Popular Threads on Solosez

Phrases to Make You Flinch (Water Cooler)

I just got finished talking to a client. And I got one of my all time "flinchers" Client says to me "You are my hero". I know, as soon as something does not go in client's favor, I will no longer be the hero but the idiot who screwed things up.

Other phrases, especially in a divorce "We have agreed to everything" That is everthing you thought of and does not include the different interpertations of agreement.

Are there any other phrases out there that make you flinch?

Mark J. Olberding, Nevada, Iowa

How about, "You're the only person that didn't think I was crazy"?

D.A. "Duke" Drouillard

Its not about the money, it’s the principle.

Just send a letter, and I know they will pay.

Sharon Campbell

They're not going to fight this.

Hey, I've got money I can pay you if you can just get me bailed out.

David Tarvin

Actual quote by sexual harassment client to mediator: "Did Rosa Parks give up her seat? so why should I?"

Actual email quote by client to a friend 9 months before trial: "We expect to win the lawsuit shortly."

Another actual quote by client: "This isn't about money. It's about revenge."

Eugene Lee, Los Angeles, California

"I have one other thing to tell you..." (Line usually delivered AFTER my initial verbal analysis of PC or C's situation...).

"You know I want to be completely honset and forthcoming here..."

And the last pertains mostly to my BK clients, and always after filing, "I was looking through my desk one last time today and I found..." (This can also apply to corporate clients after multiple discovery battles and yes, I'm speaking from experience..."

Oi clients! Can't practice without them, can't kill 'em! (I love my clients I really do...but we are all only human!)

Amy Kleinpeter, Pasadena, California

Irregardless.

Charlie Abut, New Jersey

Actually, Sharon, that's a good tangent: when someone says "it's not the money" ... it's the money. If they say "it's an open and shut case," that tells you it's anything *but* that.

What other phrases are there that really mean the exact opposite of what they are supposedly saying?

Mike Koenecke, Richardson, Texas

In your neck of the woods; at this point in time (both replaceable by "there" or "now")

Julie Mills

Exact opposite?

How about, "With all due respect..." (one could argue that it does not mean the opposite, if one interprets it to mean that no respect is due, however...)

Susan L. Beecher, Kent, Washington

"I've heard that you are the best attorney in the state."

"I'm from the government. I'm here to help you."

Jim Pardue

10. your call is very important

9. pushing the envelope

8. outside the box

7. herding cats

6. walking the walk

5. mission-critical

4. drilling down or getting granular

3. net-net

2. strategic fit

1. monetize

Charlie [at the end of the day] Abut, New Jersey

Hey, does this look infected? Don't worry, it's not contagious. Does this milk taste bad to you? Smell my finger

Steve O’Donnell

I've got this great idea and I can get backers but I need a contract and I don't have any money.

Susan Patino

Your check is in the mail.

Danielle L. Flora

"this is a great idea, but..." I do like the expression "herding cats". The others mentioned on another list are really trite and should be killed off. I feel the same way about "proactive" which is an invented word, unless it's now in the dictionary.

Lynne R. Ostfeld, Chicago, Illinois

Whatever.

Things are getting that way anymore.

Arthur B. Macomber, Idaho

From anyone but immediate family, particularly during visit or contact initiated by the speaker: "I just can't shake this nasty cold."

From husband: "my mother called and she wants . . . ."

Tina Willis

"How's that workin' out for ya....?"

Scott I. Barer, California

Get my arms around this

Information highway

At your convenience

Strategic partner

To partner with

Win-win

New paradigm

On the same page

Hunky-dory

"I'd like to pick your brain."

"Cold enough for you?"

"Hot enough for you?"

"Have a good day!"

jennifer rose, Mexico

"Just so we're on the same page"

Lowell Steiger, Beverly Hills, California

"That's how we roll."

"No you didn't" (pronounced "di-int")

Jay S. Fleischman, New York, New York

We are in agreeance.

C J Stevens, Lolo, Montana

"I will come back next week the retainer" or any variation thereof.

Jennifer N. Sawday, Long Beach, California

Hindsight is 50 - 50 . . .. Walter D. James III, Grapevine, Texas

Synergies.

Jay S. Fleischman, New York, New York

Spoken to the junior associate by the partner, at 4:15 pm on Thursday:

"I'll need you to help me slap together an opposition to this application for TRO on calendar for tomorrow afternoon."

Stephen Petix, California

After three minutes of discussion: "To be honest with you" Was everything said before then bull?

Chuck Mitchell

"Now, I ain'ta lyin' to ya -- they (did/said/saw/took/etc.)."

"We have three children and two pieces of real property and my husband has agreed how to divide the assets and children. How much is the retainer?"

"I would have mailed a payment on my account, but I lost your address." (let's see phone book, newsprint, email/internet, fact you drive past my office twice a day going to/from work . . . )

But one of my more favorite statements -- when at the courthouse waiting for my case to be called -- two people were sitting in the hallway outside of the courtroom. As I passed by, one turned to the other and said:

"That's that really bitchy lady attorney. I told you you should have hired her."

Beverly K. Jones, Tarkio, Missouri

Run a paper through the court.

But I really want to rip the tongue out of anyone who says "My bad."

jennifer rose, Mexico

"It's all good."

Lisa Runquist, California

Bless her heart.

As I learned when I lived in the South, this is always preceded or followed by the most derogatory comment the speaker could think of, such as: "Well, she snorts her breakfast and then beats her children all the live long day, bless her little ole heart." Evidently, it isn't mean or gossip if you add those three words at the end.

Danielle L. Flora

Reminds me of the time a woman came in and said she was referred by another attorney. I mentioned I was surprised since we didn't get along at all. The client said, "Oh, I called his office and said I wanted the name of the meanest attorney they knew".

Veronica Schnidrig

Closure

Veronica M. Schnidrig, Clackamas, Oregon

Most importantly. . . .

Norman R Solberg, Japan

10. with all due respect

9. infrastructure

8. scalable supply chain

7. outsource

6. ciao

5. 24/7

4. customer centric

3. knowledge management

2. rocket science

1. go to guy

Charlie [bottom line] Abut, New Jersey

I guess I need to be a little more careful with my language. I tend to use some of these phrases. I must be making people cringe everyday. On the other hand, I tend to be somewhat of a chameleon with my vocabulary. I talk much differently with each a dock worker in Jersey, a software engineer, a waitress, a school teacher, opposing counsel, or a judge.

D.A. "Duke" Drouillard, Nebraska

I just learned from my grandkids (4-8) that cool things are not TIGHT. I bet I heard tight come out of their mouths 5 times a minute all weekend long. If things weren't tight, they were BLING! BLING!. I sure that doesn't catch on because it just about drove me crazy.

Robert W. "Robby" Hughes, Jr., Stone Mountain, Georgia

I don't know about "with all due respect;" it has gotten me out, of what could have been, a lot of trouble. If my son had used it with speaking with a 2LT he would have been promoted 6 months earlier.

Marion J. Browning-Baker, Stuttgart, Germany

Yeah, but I saw a J. read the riot act to an attorney who said that to him. J said "What you *really* mean is that you have *no* respect for me."

David Zachary Kaufman, Virginia

No problem --only is said when there IS an obvious problem.

John Page, Florida

"I don't mean to be rude..." Well, yes, actually you do!

Andria Sandoval

I attended a mediation with a retired judge who, in an aside, expressed a similar interpretation of the phrase "with all due respect".

Paul Hogan, Sunnyvale, California

"I don't mean to interrupt, but . . ."

Then why are you interrupting?

Chris Bumgarner

"Well, my (brother/sister/cousin/father-in-law) is an attorney, and (he/she) said....."

David Tarvin, Nebraska

Between you and I . . .

We was . . .

(heard from lawyers, seen in briefs)

Nanci Snow Bockelie, Salt Lake City, Utah

Actually, I think that "My Bad" is probably the most offensive, skin-crawl inducing phrase this decade. Lowell Steiger, Beverly Hills, California

Let's do lunch.

Charlie Abut

Am I the only person wondering if it would be possible to post a random question of law to solosez, say in a month or two, and squeeze in every single one of these mentioned words? At least the ones that are clearly pet peeves of people?

Somebody ought to be able to do it!

Double-dog-dare-ya!!

Amy Kleinpeter, Pasadena, California

If we're talking about phrases in general, and not law-related phrases, my parents and sister and some other people I know have a habit of using the phrase "the thing being...." in a sentence as an introduction to a clause. I'm hard-pressed to use it in a sentence at the moment, but the phrase usually takes the place of "the thing is....," which is also bad but not AS bad.

There is absolutely NO grammatical rationale to support the use of the phrase, "the thing being...." It drives me nuts and makes me want to pull my ears off.

David Tarvin, Nebraska

Now this is really a pet-peeve of mine:

"No pun intended"

It's always intended, and almost never clever. So the disclaimer that no pun is intended is supposed to raise a hint of doubt in the hearer's mind that maybe the really dumb and annoying pun really wasn't intended, in which case it just might be okay to overlook it this one time.

Maybe that's why you never see that phrase more than once in any given article. Use it again and all doubt is eliminated: you really aren't all that clever.

Cheers,

Eugene Lee, California

"Begs the question.."

-- other than as the name for the fallacy of circular reasoning.

Last week, I wrote a blistering letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle about an article in which the author misused "begs the question." The author obviously incorrectly assumed the phrase meant "to raise or suggest a question."

I asked if that egregious solecism was indicative of what passes for literacy among the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle.

As one of my high school English teachers was fond of saying, "Anyone who misuses 'begs the question' should demand a refund for his school tuition. He obviously got short-changed in his education."

Donna E. Wynne, San Francisco, California

Has anyone suggested "do you know what I mean" a phrase used by people who don't know what they mean?

Charles Mitchell

But, I depended on you to protect me.

(usually after they have totally disregarded your advice)

Art Mouton, Louisiana

- The use of "any more" as a substitute for "nowadays"

- The use of the expression "one off" (which seems to be increasingly used--I have no idea what it is supposed to mean)

- spot on

Nancy DuCharme

In the television production industry, a "one off" is a single program that is not produced as part of a series. Sue Patino

myself, as in, "You can call Nancy or myself."

to motion the court An attorney wrote that to me -- that he would motion the court. Honest.

CJ Stevens, Montana

Please, CJ, tell us that he was going to motion the court to squash a subpoena.

James S. Tyre, Culver City, California

"I could care less:" just how much less could you care?

Raymond L. Stuehrmann, Thousand Oaks, California

In tournament bridge, "one off" means a contract set by one trick.

Alan P. Bernstein

Or the client who called me complaining that her car had been repossessed because her insurance "collapsed"

Sharon Campbell

This may not be a phrase per se but, here in L.A. we have a major hospital named "Cedars Sinai." I have had more than one client refer to it as "Cedars Cyanide." Well, on second thought, maybe they have a point. =

Lowell Steiger

You really need to be careful Nanci, you never know what you will hear from lawyers when you see them in their briefs.

Michael D. Caccavo, Barre, Vermont

for all intensive purposes!!!!

Long Duong

Actually, it means "with all the respect due to you"--which can be zero

J. Robert Thompson, Stone Mountain, Georgia

for all intents and purposes ????

Glenn Reisman

That phrase reminds me of "make ends meet" and a friend said she never understood that phrase because what kind of *meat* is "ends" meat??

Julie Mills

conscious effort

Aissatou Sylla

"Wallah!" (as in Voila)

"Therefore" (when therefor without the "e" is meant) - Please state all contentions and reasons therefore!

"Boku" or "bokoo" (as in beaucoups)

"And etc."

I see these all the time.

Law Office of Eugene Lee

How 'bout: So, what you are saying is ... (followed by something completely different from what you actually said)

Richard C. Flanigan, Allenhurst, New Jersey

"The document speaks for itself." Brian J. Mohin, Hartwick, New York

"give back to the community" is like nails on a blackboard

I have a friend who will, without fail, use the phrase "and what have you" in at least 2 of 4 sentences.

Barry W. Kaufman, Jacksonville, Florida

Rather unique.

Charlie Abut

Funny thing is, that always takes me back to first year Property at UT Law. It was Ernie Smith's trademark: a student would answer a question rather vaguely, and he would follow up by saying "Ah. So what *you're* saying is..." and then launch into a detailed legal description. We even had a t-shirt made up with that phrase.

Mike Koenecke

related to this...when someone says "I've had just about enough" does that mean they want a little bit more, so that they reach the ever-elusive 'enough'?

Laurie Axinn Gienapp, Bradford, Massachusetts

I personally cringe at "dumbing down". The implication is "not moving fast enough for me or mine" when often the speaker gives the impression of not keeping pace as it is.

Susan Beecher

"Your Honor, I just have one more question for the witness."

Charlie Abut

"To make a long story short..." I once had a client who was a very nice lady, but when she used that phrase it meant she was good for at least an hour (and with something which was not consequential to any great degree)! I even a number of times on the phone put her on hold while taking other calls and picked up after a while without worrying whether she would even have noticed.

Alan P. Bernstein

"order of magnitude"

I'll take mine on toast.

Charlie Abut

At the end of the day,...

I find that exspecially annoying, irregardless of whom says it. It fustrates me and renders everyhting else mute!

Gil Shuga, Mesa, Arizona

Another disfavorite of mine: "I'm lying."

Lowell Steiger

"You go girl."

jennifer rose

There you go using a word which has already been submitted under this topic: irregardless. There is no such word.

Sharon Campbell

he/she went like or was like for he/she said

Fern Summer, Great Neck, New York

You mind popping this for me?

Steve O’Donnell

Professor Erwin Chemerinsky taught Civil Procedure at USC when I was there -- he did a very similar thing! It was not intimidating to answer in his class because by the time he was done, students always sounded much smarter instead of dumber (which seemed to be the M.O. of a few other profs.)

I remember though in a study session before finals, an anxious student asked Professor Chemerinsky, "How do we know if what is in our notes is the right answers? We just have answers that other students in the class came up with!"

Prof. "Chem" was always so gentle and kind, but he really almost laughed out loud at that one. After a second to catch himself, he said, "Weeeellll, you may have noticed that often when I see a student is on the right track, I may help coax the answer along a bit..." Thinking about it now, I do feel a bit bad for that student because trust me, the rest of the class was not as polite as our professor and we were falling over laughing...

-- Amy Kleinpeter

I once had a pro se opponent who researched his case very well, and submitted the appropriate forms during the case. He had just graduated from college. But for some reason, he kept writing "pacifically" when he meant "specifically." It boggles my mind.

Chris Bumgarner

"Back in the day."

Charlie Abut

"orientate" (sadly, I think it's now in dictionaries...) "disrespected"

Kelly Karczmar, Crete, Illinois

A college-educated client sent a note referring to her disillusion of marriage. I dunno. I think it might be appropriate.

Carolyn J. Stevens

Perhaps she just confused "of" with "with"? Lots of us might agree if she had said "with"!!

Alan P. Bernstein

Hey, what is wrong with that. That is when it was uphill to and from school, 5 miles away, in the blowing snow (of South Georgia).

Robert W. "Robby" Hughes, Jr.

How about "avi david"?

About two years ago I was managing some litigation for a client, a small Northern California software company. The vice president of the company's IT department, a college graduate from a well-regarded university, sent me an email in which she wanted to talk to me about an "avi david" one of her staffers was working on for the litigation.

Even after I responded with a subtle hint referring to it as an "AFFIDAVIT," the next message from her still called it an "avi david."

Between guffaws, I couldn't stop thinking this woman was the female version of Dilbert's pointy-haired boss.

Donna Wynne, San Francisco, California

I had a client who always said "and the kicker is"...drove me INSANE!

I also hate "my bad"...what the hell does that mean??

Amy Ondos

Heck we actually had an employee of an oil company refer, in a change of ownership in an estate, to the "soul heirs" of the decedent.

Art Mouton

I heard a new one today. When I was leaving the restaurant where I had lunch, the waiter said " See you latte"

Just a little too cute for me.

Sharon Campbell

The worst one in my opinion is by far "thinking outside the box."

Cory H. Hurwitz

I squashed a subpoena once but it stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

Lisa Collins

"Thank you muchly" gets my vote. Prefacing everything with "basically" drives my husband mad. Finally, I cannot figure out why so many people use the word heighth.

Basically, it doesn't exist, thank you muchly.

Nancy

*EWWWW*

Keith Doniphan Elston, Lexington, Kentucky

Another one I hear a lot is someone wanting to tell me about their great "ideal."

Sharon Campbell

"Guilty"

J. ROBERT THOMPSON

I've never understood "renders it mute" . . . is it "moot" they are talking about ??

Margaret Dillenburg

"Actually" as in, "She's actually on the phone" or "He's actually in court right now."

I always want to say, are you sure? Why should I believe you?

Russell D. Gray

Utilize and everything else that ends with -ize.

Some other goodies can be found here: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

Glenn Goonis

An attorney wrote that to me -- that he would motion the court. Honest.

CJ Stevens

That attorney was probably "barred" in Montana . . . . Maybe it's accepted terminology somewhere, but "barred" is worse than fingernails on a blackboard to me.

Veronica Schnidrig

"Whatever."

Charlie Abut

"Stop by and see us anytime" ... but then never receive a real invitation when it is well known that others have.

Fran Sweeney

"Circle back"

Carlo Ciccone

refer back to continue on future plans

CJ Stevens

"That said"

2 words meaning but. I recall reading a book that claimed but was an acronym for basic underlying truth.

John Davidson

"Assuming arguendo."

Charlie Abut

Why does this make you flinch? Is it gramatically incorrect?

Chris Bumgarner

Pompous?

Stilted?

Legal jargon?

Pretentious?

At the end of the day : whatever.

Charlie Abut

The phrase is supposed to mean "even assuming the opposing party's contentions are true" preparatory to shooting OC' argument down on legal grounds, without admitting they are true. So used, it is proper, no matter how much it grates. Of course, I have encountered at least one judge who didn't know what it meant, and ruled that I had made the admission. Thus proving the old adage of what one calls a lawyer with the IQ of a rutabaga.

J. ROBERT THOMPSON

I'm amazed that nobody has said "it's a slam-dunk case" -- which it often is -- for the other side!

then there's "both sides reached agreement" (have you ever seen one side reach agreement?)

and of course "tiny little"

Jay Goldenberg

"Me, myself, personally..."

Renee

heck, the IRS got involved with a guy who died with his head in one state and rest in another. The first proposed Generation-skipping regulations referred to an interstate decedent

shows the limitations of spell-checkers

Jay Goldenberg

"Irrespective" is, obviously, the word which Gil had meant to use in his "At the end of the day" comment.

M.E. Hendrickson, Alexandria, Virginia

The phrase, often used in the media, "he pleaded guilty" I always thought the past tense of plead was pled as in "He pled guilty"

Mark Olberding

Oooh--that reminds me of another phrase I detest: "He/She was found innocent." Hear it all the time by newspeople. One is innocent--he's found either guilty or not guilty.

Julie Mills

Pled vs Pleaded http://www.cjr.org/tools/lc/pleadguilty.asp

Steve O’Donnell

That reminds me, I hate 'he/she.' We really should come up with a good gender-neutral pronoun.

Steve O’Donnell

Technically, you are correct. But I believe "innocent" is used by the press routinely, to avoid a typo that might omit the "not" in front of "guilty"--which would not be picked up by most word processor's spell-checkers. (I have to believe that newspapers no longer use human proof-readers, in view of the myriad grammatical errors found in the papers, most of which result from the omission of words.)

Steve Petix, San Diego, California

actually, this is a habit of newspeople to avoid an ever bigger faux paus...if you write "not guilty" and the anchor misreads it and says "guilty," you are dead in the water. so news folks write "innocent" to avoid that happening. no one wants to be sued, god forbid!

Jean Maneke, Kansas City, Missouri

My favorite is "He died of an apparent heart attack". What they mean is that it looks like he died of a heart attack. What they have actually said is that he obviously died of a heart attack.

J. William Norton, Woodbury, Minnesota

I've been using s/he for about 15 years.

Carolyn J. Stevens

I use "he," unless it is reasonable to make the sentence's subject plural ( i.e., making it appropriate to replace "he" with "they"). For example, instead of writing "A driver should keep his speed below 40 mph when it is snowing," I might write "Drivers should keep their speed below 40 mph when it is snowing."

On a separate note, it's no secret that I love hockey. I watch, at times, multiple games a day (thanks TiVo). In hockey and many other sports, I hear players talking about how their teammates "stepped up," meaning that they raised their effort level and became more effective at times when it was most helpful to the team.

Sure, it's easier to say "Marty stepped up," than it is to say "Marty raised his effort level and became more effective at a time when it was most helpful to the team," but hearing "stepped up" several times in EVERY interview is like rubbing sandpaper on my eyeballs at this point.

John Yoak, Irvine, California

We have one--it's "he." Read any grammar text (as opposed to the last decade or two of feel-good linguistics). Or take a look at a foreign language, such as German, where clear biological sexes have different grammatic genders. From first year, "Das Madchen" (neutral gender, but a young lady clearly is feminine).

Lawyers ought to remember the old law school mantra "is A a B for the purpose of C?" And then remember the purpose.

{/Harumph}

Mike Riddle, Nebraska

"I'm good."

Charlie Abut

"In all honesty, . . ."

Usually followed by a blatant lie.

Chris Bumgarner

déjà vu all over again

Brian Blum

Oh, alas! Not this one, please!

You're knocking my favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra.

Whether he actually said this one -- and the many others attributed to him, his colorful little solecistic* aphorisms have become the apotheosis of wisdom of the common man.

Donna Wynne

Harrumph yourself. Try changing all pronouns to feminine, and see if you don't start feeling a bit excluded.

Rebecca Wiess

Utilize and everything else that ends with -ize.

Some other goodies can be found here: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

Glenn Goonis

An attorney wrote that to me -- that he would motion the court. Honest.

CJ Stevens

That attorney was probably "barred" in Montana . . . . Maybe it's accepted terminology somewhere, but "barred" is worse than fingernails on a blackboard to me.

\Veronica Schnidrig

"Whatever."

Charlie Abut

"Stop by and see us anytime" ... but then never receive a real invitation when it is well known that others have.

Fran Sweeney

"Circle back" SOP

Carlo Ciccone

refer back to continue on future plans

CJ Stevens

"That said"

2 words meaning but. I recall reading a book that claimed but was an acronym for basic underlying truth.

John Davidson

"Assuming arguendo

Charlie Abut

Why does this make you flinch? Is it grammatically incorrect?

Chris Bumgarner

Pompous?

Stilted?

Legal jargon?

Pretentious?

At the end of the day: whatever.

Charlie Abut

J. Robert Thompson

I'm amazed that nobody has said "it's a slam-dunk case" -- which it often is -- for the other side!

then there's "both sides reached agreement" (have you ever seen one side reach agreement?)

Jay Goldenberg

"Me, myself, personally..."

Renee

The phrase, often used in the media, "he pleaded guilty" I always thought the past tense of plead was pled as in "He pled guilty"

Mark Olberding

Oooh--that reminds me of another phrase I detest: "He/She was found innocent." Hear it all the time by newspeople. One is innocent--he's found either guilty or not guilty.

Julie Mills

Pled vs Pleaded http://www.cjr.org/tools/lc/pleadguilty.asp

Steve O’Donnell

That reminds me, I hate 'he/she.' We really should come up with a good gender-neutral pronoun.

Steve O’Donnell

Steve Petix

Jean Maneke

My favorite is "He died of an apparent heart attack". What they mean is that it looks like he died of a heart attack. What they have actually said is that he obviously died of a heart attack.

J. William Norton P.L.C.

John Yoak

I've been using s/he for about 15 years.

CJ Stevens

I had a similar reaction to this post. It's kind of like saying: "read any history book (other than the feel-good history books of the last twenty years) and you will see that women and minorities really did nothing significant in all of U.S. history."

Sorry but the post was somewhat offensive to the feminists and I think the books have been re-written for good reason.

Tina Willis

I've never understood what the fuss is about, and I am a female. I know people have different perspectives on it, but my view is that there are better things to get upset about. I got marked down 2 grades on a paper in college for using he instead of s/he, and I thought it was absolutely ridiculous. I don't feel the least bit excluded when someone uses he - I see it as a grammatical anomaly. The debate actually annoys me as much as the word "herstory." Now there's a phrase that makes me flinch.

Kristen Garlans

I've never cared much about the debate, either, but the post still bothered me, perhaps because of the suggestion that the whole idea of saying "he/she" has no merit whatsoever and the newer textbooks are completed misguided in that regard. Although the debate usually bores me, I don't think revising textbooks to be fair to women is completely misguided and certainly the phrase "he/she" doesn't make me flinch. And the fact that years of prior textbooks taught something different doesn't make them proper or correct.

Also, although I usually don't care which pronoun someone chooses, I personally am aware when I'm writing that there are two sexes, and generally will try to correct myself when I intend to refer to both sexes. Let's face it--"he" is not even always technically accurate--and lawyers like accuracy--so why shouldn't we use "he or she" whenever possible?

I guess it really doesn't matter. Boys will be boys and girls will be girls.

Tina Willis

Rebecca, how's this: We'll use "woman" and "women" because it contains man and woman, men and women. . We'll use "she" because it contains both she and he.

I will continue to use s/he if I can’t change the sentence to plural and 'they'

CJ Stevens

Bobby, I partially agree with you. We are shackled by history on this one. We could use good gender neutral singular first person pronouns and we just don't have them. Most of the fixes don't read well, as you note - and the constructs like "herstory" are worse than what they are trying to replace. I have adopted one deliberate piece of bad grammar - e.g."Each person should raise their hand." - and let the rest lie. Perhaps as an old fart I'm more sensitive, because I came through in an era when "Any man can..." generally meant that women need not apply.

Rebecca Wiess

I try to use "one" instead of he or she. It sounds a bit stuffy, but helps maintain gender neutrality, I think.

Vicki Levy Eskin

Only if one is Queen Victoria, methinks:))

Alan P Bernstein

You mean herstory books?

Lisa, with tongue firmly planted in cheek Lisa A. Runquist

We generally use the first person plural, don't we?

James McGill

Silly boy. That would be the true royal "we," never one, she or he.

(I truly loved it when "Ms." became a part of the vernacular, it made one small part of life so much easier. With all the brainpower we have here, you'd think we could solve this other problem.)

James S. Tyre

O.K. how's this ... drop the h or the sh and just go with 'e' or maybe 'ee'

... Hey, I think its a good suggestion ... alright, I'll call it a day and go home now.

K. Gordon Crawford

Silly Jim... In the 19th century it was the royal we. Now, with the overly exaggerated panic about being thin, that could no longer be used. I just posited that a modern day Victoria would use the royal "one".

Alan P Bernstein

FLINCH!

Long Duong

I graduated from law school in 2004.

I took legal research and writing in Fall 2000, just at the end of the Clinton era.

I was taught that in the first sentence using he or she to pick "she" and then in the next sentence to use "he."

I went to work for a patent law firm that summer and have not done that since. I wonder if that'sstill the rule.

I think I'm to go back to the alternating "he" then "she" then.....

On 2/15/07, John Yoak <john.yoak@gmail.com> wrote:

I use "he," unless it is reasonable to make the sentence's subject plural ( i.e., making it appropriate to replace "he" with "they"). For example, instead of writing "A driver should keep his speed below 40 mph when it is snowing," I might write "Drviers should keep their speed below 40 mph when it is snowing."

----

John Yoak

I'm with you, Kristen, on this one. Its just no big deal to me. If that's your biggest complaint, life is pretty good.

Sharon Campbell

I remember "one" as the third person singular. It seems to have fallen out of use.

Marion J. Browning-Baker

That would be HRH which, if you just use the initials, is gender neutral.

Marion J. Browning-Baker

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