What’s a
Lazy Phrase? As a copy editor, I get two perks: I can work in my pajamas if I
want, and I get to make up terms, and that’s the one for this week. Here are
four phrases that make me want to go whatever is the copy editor’s version of
“postal”:
“back in the day”: I suppose it’s meant to be nostalgic, but
what does this expression really mean? If you don’t know the person/character
who’s using the phrase well (and sometimes even if you do), how would you know
to what time period this phrase refers? Most frequently it’s used to express
friendly past knowledge, such as “Joe and I used to shoot pool/hunt
buffalo/ride dinosaurs/hijack hovercraft back in the day.” You could probably
narrow down to a particular century the buffalo or hovercraft adventures, but
most of the time it isn’t such a specific activity. “Jane and I know each other
from back in the day” makes me want to pop the speaker in the nose. Don’t be so
lazy! How about telling us when, exactly, so we’re not left feeling uncomfortably clueless
about your past?
Unless of
course you feel, like I do about some of my experiences in the 1980s, that some
stories are probably best left vague.
“come with”: This one has become quite the phrase for people
trying to sound chic or trendy. It’s used, for example, in invitations: “Marlo and
I are going to the club. Care to come with?” Uggghhh. Come with what? Your new nine iron? Extra grapes?
A swimsuit? All of your other friends who want to go to the club?
This also
depends upon context of genre. Using this phrase in an epic novel about culture
conflict in the 1940s is far different from using it in a contemporary piece of
erotica. Think about it. Then finish the sentence, for heaven’s sake.
Especially if you’re inviting me somewhere. I want to be prepared.
“sucked in a breath”: Why oh why do so many writers use this
phrase? And why, once they’ve used it, do they think it’s okay to use it twenty
or thirty times in the same 300-page book? What does it mean, exactly? Try it:
“She sucked in a breath at the sight of ….” Careful here. What did she see and
what did it do to her? Did whatever she see make her gasp in shock, or deeply
and slowly inhale in awe? Did she gulp in a breath because she’d been
struggling beneath rough waves at sea and was finally able to surface? Did she
need to actually suck in a breath, in case she was trying to siphon something
out of a tank? Maybe she just inhaled, after having stopped breathing from some
surprise. Take a deep breath yourself, consider your event and the emotional or
physical manifestations it would cause, and fit the form of inhalation to
what’s happened.
Finally, this week’s un-favorite: “Hot Mess”. Here’s the
deal with Hot Mess: You have to make up your mind. A hot mess is either a woman
who’s been through some really fantastic lovemaking, pretty much sprawled out naked
with her hair in her face and her lipstick happily smeared to her ears; or
someone who really looks terrible and can’t seem to get their act together no
matter how much they try; or it’s what happens when you leave an 8-year-old alone
with a glue gun for too long. Potentially it could be all three of these things
– only please, not all in the same book, even if your leading lady is a single
mom who’s finally found love again despite the fact that her shoes never match and
her kid’s teacher’s calling for the third time that week over yet another art
project gone really, really wrong. In my
house it’s what I could call the kitchen during holiday meal preparations, so
maybe your heroine also creates a disastrous environment when she’s stirring up
a batch of chili. I know some writers like the term and think it’s fresh and to
the point – unfortunately so do many other writers, making it not so fresh
anymore. It will make your book dated. Rather than just using the lazy phrase,
use more descriptive terms that will really give someone a sense of the
character – or your best friend, even if it’s affectionately said – than those
two overused words. Plus, you should probably stop referring to your best
friend that way. It’s just not nice.
That’s it, I think,
for the time being. Can you come up with other Lazy Phrases? What terms have
you encountered that made you grumble and scowl?
"Lazy Phrases" (c) 2015 Various Milliner, Ltd. Publishing Services. Protecting the English language one semi-colon at a time. All rights reserved.
