When did "I asked them"....
When did "I asked them"....
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Discussion

King Herald

Original Poster:

23,501 posts

246 months

Sunday 5th March 2017
quotequote all
......turn into "I reached out to them"???

It seems to be the catchy phrase of choice the last year or so, though mainly on TV.. I've heard it four times just this evening!!


Last one I remember, that everybody used at every opportunity, was "take it to the next level". Or "let's move it to the next level".

Higgs boson

1,105 posts

183 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
It used to be heard years ago in American shows, like, say, Hill St. Blues.
I find its more modern counterpart "can I get?", more annoying.
I know that we have to accept that language evolves, but it still grates when I hear it.

Funk

27,730 posts

239 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
I'm approached by suppliers all the time wanting me to buy from them. Anyone who uses the phrase 'reach out' is automatically blacklisted - I can't stand it! It makes me grimace to hear it.

anonymous-user

84 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
King Herald said:
......turn into "I reached out to them"???

Last one I remember, that everybody used at every opportunity, was "take it to the next level". Or "let's move it to the next level".
That's as good a way of asking the girlfriend for a bit of botty banging as I can imagine
Polite too

ashleyman

7,284 posts

129 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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I always thought of it as making contact. They 'got in touch'.

I tend to respond to sales-y emails with 'Thanks for reaching out but...'.

Perhaps I should stop saying it!!!

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

284 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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Its needy and overly emotional, used to instantly place the other party in a bad light if they dont respond.


iphonedyou

10,422 posts

187 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
ashleyman said:
I always thought of it as making contact. They 'got in touch'.

I tend to respond to sales-y emails with 'Thanks for reaching out but...'.

Perhaps I should stop saying it!!!
You should!

grumbledoak

32,571 posts

263 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
Ghastly trained sales pitch phrases.

Best avoided.

cobra kid

5,596 posts

270 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
"ringfencing"

Funk

27,730 posts

239 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
swerni said:
Nope.
Nothing to do with sales, everything to do with American, they all bloody use it
I keep email my colllegues this.

I'm pinching that!

ATG

23,816 posts

302 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
It drains my self respect every time I capitulate to the misuse of this phrase. I work for a large American company. No one ever knows what the hell is going on so we constantly need to ask other people for help. Here's the nub if it; telling someone else to go ask someone else for help can easily offend them. It shouldn't, but a lot of people have fragile egos and many offices revolve around front and bluff. So rather than say "go ask Fred for help" (stupidly seen as negative) we'll say "reach out to Fred" (and reaching out to people is a good thing, right?). So it's a feeble euphemism. And its misuse dilutes its existing, specific meaning, and makes our language a little less precise, a little thinner. Uggghhhhhh.

motco

17,649 posts

276 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
King Herald said:
......turn into "I reached out to them"???

It seems to be the catchy phrase of choice the last year or so, though mainly on TV.. I've heard it four times just this evening!!


Last one I remember, that everybody used at every opportunity, was "take it to the next level". Or "let's move it to the next level".
First heard by me from the lips of David Caruso in NYPD Blue. I laughed out loud as I did when I first saw the wide mouth frog faced Ford Scorpio. But I got used to the car and I no longer laugh at this stupid Americanism and all the others we find ourselves using. "Have you got a car?" "I do". It should be "I have"... etc.

craigjm

21,614 posts

230 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
I cringe every time I hear some so called business person use it and especially if they follow it up with "I am going to call them out"

King Herald

Original Poster:

23,501 posts

246 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
ATG said:
It drains my self respect every time I capitulate to the misuse of this phrase. I work for a large American company. No one ever knows what the hell is going on so we constantly need to ask other people for help. Here's the nub if it; telling someone else to go ask someone else for help can easily offend them. It shouldn't, but a lot of people have fragile egos and many offices revolve around front and bluff. So rather than say "go ask Fred for help" (stupidly seen as negative) we'll say "reach out to Fred" (and reaching out to people is a good thing, right?). So it's a feeble euphemism. And its misuse dilutes its existing, specific meaning, and makes our language a little less precise, a little thinner. Uggghhhhhh.
I worked in the US oil patch for a decade or so, with more than enough yanks, and 'I hear what you're saying'* about their fragile egos and paranoid victim mentality.

  • And I hate that phrase too.... but started to use it due to saturation in their 'culture'.

motco

17,649 posts

276 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
ATG said:
It drains my self respect every time I capitulate to the misuse of this phrase. I work for a large American company. No one ever knows what the hell is going on so we constantly need to ask other people for help. Here's the nub if it; telling someone else to go ask someone else for help can easily offend them. It shouldn't, but a lot of people have fragile egos and many offices revolve around front and bluff. So rather than say "go ask Fred for help" (stupidly seen as negative) we'll say "reach out to Fred" (and reaching out to people is a good thing, right?). So it's a feeble euphemism. And its misuse dilutes its existing, specific meaning, and makes our language a little less precise, a little thinner. Uggghhhhhh.
"Go and have a quiet word with old Fred - he might have a few tips that could help."

ashleyman

7,284 posts

129 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
motco said:
ATG said:
It drains my self respect every time I capitulate to the misuse of this phrase. I work for a large American company. No one ever knows what the hell is going on so we constantly need to ask other people for help. Here's the nub if it; telling someone else to go ask someone else for help can easily offend them. It shouldn't, but a lot of people have fragile egos and many offices revolve around front and bluff. So rather than say "go ask Fred for help" (stupidly seen as negative) we'll say "reach out to Fred" (and reaching out to people is a good thing, right?). So it's a feeble euphemism. And its misuse dilutes its existing, specific meaning, and makes our language a little less precise, a little thinner. Uggghhhhhh.
"Go and have a quiet word with old Fred - he might have a few tips that could help."
If you said that to me face to face or in email. I'd put you in the cock drawer.

conkerman

3,519 posts

165 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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'Reach out' is bloody annoying though. I hate the wishy-washyness of it all, just like 'at this time' when you mean Now. Nothing wrong with being direct.

Most of us on here are already in the cock drawer.


Puggit

49,820 posts

278 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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I actively stop myself saying it, it's used everywhere though!

sparkythecat

8,102 posts

285 months

Monday 6th March 2017
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Anyone who uses these phrases reminds me of the character Gus Hedges, in Drop the Dead Donkey.
He was an absolute cock

ATG

23,816 posts

302 months

Monday 6th March 2017
quotequote all
It's a bit sexist calling someone a "cock".

How about we adopt the gender-neutral term "gonad"?