’ve checked the usual places, but the phrase is really too common to come to any real head, and difficult to search for in the databases.”

Douglas G. Wilson thought that the phrase might have come from “Bring it on!” is so common that no definitive origin can be traced. On the American Dialect Society list, word researcher Grant Barrett wrote: “I’ve checked the usual places, but the phrase is really too common to come to any real head, and difficult to search for in the databases.”

Douglas G. Wilson thought that the phrase might have come from the American Dialect Society, for whom such challenges occupy their every waking hour, can find no origin for the phrase, but some have offered the idea that it might have come from “bring him on,” meaning that a boxing challenge has been accepted.

Whatever the origin, the phrase is linked to a contemporary need for confrontational language and actions in everyday life.

Ever notice how all new television reality shows are introduced by a reality show star folding his arms one over the other in a confrontational manner, and shouting “Yeah, I’m starring in this show about cream puff bakers. I’m tough as they come and I challenge all other bakers to bring it!”

That’s what I’m talking about! The chief problem with this phrase is that most people who say it have not been “talking about” anything before uttering these words. It is meant to express the thought that someone really likes or agrees with something. Instead of looking at a paint color, or dinner item or a coming attraction for a movie and saying, “I like that!” the person says “That’s what I’m talking about,” as if a discussion about the object or topic has been consuming his mind for hours. I once challenged someone for using this phrase. I told him, “You weren’t talking about that at all,” to which he quickly replied, “Seriously? Well, bring it on!

John Soennichsen is a Cheney-area resident. He has written numerous columns, short stories and books including non-fiction works “Bretz’s Flood,” “Live from Death Valley,” and “The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,” along with the historical fiction novel “Westward Journey” and the murder-mystery “The Fat Detective” set in Spokane.