At the end of the year ...

At the risk of joining in a trite and mostly meaningless exercise, I'd like to offer a few resolutions for all those who will express themselves in a speech, on-air commentary or any other form of public, oral communication in 2014. Actually, it's a three-in-one resolution:

Avoid these over-used phrases:

Make no mistake. It's about as sophisticated an expression of emphasis as pounding one's fist. Besides, you should already be communicating your resolve -- by slowing your pace or even pausing, by raising your voice, by gesturing. (See delivery in the primer at left.)

At the end of the day. Okay, so this may have been a laudable attempt to replace the antiquated when all is said and done, but it has quickly become tired out. Its day has ended.

That's a good question. Fine, if the question really is a good one. But you'll also hear this in response to the most predictable question. Be honest. You're just stalling for time, so why not just say, "Hmmm, let me think ... Hmmm, I'm still thinking ...."

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I thought I had discovered another mutant word (like ideate) when I read that the last Greenpeace activist detained in Russia had been amnestied. What next? Are we going to hear about ships sailing off Somalia being piracied? Then I discovered that amnesty is indeed recognized as a transitive verb in no less an authoritative source than the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

With all due respect, Merriam and, you too, Webster, I still don't plan on using amnesty as a verb in a sentence -- for the ear or the eye.