Self-appointed Language Police

Okay, I hate to begin with a gripe that reveals my superficiality, but language is important to me. I watch a lot of cable news, and I have a mental list of the verbal crutches and catch phrases that lazy on-air personalities use to try to sound more intelligent (or something). Some of those annoying phrases that I can remember are:

• That having been said...

Does that really sound more intelligent than, for example, "On the other hand"? Especially when nearly everyone on cable news says it several times per argument? I don't think so. That having been said, an awful lot of talking heads disagree with me on that point.

• The reality is... (or, The reality of it is...)

Former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, and frequent Republican pundit on the cable news networks, Michael Steele, prefaces almost every sentence with this crutch, and though he is obviously a bright man, he sure doesn't sound that way. Of course, he is not the only one who uses it, in a business in which all pundits think they hold the only key to "reality." And speaking of pundits....

• Pundents...

Why is it that nine out of ten people on TV pronounce "pundits" incorrectly? There's only one "n" in pundit! ONE! That reminds me of the frequent topic of much of the war reporting in recent history...

• Weapons cachet...

The word "cache" is derived from the French for a hiding place. It means a temporary storage place. It is pronounced "cash." This is the proper word for the place enemies or insurgents might store weapons. "Cachet" (pronounced "cashay") is an entirely different word, despite what so many war reporters may think. A "weapons cachet" would mean, possibly, a design of rifles on an envelope, or an embossment of grenades in the wax seal on the back. Or even the intangible status of owning a Howitzer. But not a hiding place for weapons.

• At the end of the day...

Why does the conclusion of every issue that politicians, pundits, and TV talking heads discuss happen "at the end of the day?" Why can't they sometimes say, for example, "When all is said and done," or, "When the dust clears," or, "When this issue is settled," or, "When this Congressional term ends"? If the proverbial "end of the day" ever really arrives, a lotta shit's gonna hit the fan all at once. These are just the ones I can think of, off the top of my head. More to come.