Working on a press release, I stumbled in my journey to find a fun expression to use in a paragraph. Hubby came along and asked what I was doing. I explained and he suggested using “A cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

“Huh?”

I like to think I’m up on my slanguage, idioms, cliches, and I don’t know this one. But I like it and it makes sense. Even if it doesn’t, it makes you smile, doesn’t it? You may hear variations of this such “as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” It means edgy, jumpy, or nervous. But take off the first part, and it could mean the cat feels overwhelmed by all the choices. In either case, it sounds funny.

Sometimes I’ll use, “Dagnabbit!” Sounds better and funnier than “Damn!” or “Darn!” It almost always makes me smile and feel better.

My grandmother, who had diabetes, would say, “Oh, sugar” when most people say “Damn it” or worse. Mom told me a story about my grandfather. While driving, he faced a rude driver. His face turned red and he dug his thoughts for something to say as he never cussed… “You… you… you, worm!” Mom said that was about the angriest he ever got that she remembered.

Steve Blow’s column in The Dallas Morning News (might require free registration) greeted me with more dying words and expressions.

Land o’Goshen, cattywampus, sakes alive (snakes alive)

Yonder, gumption, much obliged, picture show (movie), poetic of a mornin’ (evenin’) rat cheer

Wait. “Rat cheer?” I haven’t heard that one, but a professor at a local college wants to save that one. It takes searching to find this one — it sounds like and means “Right here.” A baseball game vendor could yell, “Getcha peanuts rat cheer!”

“Well, I swanee!” You can’t help but grin at that one, right? For me, it evokes memories of Al Jolson and Swanee River. “How I love ya, my dear old Swanee…” No, I’m not 93 years old, but I love Vaudeville.

What old phrases do you miss, still say, or still hear?

Textual annoyances shares three things that annoy Mark Hurst, who wrote the entry. Maybe it has to do with where I live and what I do because I haven’t run into the problems he has.

Of course, when I’m trying to think of an annoyance, only one comes to mind (and there are plenty that bug me as a word freak). “[Fill in blank] anyone?” as in “Chess, anyone?” “Science Club, anyone?” You might not see this much as this phrase frequently appears in local and community publications.

What phrases or words annoy you? Why?

Just remembered another one. The use of ‘s to make things plural not possessive. FAQ’s. Picture’s. Those who think nothing of FAQ’s have a good argument because it’s an abbreviation rather than a word. Since Q represents “questions,” why bother using an S at all?

From the sponsor: Viral Marketing may have a strange name but it can be a very effective way to create exponential growth and greatly increase your company’s visibility and influence.

We encounter politics in our lives daily, and it’s not just the kind we see in Washington, DC. It’s handling delicate situations in just the right way with the right words and the right actions to avoid making it worse or more uncomfortable.

It can be a simple case of the harried volunteer who can’t take on any additional work, but fears losing respect or her position for future projects when she has more time available. It’s hard and awkward to turn down an opportunity or project, but it’s necessary. What is a good way to do it? Power Phrases.

Are you trying to negotiate a deal on a car, a house, or even a potential new job? Are you trying to make the sale? Handle a conflict? Communicate with your boss, co-workers, or direct reports? Heck, do you have a hard time breaking the ice in social situations? All of these situations can be daunting, but Power Phrases can take the edge off and get you the results you want.

As the book suggests, I read through it in its entirety the first time to get familiar with the concept and how it works. Then, when I am ready to put Power Phrases to practice, I whip out the book and get some ideas. Plus, there are exercises to get you in shape.

With e-mail being a regular communication tool for most of us, it’s a great way to make Power Phrases a habit. Since there is no spur of the moment thinking in creating an e-mail, take the time to review the book and determine the best way to word the e-mail for a given situation.

Another opportunity to practice it is when making a phone call on a tough topic. Prior to making the call, review the book and think about what you want to say, write down your thoughts, and try to have possible counters to the person’s questions or concerns.

Many of the lessons in Power Phrases! are based on things I’ve learned over the years in management-related classes, seminars, and reading self-improvement articles and books. The book provides a reminder of all these lessons in one shot. It applies to all facets of life: work, home, and social. Even if you work independently with little or no contact, it’s impossible to hide from a situation when a Power Phrase can come in handy.

How often have you been asked something and you instinctively and quickly said “yes,” but regretted it? Perhaps you can easily say “no,” but what of the person’s feelings that could be negatively impacted with a fast “no” answer? Or maybe you need more time to think it over? Ah-ha! A Power Phrase can help you here and buy you more time.

Buying time gives you a chance to think it through and look for good Power Phrases to use in providing an answer. Suggestions:

* Let me check and get back to you.

* I need to think it over and I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow (or appropriate time).

Everyone should have a book like this to provide support in everyday life, although I think the comment on the book – “Better than any college degree” is a little too enthusiastic. In college, we rarely get lessons on people skills and this book offers that. Even the most voracious readers like me have too many unread books or once read and never opened again. However, this book is written in a way that it makes it easy to quick-reference and find the perfect phrase for a given situation. Plus, reading it the first time only took a few hours on an airplane.

To borrow a Power Phrase – How important is it to get results by saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and not being mean when you say it? If it’s important, then you should know what to do after reading this review.