When it comes to the overuse of particular adjectives in our modern world, right near the top of the list is amazing.
Think about it. How often do you go through your daily life only to overhear someone describe their friend’s party as ‘amazing’. Or you’re at the water cooler at work and Jonny from accounts is detailing his ‘amazing’ weekend of adventures.According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of amazing is: ‘Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.’ Informally, amazing can be substituted for ‘very impressive’ or ‘excellent’. Simples really.
But seeping further into the mundane and it is as if ‘amazing’ is now used by many as a substitute for much simpler (and less sexy) words like ‘thanks’ and ‘appreciate it’.
Throughout the past year or so, I’ve been collating a list of occurrences when someone – in work or everyday interactions I’ve had – has said, typed, posted or proclaimed something to be amazing when it isn’t. Drum roll please.
Things that aren’t amazing
• confirming an interview time• confirming a rescheduled interview time
• arranging two interviews in one email
• upgrading a Top 5 feature to a band interview
• suggesting an interview time
• bank manager fixing a human error made by fellow bank staffer
• running a 1/4 page article for an advertiser
• in response to "I get a bus to work and a train home"
• sharing a published digital story's url
• handing goods to a cashier to scan
• being able to supply questions for an email Q&A inside an hour
• supplying the names of the winners of a competition
• giving an approximate time an online song premiere will be published
• a client who booked two 1/4 page ads being told they can run together as a 1/2 page
• confirming a song premiere feature
• switching the date of a song premiere feature
• suggesting poster companies to an indie touring company
• supplying an invoice
Things that are amazing
• childbirth• rainbow appearing over parliament house in Canberra the day the same-sex marriage vote is decided to go ahead or not
• Pyramids
• Phar Lap (Google it, kids!)
• Apollo 11 moon landing mission
• people who believe the world is flat
• discovering the cure to COVID-19
