New words and new usages liven up daily communication no end. You can get to the end of an article and realise you haven’t actually understood several or more of the references, or that words you are familiar with seem to have acquired different meanings. It certainly keeps you on your toes. You have to admire the creative efforts of those who need to attract attention, persuade us to buy or buy into the product or idea they are promoting. But sometimes the technique backfires, and the usage becomes stale and annoying, or even worse, it’s ambiguous. We can overlook a lot in the cause of a bit of colour and pzazz, but when both clarity and freshness bite the dust, it’s surely time to re-evaluate and retire some techniques.
