A propos blogsites, I often get annoyed over "hate-filled". So many responses are described as hate-filled when about the worst a poster has done is to call someone an idiot. I often feel like referring people to John Knox if they want a bench-mark for "hate-filled". Some of his tirades, 400 odd years later, are capable of bringing me out in goose-bumps.

In sport, an area in which, arguably, there is still some room left for the odd superb act of human endeavour, the word magnificent now is commonplace. "What a magnificent catch!" the commentator gasps, when action replay reveals is as being merely foruitous.

The British series Ab Fab seems to have devalued the word absolutely forever. Its several meanings of perfect, complete, pure, positive, disappear completely when someone gushes over some vacuous "personality" (and yeah, the word personality itself could be added to the list) "I think they are absolutely wonderful." About the only people to get it right now seem to be Absolut Vodka.

But the usage that really gets up my nose is schizoid. Anyone who is the least eccentric, irritable, irascible, curmudgeonly, righteous, misguided, uninformed, mistaken or in any way differs from the herd is liable to be labelled with this term which has been eschewed even by the scientific community.

Where does the overuse of hyperbole lead, questions the writer? To the associated devaluation of absolutes, I gather. Its no longer enough to be certain: only very certain will convince. Unique finds itself qualified by "incredibly" and, in a text-book for teaching English as a second language I came across an entire section devoted to ones "most favourite" things

"The English language is more pulverized on blogs than in the media, which came first, chicken etc."

I believe that the media has been twisting the meaning of words since well before the internet became popular. It was literary elitists inflating their egos by creatively using their extensive vocabularies.

The hyperbole that aggravates me the most is the use of the word 'literally', which is typically misused by the younger generation. "If my parents find out they will literally kill me!". The whole purpose of the word is to indicate something is "free from exaggeration or embellishment".

There is a plethora of words mangled in todays media.

My bugbear is (not so much hyperbole) is vista. Television reporters standing in front of some beach creamin' their pants over the fabulous vista. Its a panorama!!

I remember a court case in the 90's where a barrister was given a caning by a judge for using vista instead of panorama. It was great to see!!

Actually, Desipsis, it's just plain wrong to use "literally" to mean "almost certainly, but in a metaphorical sense".

Nor do I see how using "vista" is hyperbole, seeing as it typically refers to something more restricted than a panorama. It's always struck me as a slightly pretentious word though, for whatever reason (Microsoft have done nothing to help that association).

OK 'fluff4', back to school with you! (Not sure whether you are just baiting me, but I'll take it anyway).

"in the seventy's" is just plain wrong. Nothing possessive about it. Try "in the seventies" or "in the 70s" instead.

Likewise the final phrase of your comment should read "it's the rage", not "its the "rage"". This rule applies whenever you're dropping the first letter of the verbs "is" or "are".

Thanks Dan!!
I will try to remember, I never was good at spelling either.
fluff4