Let's List the Most Misused Words in the English Language

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Blake
"war"

Oh yeah. Some weeks ago, I landed at CNN at night only to watch that Dobbs guy blabbering about some "War on the Middle Class". What's next, "War on US carmakers" (by Japan)? "War on Bush" (by teh librul media of course)? "War on Hollywood"? Oh, thank goodness the writers are back, so this one's out....

[Garth Vader]

Originally posted by BeBro


Oh yeah. Some weeks ago, I landed at CNN at night only to watch that Dobbs guy blabbering about some "War on the Middle Class". What's next, "War on US carmakers" (by Japan)? "War on Bush" (by teh librul media of course)? "War on Hollywood"? Oh, thank goodness the writers are back, so this one's out....

I guess we need a "war on war".

[Dauphin]

We need a war on slogans, and a war on the causes of slogans.

[Lorizael]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
You have been owned, like everyone else who criticizes that song. The song itself is ironic because the lyrics don't really represent anything ironic despite claiming to. Alanis herself has said this, perhaps you should watch MTV before launching into tirades about menopausal woman music.

Being cynical, I don't think she's that clever. I think this is something she claimed afterwards to cover up the fact that she has no idea what irony actually means. Ultimately, though, I can't know this, and if the whole song is one giant, ironic joke, good on her.

[Dry]

Banana.

[Tuberski]

Not a word but a phrase

Throw (insert name here) under the bus.

It means throwing (would have to be a baby or small child) under a yellow multi-passenger vehicle, not putting the blame on someone else.

ACK!

[Lul Thyme]

Originally posted by Wiglaf
You have been owned, like everyone else who criticizes that song. [...] Alanis herself has said this, perhaps you should watch MTV before launching into tirades about menopausal woman music.

I don't consider myself an expert but :

The interpretation you bring up was never originally offered by herself, and she only "accepted" it when others brought it up as possible interpretations (see quote at bottom for example).


From most of her interviews, it's pretty clear that she really didn't actually consider (or care that much) if most of the situations were actually ironic, which, IMHO, rules out a second degree interpretation like yours, since for that to work, she would have to be careful that all the situations are in fact NOT ironic.

Some of them, actually are, which lends further credence to the thesis that she just wasn't careful\didn't care and less to the thesis of a second degree "irony".



Too bad for your owning, though, maybe next time.

Unless we count auto-owning...



This is from a 2005 interview I think:
“For me the great debate on whether what I was saying in ‘Ironic’ was ironic wasn’t a traumatic debate. I’d always embraced the fact that every once in a while I’d be the malapropism queen. And when Glen and I were writing it, we definitely were not doggedly making sure that everything was technically ironic. It’s a testament to the fact that we didn’t think it was going to be put under the microscope by 30 million people. For me the sweetest moment came in New York when a woman came up to me in a record store and said, ‘So all those things in the ‘Ironic’ aren’t ironic.’ And then she said, ‘And that’s the irony.� I said, ‘Yup.’ To me it’s a real snapshot of a nineteen-year-old’s definition and version of how life worked at the time. All that ‘Ironic’ touches on spawned all my future inquiries into and current understandings of the mysteries of life.�

[Alexander I]

I really hate when apathetic people say "I could care less," when what they really mean is "I couldn't care less."

[Zkribbler]

"That's not funny!"

(...invaribly said when it's the funniest damn thing seen around here, ever!)

[Ninot]

Gay

[Arrian]

Originally posted by Blake
"war"

Winner.

-Arrian

[jkp1187]

Use of "-gate" as a suffix to the name of someone/something involved in any scandal.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Alexander I
I really hate when apathetic people say "I could care less," when what they really mean is "I couldn't care less."

QFT

[Wiglaf]

The idea is that it's sarcastic. Whereas I couldn't care less is literal. Usually you are trying to be a douchebag when you say either, so it makes at least some sense that it could be sarcastic in context.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Blake
"war"

What's it good for then?