12 Overused Words and Phrases in Singapore Media

Don’t get me wrong. The words/phrases are fine. Grammatical, even appropriately used. It’s just that they’re used so often, they are like “templates”. Surely there are more original ways to write stuff!

1. Slapped

People seem to be getting slapped pretty often. So, he was slapped with a fine, a jail term, a penalty. Unless he was slapped with a fine piece of paper, a book containing the penalties or just plain slapped…shouldn’t it be that he had a fine slapped ON him?

2. OPINED!!!

I am of the opinion that you should just say said.

3. No stranger to…

This phrase is popping up far too often. It’s like everyone is no stranger to something.

4. Kick off/kicking off

To use only if the subject is a football match.

5. Scheme

Everything is a scheme these days, not a project or a plan. Even if it isn’t formally titled a scheme, the media just tends to stick the word on any sort of proposal/plan etc. When you scheme, it usually means you are planning something nefarious. Nobody wants to be known as a schemer either, don’t you think? But Singapore is full of schemes…Such scheming people we are!

6. Be Prepared to/Brace yourself for …

No need to tell readers what they must do when it’s obvious from reading the news story what is going to happen.

7. Unfazed/fazed

So he’s unfazed. Nothing fazes him. Means he’s an ice-cold statue? Do you mean it didn’t worry, trouble, rankle, irritate him?

Source: MissHermionee (DeviantArt)

8. Raised eyebrows

Everybody seems to be raising eyebrows these days. I guess because it can mean anything from “Ooooh…what a nice surprise…” to “What sort of rubbish is this”? May your eyebrows be permanently stuck high on your forehead if you use it again.

9. Predictably, as expected, not new, not the first/no surprise

I dunno why we keep killing our stories with such words. If it’s predicted, not new, why are we writing it? Even if it is the case, there must be other words to use if we want to say something went as scheduled – according to plan? A common ruse?

10. Flying off the shelves

Only if the stuff’s really flying off or levitating in some manner, please.

11. BAG

As in bagged an award or three. So overused that you think award winners are stuffing them into bags. Can please stuff it?

12. Forked out

Whether it’s $20,000 or $20, seems everybody is forking out. Unless it’s like a gigantic amount, best to leave this one as cutlery.

This is the first article in TSL’s collaboration with Bertha Henson, republished with permission. Do check out the original on Bertha’s blog entitled “The Cemetery“. The images here were curated by TSL.