Do You Notice "Contrived" Wording?

Amethyst

Amethyst

Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Dec 21, 2008
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Contrived phrases annoy me. I wonder if I am alone in this?

1. Every new housing development has a name that uses the affected, and to my ears odd, construction "The XXX at YYY."

So we have:
  • The Homes at River Meadow. [No river or meadow anywhere nearby].
  • The Townes at Fox Chase. [Note the gussying-up of "Townes." "Town houses" doesn't look elegant enough, apparently].
  • The Residences at Chapel Manor. [I live in a house, but you live in a Residence! I'm so impressed!]
2. While getting out boxes of Christmas tree ornaments, had my yearly moment of annoyance at seeing "The Signature Gifts of Christmas" in fancy script on a box. Everything about that phrase is affected and contrived. "The." "Signature" (of the department store that sold them). "Gifts of Christmas" (not Christmas gifts). C'mon, they're just Christmas ornaments! Get over yourself!

Anybody else feel the sensation of fingernails on a blackboard when they see contrived phrases?

Amethyst
 
It is slightly annoying but mainly just marketing and I've been doing my best to tune that out for over thirty years now.
 
Gotta admit, you lost me with this one :confused: Relevance to contrived marketing phrases?

REWahoo said:
And what about the clothes poor people wear. Do they have no fashion sense whatsoever? :)
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There are superficial people catering to other superficial people everywhere, probably more so in the western world than anywhere else. That's the ego at work, makes people do stupid things without realizing it. I don't have any problem ignoring that kind of thing...just ignore it.
 
I think the one that blew me away was when there were no longer "used cars...:" Now they're previously owned or pre-owned.
 
Oh, I get it! Actually I think it's an honor on this board to be called a Curmudgeon. I have arrived! :dance:

Huston55 said:
Yup, just ignore it. The irritation is only in your mind so, you you have total control over your irritation...

...and also over whether REW calls you a curmudgeon. ;)
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I understand why it's done. The mental mechanics puzzle me, though. I don't know why these particular phrases are used. Why is it somehow more desirable to be "at" a development, than "in" it or "of" it?

Midpack said:
There are superficial people catering to other superficial people everywhere, probably more so in the western world than anywhere else. That's the ego at work, makes people do stupid things without realizing it. I don't have any problem ignoring that kind of thing...just ignore it.
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REWahoo said:
For the same reason GM advertises their trucks as "Professional Grade". It has no real meaning, it's simply marketing fluff.
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But Dodge has "Ram", made all the more "tough" by having Sam Elliott say it in baritone...
 
Amethyst said:
I don't know why these particular phrases are used. Why is it somehow more desirable to be "at" a development, than "in" it or "of" it?
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Possibly due to the 'presumption' that whatever wording has become associated with the hoi polloi is therefore infra dig for the parvenues. :LOL:
 
Amethyst said:
I understand why it's done. The mental mechanics puzzle me, though. I don't know why these particular phrases are used. Why is it somehow more desirable to be "at" a development, than "in" it or "of" it?
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Because you have arrived, dahling.
 
Amethyst said:
Contrived phrases annoy me. I wonder if I am alone in this?

1. Every new housing development has a name that uses the affected, and to my ears odd, construction "The XXX at YYY."

So we have:
  • The Homes at River Meadow. [No river or meadow anywhere nearby].
  • The Townes at Fox Chase. [Note the gussying-up of "Townes." "Town houses" doesn't look elegant enough, apparently].
  • The Residences at Chapel Manor. [I live in a house, but you live in a Residence! I'm so impressed!]

    Amethyst
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  • When I see listings like that I say "Another place Lazarus wouldn't live at."
 
antmary said:
Every one of those "Towne Homes" has a junk drawer...just sayin'
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:). We are planning a new kitchen and the designer suggested we think about where the "junk drawer" would be.

The Junk Drawers of Olde Cabinetry.
 
Amethyst said:
I understand why it's done. The mental mechanics puzzle me, though. I don't know why these particular phrases are used. Why is it somehow more desirable to be "at" a development, than "in" it or "of" it?
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If anyone could definitively predict why "at" works better than "in" or "of" right now (what works now may not appeal to ego in another time), they'd be a marketing billionaire on Madison Ave.

It's good that you see through it, unfortunate that it "annoys" you, why worry about it?
 
Being an Englishman in Texas I've long got over such word annoyances :)
 
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