The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #138985 Message #3186254
Posted By: Jim Dixon
12-Jul-11 - 04:14 PM
Thread Name: BS: Sloppy use of language
Subject: RE: BS: Sloppy use of language
Young people nowadays use the word "awesome" for anything agreeable, convenient, or helpful.
I used to work in the "post office" of a university. Sample dialogue:
STUDENT: Can you sell me a stamp?
ME: Yes.
STUDENT: Awesome!
If I were Superman, and they asked me, "Can you leap tall buildings at a single bound?" and I said "Yes"—that would be awesome. Selling a stamp is not awesome. But no irony was intended (I think). I had to laugh.
But that's no worse than saying "Cool!" or "Boss!" (another cool word of my youth).