Literally, the Best Language Book Ever: Annoying Words and Abused Phrases You Should Never Use Again

Author: Paul Yeager
Stars: 1
Review by: Miss Lucy
This book was "annoying!"  Being an avid grammar geek, I had high hopes and expectations when I picked up this book.  I even felt great satisfaction when the author's gripes matched my own pet peeves, such as using "google" as a verb, and saying "PIN number."  I also cringe at most workplace lingo, such as "I have a two o'clock" and "crunch the numbers."  I totally agree (a phrase he would hate, by the way) with his diatribe on height humor - "It's hard to imagine that the person wants to hear what you have to say about something he or she has been well aware of ever since first grade when the mocking started."

But after a while it seemed like almost everything people say annoys him.  For example, he objects to "If it isn't broken, don't fix it," because it's only possible to fix something that is broken, therefore the phrase is illogical.  Exactly - that's the point!  He would rather we say, "If something is working in an acceptable manner, then we shouldn't waste our time trying to improve it."  Or, how about his objection to "There's plenty of time left in the game," because it's usually used when the game is almost over.  He suggests saying, "Despite the limited time left, the outcome of the game is not yet certain."  Oh, please.

It was a struggle to get through this book, but, hey, I can count it toward my goal, so I persevered.