Used to be, there was a perfect sunset or a perfect storm ...
Judith Martin, known as Miss Manners, answers a question about chipper customer service reps and the use of unwarranted superlatives.
1. “That’s a great question.” The first time someone said that to me, I thought I must be clever. Now, that phrase is so overused, it’s just filler until they can come up with a response. Perhaps when they do, I should say, “That’s a great answer!”Used to be, there was a perfect sunset or a perfect storm or something you created turned out perfect -- or when Murphy’s law was ruling my life, and anything that could go wrong did, I’d mutter, “Perfect.
GENTLE READER: That the stalling technique has become commonplace disappoints Miss Manners. She had been thinking what a nice ruse it was. Not that she has ever had to use it. And “perfect” is one of several unwarranted superlatives in common use. Miss Manners finds “amazing” and “incredible” even more annoying when applied to unsurprising, perfectly believable actions.
So it is with some understanding that she asks you to tolerate these common usages. You will probably get more sympathy from the language department.GENTLE READER: Offer thanks and refrain from mentioning that it is not to your taste -- and that anyway, you already have one.
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