There’s no absence of world events to discuss, but they’re not moving quickly and, at any rate, I have nothing to add to anyone’s view of those events. Therefore, we’ll have a new entry in the continuing series of words and phrases I detest.
Note that language evolves, and yes, some of these odious words are actually used, and may even be used in a way the dictionary authorizes. But you don’t need to tell me that language evolves, for I already know that. The point here is simply to state some bits of the English (actually, American) language that irritate me when used. I may have posted some of these in days of yore, but I proffer four today.
And, of course, I would like readers to add their own bêtes noires. As usual, I give an example of the usage.
1.) inspo, meaning “inspiration”. It’s widely used on social media, and I detest it. If you want to shorten “inspiration”, then why not “inspi” (pronounced “inspee”)? Here’s one example from Facebook:
2.) vacay, meaning “vacation”. This is another linguistic shortening whose use is meant to show that you’re au courant. Here’s an example from HuffPo, which I had hoped would disappear by now. It is a gold mine for “with-it” language.
Get ready to hear a lot of “I should’ve thought of that” from everyone else on your next vacay. https://t.co/KS7ScnGQZS
— HuffPost Women (@HuffPostWomen) April 19, 2026
3.) merch, meaning, of course, “merchandise.” I fear this one is so widely used that it will be impossible to remove, even though mockery. All we can do is use the right word. It reminds me of “lurch” and is thus unpleasant. Here’s one of many examples: this one is from an Amazon site called “Merch on demand” and is aimed at “content creators” (another phrase I detest. I guess I’m a c.c. myself but I’d never describe myself as one.)
4.) The double “is”. You know what I’m talking about: the phrase “The thing is, is that. . . . “. There is no need for two uses of “is”: one can say “The main thing is that. . ” or “The important thing is that. . . “. The fact that this is jarring is proven by its constant usage in verbal language but nearly complete absence in writing. That’s because it’s both unnecessary and ungrammatical.
Your turn. Since it’s Friday, you must be somewhat splenetic and ready to blow off steam.