Pet Peeve Word: "Solid"

People here keep using "solid" as a food descriptor, and it's getting on my nerves. What exactly does "solid" mean, other than "good"? And why has this adjective attached itself to food so tenaciously? I don't hear it used in any other context, other than to describe a piece of solid wood furniture, in which the word actually does have meaning.

I venture to guess that the use of the word to describe food has become trendy. I'd put money on a statistical analysis showing that the word has appeared five times as often on LTH in 2007 compared to 2006, and fives times as often in 2006 compared to 2005.

So, keep on using "solid" to describe food. Just know that you'll be driving me crazy. If you can sleep at night with that knowledge, more power to you.

riddlemay wrote:I venture to guess that the use of the word to describe food has become trendy. I'd put money on a statistical analysis showing that the word has appeared five times as often on LTH in 2007 compared to 2006, and fives times as often in 2006 compared to 2005.

How much? (because I can get those numbers)

Anyway, here you go:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=solid

Definitions 3-6

That word doesn't really bother me. Now "meh" on the other hand.....

Rest assured that the term's prevalence isn't by any means limited to food. As a general slang term, it can be applied to just about anything positive.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that, while I'm surprised you haven't already, you can expect to be annoyed by the term's usage in all manner of scenarios very shortly

riddlemay wrote:So, keep on using "solid" to describe food. Just know that you'll be driving me crazy.

I believe that's referred to as LTH Bonus Points.

I'll comply if we can add "spot on".

I'll make a solid effort to stop.

aschie30 wrote:I'll make a solid effort to stop.

Spot on.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

aschie30 wrote:I'll make a solid effort to stop.

Spot on.

Totally awesome

Solid, Jackson!

I have been feeling the same way about "best," as in the best pizza, best Manhattan, best this and that. I am, of course, guilty of using this pointless superlative myself, but in my defense: I'm trying to avoid using it whenever I notice myself starting to because I believe that in almost every case it's not accurate or meaningful.

Well, if we're all gonna list our pet peeve words.

Personally, I think "delish" trumps all in the annoyance category.

If I hear Rachael Ray say "EVOO" on more fuc*ing time I'm gonna take a bottle of EVOO, smash her in the head with it and then push her down the stairs.

Bster wrote:If I hear Rachael Ray say "EVOO" on more fuc*ing time I'm gonna take a bottle of EVOO, smash her in the head with it and then push her down the stairs.

It's now appearing on restaurant menues.

At the risk of offending anyone, I'm going to have to add "[noun]y goodness" or "[noun]y deliciousness" as current pet peeves of mine -- not that they're non-descriptive, just overplayed.

I suggest, in an effort to avoid using words that might offend, enrage or sicken anyone, I suggest we adpot the LTH Forum S.O.L.I.D.* method for all future food reviews. Instead of using words that might cause illness, loss of appetite or rage to any LTHer, I suggest simply referring to the following list and using the numbers in your posts when reviewing a restaurant:

1. Meh
2. Goodness (accompanied by the word "porky")
3. Deliciousness
4. EVOO
5. YUM-O
6. Delish
7. Easy Peasy
8. Best
9. Semi-Homemade
10. SOLID
11. On offer
12. Quite good




* (Special On Line Integer Descriptions)

Matt wrote:At the risk of offending anyone, I'm going to have to add "[noun]y goodness" or "[noun]y deliciousness" as current pet peeves of mine -- not that they're non-descriptive, just overplayed.

Guilty. Trying very hard to break the habit.

Gee, seeing many of you today at Patty's was 6. We certainly had quite a bit of 2, which combined with the 3 of the burgers made for an afternoon that could only be described as 5. Having such a 10 group reminds me that LTHrs are the 8. Since his school is right down the street, picking up Sparky was 7 lemon-squeezy, but the lateness of the afternoon made for a 9 pizza dinner which even with a drizzle of 4 at best garnered a 1 in the Hays household.

Adding to the list.

On offer
Quite good

Upon reading these in a thread I can't help but hear a phoney British accent in the back of my head.

JSM wrote:Adding to the list.

On offer
Quite good

Upon reading these in a thread I can't help but hear a phoney British accent in the back of my head.

Cherrio, Johnny. They've been added, bloke.

The one I hate is "addictive." Only food reviewers for small town papers reviewing the fried potato skins at the new El Cantina de la Olive Palazzo in the Weste Towne Malle on Lumber Yard Road near Highway 6 should ever use that word.

Solid only really bugs me in the phrase "Do me a solid and..." That just smacks of contrived coolness.

Oh, where to begin?

I've begun to hate the construction with the imperative "think..." as a shortcut into a simile, e.g. "The gravy is very thick. Think oatmeal."
I'm sick of foods described as "robed" in their sauce.
Seafood that is invariably "pristine."
Small rounds of meat that are "coins."
"Orgasmic" and virtually all attempts to enthusiastically describe things made of chocolate.

But actually, "solid" never really annoyed me. Seemed like a quick way to say"good but not great" and it doesn't involve a bad pun, or cute neologism, or faddish contraction. So, I'm ok with it, except in the context of its overuse, which is no reflection on the word, but on the laziness of the user.

I think it's kind of interesting to go back and look at trendy descriptors as they wax and wane by decade just like trendy ingredients. Not that I've done that, but if someone did the work, I'd read it with interest.

mrbarolo wrote:I think it's kind of interesting to go back and look at trendy descriptors as they wax and wane by decade just like trendy ingredients. Not that I've done that, but if someone did the work, I'd read it with interest.

Yeah. That would be the bees' knees!

Have the snooty-pants dilletantes become the adjective police?

You know what phrase I hate?

Pet peeve.

Hi,

Words that put me off:

Amazing, when rarely used can arouse my interest. Amazing used with the frequency now fashionable is often a very empty promise.

When someone says, "Believe me" or "Trust me," I almost always don't.

How often is a product labeled "As Seen on TV," really been seen by mere mortals who get up at dawn and go to bed by midnight?

the word that makes me cringe, and immediately stop reading a post is "yummy".

"to-die-for."

Whenever (and it's not infrequent) I hear this offensively hyperbolic phrase on Check Please, I maliciously envision the perp experiencing his/her desired result.

Have to weigh in here -- of all the food snobby words out there, the phrase that most annoys me is "flavor profile".

It's just so cold and calculating and ridiculous.