Just the Most Over-used Word

I sometimes find myself thinking like a snob. I don't think that I really think I am better than others. In fact, most of the time I feel socially and economically like a member of some mysterious "under-class." My problem comes with a different kind of snobbery. I think that I am a snob of the worst kind.

• I prefer hard-cover books to paperbacks.
• I detest celebrity gossip.
• I cringe at grammatical errors in conversation. Subject- predicate disagreement is the worst violation of this prejudice.
• Over-used phrases really bother me. I get anxious when people say "same old, same old," "same difference," or "like" after every other word in a sentence.
• Using the wrong word, using a word in the wrong way, or using a word that does not exist also bothers me. The best example of this is "irregardless." AAAUUGH!!

But, the most over-used word, and therefore a violator of my snobbery is "just." I work in church and it may be used most in prayer and "spiritual talk," But I am sure that the violations go beyond the Christian world. Here are some example of inappropriate or unnecessary uses of just.

• Lord, we just want to thank you...
• I am just a janitor...
• Just give that to me...
• Just now...

Give it up, people! Find a new word. Clean up your language.