Words and phrases that I wish would die

1. "Rock the __ " - You know this one. People say it when they mean that they are good at something, or that they do a particular thing very well. I read/hear it everywhere. If you make a good batch of cookies, apparently you "rock the oatmeal cookies". You "rock the new do" if you get a nice haircut. Every time I see the "nothing to hide" beer commercial, I want the guy who says he "rocks the proposal" to die a million horrible deaths, like Prometheus chained to the rock. Unless you're being ironic or literal, please do not say that you "rock" anything. Shareef don't like it.
   
   
2. "Literally" - I hate it when people use it to mean "figuratively". Has any other word in the English language come to mean, through misuse, its direct opposite? The next time you hear someone say that they literally died of fright, or literally ate a horse, please remind them gently that they literally did not.
   
   
3. "Mompreneur" - Is this supposed to be cute? It's just annoying. Normally I like portmanteaus, but this one's trying too hard. I think it's great that moms, especially stay-at-home moms, are finding all these creative and avant-garde ways to make money, but I'd much rather call myself an entrepreneur than a mompreneur.
   


4. "Yes, dear" - Right, cause we know all wives are harpies and all husbands are brow-beaten into submission. People who think this is funny or clever probably also think the same of Everybody Loves Raymond.
   
   
5. "Begs the question" - I was twigged to add this to the list because I just read it (in something that the hubby wrote, no less). I think that 99% of the time that I read/hear it, it's used incorrectly. People always use it to mean, "leads to more questions" or "leads to a further line of questioning". Well, folks, as anyone who has taken even a basic logic or philosophy course knows, that is WRONG! To "beg the question" is to engage in circular reasoning.
   
   Wrong example: "The suspect claimed he had an alibi, which begs the question, why did he resist arrest?"
   
   Correct example: "'God created the world. The world includes nature. Only God can create beautiful things in nature. Beautiful things exist in nature; therefore, God created the world.' This is called begging the question."
   
   Our Vulcan friend would agree that begging the question is highly illogical. Sigh. Why does almost everything on this blog seem to come back to Spock?