From Ed Geithner

When I was doing PR, I got into an argument with a client who truly
believed that the words “world class” placed before her product (software that helps design semiconductors) added some meaning. She
thought the same about “best of breed,” which I thought was confined to use by the American Kennel Club. Hmm, maybe she meant her software was a dog. She won both arguments when the check cleared.

My nominees for banning:

“(Fill in the blank) went terribly wrong.” It probably did,
but I’ll strangle the next TV newscaster who says it.

“His life (or something else) was changed forever.” We’ll
never know, since neither the subject nor us will be around to find
out.

“A broad/wide range . . .” Ranges must be something else,
if only writers take the time to find out what.

Bob Lee sends a new one on me:

Because my employment as a computer programmer requires that I read books and articles written about the so-called “object-oriented” programming, I am often assaulted by the following non-words: “instantiation,” which means simply an instance of something; “instatiate,” a verb which means to create an instance; and the various forms of the verb, including “instatiated” and “instatiating.”For those software engineers who report to me, I can insist that “instance” always be used in place of “instantiation.” However, I cannot police the entire software industry. I’m told the misuse of these terms originated with military programmers who wanted to sound educated through the use of big words. Have you been exposed to “instatiation?” Can you recommend a way to discourage its use?

Editor’s note: To bastardize an old joke — “How do you keep
a programmer from charging? Take away his stock options.”