I have just about had it up to here with the use of the word "chilling" to mean anything but what one should do with a bottle of champagne. I know I say that just about every month, but I mean it every time I say it. Stop. It. Now.
Posted by Andrea Harris at March 10, 2003 08:10 PMSorry to burst your bubble, but when Judge Kozinski of the 9th Circuit can end an opinion with, "The parties are advised to chill," I think the word has officially acquired its secondary meaning.
So ch... eer up.
Posted by: Dave at March 10, 2003 at 08:30 PMYou will all be demeritted one grammar point. That judge too. Though I will admit that "chill" and "chill out" don't get my goat like the use of "chilling" to mean something serious, horrifying, worrisome, causing of chills up or down one's spine, and so on. It sets my teeth on edge, it really does. I will continue in my no doubt futile campaign against that use of the word. Such is my lot in life, to tilt at grammatical windmills.
Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 10, 2003 at 09:21 PMIs it grammatical, or is it more overusage? Chilling is a mighty fine word, but it seems to be stuck at the top of everyone's thesaurus list. Is this a Microsoft/lazy writer problem?
Posted by: Scott at March 10, 2003 at 10:15 PMIt's pain, Scott. Sheer pain at this point. It's all over the place. I think I am going to have to make a new category called "Memes that must die" and put it in there... ;)
Seriously, every year there seems to be a new word that everyone gets fixated on. "Chilling" has overstayed its shelf life. Kind of like -- well, kind of like "meme." But I like that word, it makes me think of me. Me me me me! =O
Posted by: Andrea Harris at March 10, 2003 at 10:35 PMWhat about "Chillin'", as in "I was both Chillin' and Illin' all weekend long with my many fly honeys."
Surely that must be an acceptable usage. If not, I forsake the English language as a cruel and barbaric language.
Posted by: Captain Mojo at March 10, 2003 at 10:49 PMI cannot help but feel that any such campaigns for instituting proper grammatical usage will have a chilling effect on public discourse.
Posted by: bryan at March 11, 2003 at 06:27 AMFunny, I was just thinking the other day that "meme" is about ripe for the annual list of banned words...
Posted by: Kevin McGehee at March 11, 2003 at 08:24 AMSHEESH! Every time someone comes up with a useful word everyone wants to ban it. Not that I especially like "meme." I'm not even sure how to pronounce the silly thing. Is the final "e" silent?
Posted by: Lynn S at March 11, 2003 at 08:59 AMAdd "gravitas" to the list of overused words. Pity, because I used to be quite fond of it. Preceded by "lacking," it has always reminded me of Rumpole's assessment of Erskine-Brown's failings at the bar. Hearing it applied repeatedly to GWB has grated on my penultimate nerve ("last nerve" can go on the pile, as well).
I like "meme," but can't seem to bring myself to use it for some reason. I never could get the hang of "gestalt" or "parameter," either.
Posted by: Julie at March 11, 2003 at 12:30 PMThink outside the box! Redefine the para-diggum!
Have a highly impactful day.
Posted by: Ian Wood at March 11, 2003 at 02:45 PMWhen I want to say "meme," I somehow always wind up instead saying "idea," or "notion."
Let's face it -- the word just gives me a case of the screaming notion-ees.
Posted by: Kevin McGehee at March 11, 2003 at 02:49 PMTell ya what. You work on removing all the slang introduced into the lexicon by Rap "music," and I'll take the "chilling" one. You first.
Posted by: Yahmdallah at March 11, 2003 at 03:30 PMI think your post has had a chilling effect on the word's use.
Or not.
Posted by: Ken Summers at March 11, 2003 at 10:38 PM