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Fantastic and other superlatives?

(88 Posts)
Nonnie Tue 09-Jan-18 12:19:28

Just been on livechat with my mobile phone provider. They asked for 2 digits from my PIN which I gave and the response was "Fantastic!" I was so tempted to give them the dictionary definition of the word but restrained myself.

Does anyone else get irritated by the overuse of superlatives? What is left when such words are used randomly instead of kept for appropriate use?

Won't go into the rest of the rubbish I went through before sorting out our new contract!

Katek Wed 10-Jan-18 08:58:15

Not a superlative, but FB posters that call everyone ‘hun’!

AlieOxon Wed 10-Jan-18 09:09:23

'Cool' from my teenage grandson (about how I had tamed the cables behind my computer) was definitely a compliment!

Chewbacca Wed 10-Jan-18 09:14:21

Katek hun has got to be the worst! My hairdresser uses it all the time, even in text messages. Awful, just awful. Other than that, she's a really nice woman! smile

midgey Wed 10-Jan-18 09:19:22

Sweetie and Hun are my worst..grrrr

hicaz46 Wed 10-Jan-18 09:57:24

At least we can understand these superlatives unlike those used by many young people such as 'peng' or 'sick' both of which I understand means 'fit' 'awesome'. It's a complete new language to me.

lexigran Wed 10-Jan-18 09:58:24

Hun is one that annoys me too. I've also noticed that a lot of younger people say "aw bless you" if I say something to them...no sneezing involved!

Madsad Wed 10-Jan-18 10:03:05

Has got to be 'super', as in super thirsty! I hate it.

bluebellwoods Wed 10-Jan-18 10:08:10

Yes! Awesome is another word that is now constantly used for everything someone agrees with!!

annifrance Wed 10-Jan-18 10:12:16

i'm guilty of saying 'bless' a lot even though I am an atheist! My daughter says 'we're good' when I ask how the family are, that gets up my nose a bit. Not superlatives but just saying.

Marion58 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:13:17

Nonnie: I can't stand the use of wicked, awesome etc but now you mention I realise I use 'fanastic' a lot and 'brilliant '. Never again as I'll always remember your thread! Trouble is what do I use in it'S place? !smile

Marion58 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:14:42

In "its" place ! Didn't read before posting!

Kim19 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:16:09

Barmeyoldbat, Thank you for that. My first real chuckle of the day.

Mauriherb Wed 10-Jan-18 10:16:23

I also find "no problem " a bit annoying. My friend and I recently met for lunch and the waitress said it constantly. We only ordered egg and chips with coffee so really didn't expect it to be a problem at all! Lol

NannyTee Wed 10-Jan-18 10:21:55

Yes my DIL is from Australia. It's "no worries" over there .

Jalima1108 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:25:52

We had 'a problem' in France once years ago and were helped by a group of lovely French people. When we tried to thank them, offered them wine as a thank you they just kept saying 'pas de problème', 'pas de problème'!

So that's what we say now.

No worries mate.

Jalima1108 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:27:36

I don't mind 'hun' at all, it's what DIL's DM calls me - I'd rather that than something rude grin

thecatgrandma Wed 10-Jan-18 10:50:24

Rang my insurance company to report an accident. Response was ‘brilliant’. They probably won’t say that to anyone again after my rant.

anitamp1 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:51:17

I'm with you Nonnie. Really irritating when people are over enthusing. Comes across as not really genuine. And can be clear sometimrs they are not really listening.

nannyof4 Wed 10-Jan-18 10:54:37

Hate the word Basically,my son and grandaughter use it all the time,drives me up the wall.
And Hun is another, not that they use it yet lol.

NannyTee Wed 10-Jan-18 10:54:47

There's a girl in our pharmacy like that. She gets all the medication requests wrong because of it. Then swears blind we never requested said item.

Blinko Wed 10-Jan-18 10:59:04

Hun - bah! Where does that come from??

McTavish Wed 10-Jan-18 11:01:58

It annoys me when people (mostly in shops) say "Are you alright?" I feel like saying, "Why, are you a doctor?"

NannyTee Wed 10-Jan-18 11:03:45

And literally. " I literally couldn't get my shoe on" grrr why ?

Neilspurgeon0 Wed 10-Jan-18 11:07:57

I used to count the “fantastic work” at my grandchildren’s school “well done” assemblies. A good day was more than thirty, an especially satisfying one was over fifty when I took a friend and we played “buzz word bingo” I got 52 fantastics and he got thirty “supers”.

I was very happy for over twenty years to be “satisfactory” on my annual work performance reports, only once having gained a “superior”, the year I was promoted.

We destroy folks self esteem if we endlessly over praise normal activity.

winterwhite Wed 10-Jan-18 11:25:40

What a mixture we are! I don't mind hun (picked up from DD), much dislike, bless, basically, literally. But OP was on superlatives. 'Thanks' would do the trick in the circs talked about - giving details over the phone. I've been known to use the despised 'super', as in 'super thanks', 'super sorry' when I really mean it and to people I know. This is what over use of superlatives does to us!