Chicago Tribune

Pivot. Problematic. Y'all. All the feels. What words make you cringe?

While the year is still fresh, can we establish a few linguistic ground rules?

Can we refrain from cluttering our emails and Twitter feeds and Slack channels and talk-show appearances and Netflix series with the same words and phrases that we reached for too easily in 2018? I understand this is asking way too much, and I recognize this may be a predictable request; every year brings a new list of words and phrases that we have weaponized, overused, abused or just made annoying the previous 12 months. But lists like that tend toward the trendy, once-clever choices of words now growing insufferable.

I'm thinking more about the silent, everyday killers.

I'm thinking, those words and phrases that ran amuck last year less because of flashiness than repetition, an uncertainty of what was meant,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune3 min read
Commentary: To Defend Academic Freedom, Keep Politics Out Of It
April 17 was a dark day for academic freedom in the United States. Columbia University President Nemat Shafik told a congressional hearing that some statements heard during recent protests — such as “from the river to the sea” — might be punished by
Chicago Tribune5 min read
Paul Sullivan: Don’t Forget Harry Caray’s Legacy With The White Sox — For Calling It Like It Is
CHICAGO — As Harry Caray’s Chicago Cubs career was celebrated Thursday with the 26th “Toast to Harry Caray” sponsored by his namesake restaurant, his legacy on the South Side continues to be overlooked by his former team. It makes sense that the rest
Chicago Tribune4 min readAmerican Government
Activists Sue Johnson Administration Over DNC Protests, Say Chicago Isn’t Ready
CHICAGO — As protests surge across America just months before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, activists representing LGBTQ+ and women’s reproductive rights say Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is violating their First Amendment r

Related Books & Audiobooks