Hot hyperbole

Is it my imagination or is the word “absolutely” now being uttered almost as a matter of course as an affirmative answer to any question asked when a simple “yes” will suffice?

It gives undue emphasis when in most cases none is due or deserved and it undervalues the legitimate use of the word.

It seems to have become just another silly quirk or trend in the use of language in the same way that young people cannot put together sentences without using the word “like” at every opportunity.

How do these peculiar language habits start and can we not get them put into Room 101?

Barry Turner

Musselburgh