by Sue Horner | Jul 4, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
People are upset with Kim Kardashian because she tried to use (and trademark) the name “Kimono” for her new line of “shapewear.” Her plan was to call it Kimono Solutionwear. Apparently, the uproar was enough that she’s already backed down and is giving “careful...
by Sue Horner | May 16, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Print can be expensive, so I understand that Costco will no longer send their printed Costco Connection magazine to lower-tier members like me. After all, their stated mission is “to continually provide our members with quality goods and services at the lowest...
by Sue Horner | Mar 7, 2019 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
A PR colleague is having a hard time convincing me that using “ecosystem” outside the realm of biology and science isn’t jargon. It is. Here’s the usual definition: “A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment” (The Canadian Oxford...
by Sue Horner | Dec 6, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Jargon has welcomed some new members to the fold this year. Or maybe it’s been happening longer, but I’ve been running into fresh examples over the past few months. Either way, I’m hopping on my Grouch Train. You know I’ve had issues with the phrase “like a boss”...
by Sue Horner | Nov 1, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
At my local bank this week, signs alerted me that they’re “making changes” to some of their plans and fees. You’d be right to assume that some of those changes are increases. Overdraft protection goes up by $1 per month, and a monthly fee is no longer waived with a...
by Sue Horner | Oct 24, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The Guardian’s Alex Hern forced himself to read all the terms and conditions he encountered in one week. In that time, he collected 146,000 words of legalese in 33 documents. It was, he said, “enough to fill three quarters of Moby Dick, just to explain what I can and...
by Sue Horner | Oct 11, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Let’s be clear. Those “Terms and Conditions” we have to “accept” or “agree to” before using new software, phones and other technology are anything but clear. I blame lawyers, who stuff sentences with words to cover every possible situation. The sentences are wordy and...
by Sue Horner | Aug 9, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Hootsuite has an “improved experience” coming for users. Forgive me for being suspicious (too many years of seeing weasel words in corporate announcements), but I doubt they mean for those of us with free plans. Here’s the message, complete with an odd word choice in...
by Sue Horner | Dec 14, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You can usually spot jargon at less than 10 paces, but it’s fun to have the option of The De-Jargonizer. Plug in a piece of writing, and this handy tool will highlight the jargony words you might want to replace. A recent report about Toys ’R’ Us executives giving...
by Sue Horner | Apr 27, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“There’s a lot of year left,” says Mark Peters, who writes a column called Evasive Maneuvers. But the word “re-accommodate” is already a front-runner for the Euphemism of the Year, he tells Time’s Katy Steinmetz. A euphemism substitutes an inoffensive expression for...
