there are terms out there that are tossed around real loosely. they are so overused that, when heard, you really don’t think whatever is being described will live up to those terms.
a few examples:
- amazing
- epic
- love
- literally
- seriously
everything is amazing. everything is epic. we all love EVERYTHING. want me to use those in a sentence? okay, here you go:
“i literally loved my bowl of oatmeal, it was amazingly epic! seriously!”
okay. two sentences. but you get my point. using these terms to explain your breakfast really makes them lose credibility. sure, there is a time and a place for those words. like when something is ACTUALLY epic. for instance: a lunar eclipse or winning the lottery. both very epic and amazing. seriously.
and no, i am no exception to this rant. i catch myself throwing these terms around all the time!
one other word that i have seen used way too much and way too loosely is GENIUS.
everything is genius! specifically, everything on pinterest is genius. gadgets, craft methods, and cleaning tips.. ALL GENIUS!
don’t believe me?
let’s play a game.
the genius game.
i have pulled items from pinterest that are all described as “genius!” and placed a poll below each item. you decide if it’s worthy of the genius label. play along, it’ll be fun!
(by the way, it was very hard to pick these examples. i picked fifteen. there were thousands of results!)
1. flower shaped egg frying mold.
(image source: wanleo.com)
2. cutting board with a hole and a pull out trash can below.
(image source: http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com)
3. grilled cheese croutons for soup.
(image source: http://foodgawker.com/)
4. using crown molding to hang heels.
(image source: http://livinginanutshell.com/)
5. turning a toaster over to make open face grilled cheese.
(image source: http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/)
6. cooking refrigerator biscuits in a waffle iron.
(image source: http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/)
7. using rubbing alcohol to repair shattered makeup.
(image source: http://petitelefant.com/)
8. baking a cookie inside of a cookie.
(image source: beckybakes.net)
9. bacon scarf.
(image source: theberry.com)
10. turning bread ties into snowman faces.
(image source: olderandwisor.blogspot.com)
11. cookie compartment in a mug.
(image source: cozybiscuit.blogspot.com)
12. putting jalapeños on homemade pretzels.
(that is what the pinner referred to as being “genius”—not the recipe itself, just the jalapeños.)
(image source: shutterbean.com)
13. turning an old window frame into a mirror.
(image source: dollarstorecrafts.com)
14. false socket hiding place.
(image source: wanleo.com)
15. avocado cuber.
(image source: williams-sonoma.com)
while i think all of these things are rad and/or clever and i would do most of them myself.. i don’t think they are all OMG GENIUS! however, if a nugget of info is super incredible to one person, it may not be to the next. it all depends on who you are! here are my answers:
- no
- yes
- yes
- no
- no
- no
- yes
- no
- no
- no
- no
- no
- no
- no
- no
hope you had fun playing the genius game. maybe we will do it again sometime! until then, keep overusing those words and phrases.. i know i will.
xo. janetha g.
Next Comments →
I love you. And that is one amazingly epic and genius statement :)
I love this post. Yes, LOOOOVE! It’ amazingly genius!
Haha. I really did write “I love this post” before I even thought about it though. I am guilty of over using almost all those words! Oh, and some of the things you have there are genius (the whole in the counter?!), but the bacon scarf? Someone called that genius?
You are hilarious. :) I really do think the grilled cheese croutons are genius though!
I have the same answers for “yes”. Holy crap, I need that cutting board.
Can I tell you how much I hate it when people misuse literally? You did not literally freeze your face off or literally have a heart attack. I mean, unless you did, which I don’t think you’d be blogging about so quickly!
And I don’t mean you, just you in the general sense.
Also, I don’t even understand the makeup one.
Genius! Ha ha! Yes, I’m a contributor to the over-used words hype. And to the above person, I ALWAYS use the word “literally” wrong. My husband makes fun of it by repeating it after me : “LiiiiiitttttterrrrraaaaaaAAAAllllly” It drives me crazy but I guess my misuse drives him crazy = we’re even :)
Don’t forget amazing, fabulous and cute! :) Great post!
Those avocado cutters make me laugh – do I really need to spend money on a tool that will sit around taking up space in my kitchen when I already have several really nice knives that will do exactly the same thing?!
P.s. – this post was amazing, I loved it!!
the inventor of those sure hope you do!
ok that hole cutting board thing is genious!!! also love the avocado slicer b ut not geniious..its similar to the apple slicer which I have gotten about 3 times and broke all 3 times…i assume the avo slicer is the same! great ideas though!!
there’s an amazing Louis CK skit about this idea – making fun of how awesome everything is described to be these days… it’s great, I’ll have to send you the link (when I have Internet hooked up and all).
I just watched that Louis special over the weekend – it was EPIC! ;) hahahahahahah
Haha, love this post! I use literally wrong most of the time and I use seriously way too often. I hate the word epic and it is way overused!
Ok none of these things are “genius”. When I think of something creating a genius invention, I’m thinking more along the lines of a cure for cancer.
Incorrect use of the word ‘literally’ leaves me smacking my head (not literally! ha). It’s soooooo overused in the wrong way. At least the others have actual meanings that *could* potential be true for some, but literally has a time and a place!
hmmm, i think they are smart and clever, not necessarily genuis. Althought the cutting board is EPIC, right?
;)
I miss you and really love you! You are genius :-)
xoxo
Aww! How sweet is momma b!
What an amazing post…some of those products were epic and I completely LOVE the toaster on its side idea. You truly are a genius miss j :)
Fun game! I personally think that the toaster being put on its side is a good way to start a fire… but maybe I’m just talented. I almost put genius for the hole in the cutting board, but I am quite sure I would knock a lot of things in the garbage that I didn’t mean to… I guess it’s not quite idiot proof enough for me.
I love the little game and have the Toaster Trick pinned and also have an old window-turned-mirror and it’s rustic and cool. And I…left it in the garage of our old house when we moved out…so I don’t have it any longer :(
Have fun in Mexico!!
I use love for everything ;). Number 6 is a genius idea to me!
Fun post… The only thing I thought was genius though was the hideaway for jewels etc
So funny! I liked picking my answered and I have definitely noticed the overabundance of the word “genius” on pinterest. Some things ARE genius – some are just cute ideas :-)
Too funny! While I don’t think that most of these are seriously epic, a few of them really made me think, “how cleaver.” Gosh what in the world did we do before pinterest or google for that matter. <3 you girl!
but really the grilled cheese croutons are pure genius.
Loved this!
I thought the cutting board was genius, but then I thought about using it–sure it’s easy to throw scraps away now, but much harder to transfer the actual food to where you want it! I like being able to pick up my cutting board and push everything off into the pot/bowl. Doesn’t seem possible with that one!
Unless the cutting board drawer had an ability to keep it locked in the “out” position, when in use, the potential for disaster is huge..Can you imagine the mess if it got pushed in by mistake with tomato juice, seeds, avocado, ANYTHING left on it.. OR that little slide in opening space needs to be 1/2 wider on top…
love the crown molding shoe rack.. but alas…hardly any high heels here..
toaster made me laugh
..wish i had a couple cookies in a cookie right now
Ha, great point about mis- and overused words. I think most times people actually mean “ingenious.” In any case, a lot of these really do show ingenuity… but real genius? I don’t think so!
I think if i used that cutting board, things would keep falling into the trash when I didn’t mean them to. I’ll stick to my old fashioned one!
Hilarious!! Loved this post :)
I think all words are entirely subjective, but I also think this proves we’ve annihilated so many English words that we should just start making up new ones!
Guilty as charged…when I think about it, I really do overuse that word – yikes! I’ll have to be more careful! :)
It’s amazing how literally confused I am by number seven. But I seriously still love this post…all your posts are epic.
I know..ANNOYING. The sad part is that I know girls who actually talk like this. And they’re serious. And it makes me want to stab my eyes out. Can you explain what all the supplies are for in #7?
I so want one of those cutting boards. Along with a jalapeno pretzel and a cookie within a cookie. ;)
haha I actually just mentioned in a post that I use love, amazing, wonderful etc. ALL the time! I guess I just can’t help that I’m super excited about my oats :)
I definitely say “amazing” too much (and type it too much on my blog) but EPIC is the one that really bothers me. Especially when people say “epic fail.” Seriously, where did that even come from?
The one thing on this list that I do think is truly AMAZING (or genius) is the cutting board with the hole on it. I need that in my life.
ok, now i’m going to edit myself constantly to try not to overuse those words… i am guilty of saying that i “love” pretty much everything. and while i do likely very much enjoy doing/eating/thinking about whatever item/action/idea that i profess to love, you’re right. i probably don’t really LOVE it.
i had fun doing this poll! i agreed with you on most of the items, except for the cookie compartment on the coffee mug – i think that’s genius! (i honestly almost just typed “i LOVE that idea”, but i stopped myself.)
This post is genius!!! ;)
I say “awesome” wayyyy too much. Everything good is awesome. I also say actually all. the. time. I catch myself and cringe, but it still happens.
But yeah, the cutting board with a hole for a trash can? Genius. :)
Having had valuables stolen in a robbery before, I (literally… okay, perhaps not!) died when I saw the fake socket. That is a top-class idea. None of the others quite warranted the same dramatic reaction, however the cutting board seems like a lazy/efficient cook’s dream!
Damn… guilty as charged over here! I don’t think I say “literally” very often, but I definitely overuse the rest. Oopsies.
OMG….this post is freakin’ EPIC! Seriously, it’s literally EPIC!!! I literally LOVE it! (silly me!) For the record, I think “awesome” is grossly overused too. However, the cutting board with the hole? AWESOME!!! Have a great Monday.
EPIC POST. So I’m pretty sure a toaster turned on it’s side is a genius fire hazard. Also, that person should either buy a toaster oven or broil the toast in the oven. Hello! :)
HA! I loved this post! People really do overuse certain phrases but I am a known contributor of those words on occasion :)
That cutting board idea really is genius though haha!
That was fun!!! Thanks Janetha!
so clever! I say “amazing” way too often! It is definitely my go to word… along with “awesome” … but that bacon scarf creeps me out :)
I have been dying to create an old window into a mirror :)
my friend TOTALLY baked “cookie cookeis” for me last year :D
I totally called you Janenious in my last post because of your taco soup. It’s like chili, but better!
OK, so relieved you thought the grilled cheese croutons were in fact genius…b/c they totally are. Thanks for the laugh J.G. Bean! :)
This post was hilarious and I agree, all of it = genius! HAH.
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