The dread phrases, which in every other circumstance Times writers would strive to avoid, are identified by the Plain English Campaign, which has struggled for a quarter of a century against a tide of gobbledygook, hackneyed phraseology, impenetrable jargon and clangorous clichés.

The campaign celebrated its anniversary yesterday by firing a well-worded broadside at expressions so overworked that they are now supine with exhaustion, robbed of every last vestige of meaning.

As well as the Top Ten linguistic irritants, the campaign also noted some word forms now deemed past their sell-by date and overdue for retirement. These include such passing favourites as “Between a rock and a hard place” and “It’s not rocket science.”

John Lister, a campaign spokesman, said: “These phrases are used so often they are used without thinking. When first used they may have served a purpose as a fresh way of describing something, but when they are used over and over again for the wrong reasons, they lose all meaning.” Mr Lister’s pet hate was “to be honest”. “It means that the next thing that will come out of the speaker’s lips will not be honest.”

There is still hope. When the Plain English Campaign was launched, spoken English was struggling with the “situation syndrome”, in which everything was in a something-or-other “situation”.

That has, thankfully, subsided (spot the misuse?) as has the habit of speaking of everything as being “in connection with” something else. But what has happened to “who” and to “which”? Both appear to have been almost entirely replaced by the impersonal, flat and boring “that”. Even Mr Lister is at it. Did you notice?
Join our debate on jargon and irritating words and phrases by sending your views to debate@thetimes.co.uk

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