Another pet peeve of mine is the misuse of "epicenter", where what is intended is simply "center".

As in

"Hollywood is the epicenter of the American film industry."

No, that would be saying that the center of the American film industry is underground, below Hollywood. "Epicenter" is a technical term in earthquake science, meaning that spot on the surface of the earth over the actual center of action of an earthquake, possibly miles down.

I hear this mistaken usage all the time in radio news broadcasts, even on NPR, and I first cringe and then audibly argue with the radio announcer.

Dave Oesterreich