A phrase I really, really loathe...

[mellicious]

... is "reach out" as a synonym for "ask" or "talk to" - aaargh. Last year it was only consultants and people like that that were using it; now all of a sudden they've started using it on CNN. It didn't surprise me as HR-speak but I don't want to see it become standard, because it just makes me want to scream.

OK, I need to quit ranting, I have a lunch date in Houston with Anth and Taq. Gotta go.

Comments

[ursulahitler.livejournal.com]

I've never heard it and don't quite get how it works. Could you use it in a sentence? Like, "Bob keeps showing up late. I'll have to reach out to him about that"?

[mellificent.livejournal.com]

On CNN yesterday, they said something like, "We tried to reach out to (person) for comment, but..." I guess you could call it a synonym for "contact" used as a verb.