“Sheer”. Probably the most mis-over-used word in New Zealand. The sheer prevalence of sheer in conversations, print and other media is a sheer disgrace.
I get that it’s a great adjective for some contexts. But, it’s sheer application is often completely out of place.
Whinge over.
31 August, 2008 at 10:02 am
‘Mis-over-used’ – sounds like a spectacularly ill-conceived idea for a beauty pageant.
My favourite is ‘controversial’, which means in media lingo: ‘someone somewhere doesn’t like this thing [e.g. a policy, a team selection, a popular Wellington-based blog], but I’ve only got 12 seconds to explain its newsworthiness so I’m not even going to bother trying to tell you *why* this thing’s controversial, or indeed whether or not its detractors are complete eedjits talking a load of old rubbish’
p.s. Can you tell I don’t miss TVNZ news?
31 August, 2008 at 10:51 am
It’s an underused verb though.
1 September, 2008 at 10:30 am
Doh! I have indulged in some sheering of my own.
1 September, 2008 at 12:35 pm
you can imagine my sheer surprise when i noticed the massive as use of this idiom.
1 September, 2008 at 1:48 pm
i am completely shocked and utterly gutted by your inane use of mindless malapropisms.
2 September, 2008 at 1:37 pm
‘Indeed’