Re:

Posted by Vic Harding on February 17, 2000

In Reply to: Re: posted by ESC on February 17, 2000

: : Anybody have any idea what the origins of either of these is??

: : Thanks,
: : Matt

: CUTE AS A BUTTON - "cute, charming, attractive, almost always with the connotation of being small, 1868 (from the original 1731 English meaning of 'acute' or clever). Cute as a bug's ear, 1930; cute as a bug in a rug, 1942; cute as a button, 1946. Cute and keen were two of the most overused slang words of the late 1920s and 1930s." From "Listening to America" by Stuart Berg Flexner (Simon and Schuster, New York, 1992.)

: Speaking of overused slang words we still have "gross," etc. But what bugs me most nowadays is the use of "incredible." Whether its in commercials or news items or just recounting ordinary every day events, the word "incredible" crops up an incredible number of times. While this observation may have little to do with phrases, I do enjoy this incredible site, and hope that readers will excuse this gripe. Does anyone know of a more appropriate web site for a more general analysis of the English language?