Like as the "must say" word has gone far beyond teen girls. I'm beginning to hear more adults speak the same way. A woman who studies word trends was a guest on a radio program dedicated to grammar. She explained that *generally* like was a substitute for "about" OR used as a verbal escape hatch when the speaker doesn't want to be held accountable for the accuracy of the statement. Example: Teen "She has, like, five brothers." Listener "You mean you're not sure exactly how many brothers she has?" Teen "No, she has, like, five of them."

It's difficult for me to follow many conversations these days; they're, like, filled with, you know, tedious, extraneous bits of verbal fluff.

Oh, and I'm starting to hear double like popping up several times in a single sentence and I'm like like whoa!

I need a nap.