Not sure whether this is the right place for this whinge, but it will have to do.My CEO recently published his workplace aspirations. They're probably officially called "goals" or "KPIs", but I take issue with the use of both of those so refuse to utter them. Anyway, the CEO's document referred to "socialising" certain matters. I'm not too far off retirement, so not troubled by being outspoken. I'm crafting a snarky response about the abuse of language and obfuscation taking place at the highest levels. I LOATHE the misuse of expressions such as "socialise" to refer to "discuss", "inform" or, more accurately in the CEO's case, "impose". Why can't people just say what they mean instead of using mealy-mouthed and ambiguous expressions?
...
The greatest linguistic abomination I've heard recently was "action that solve". My response was "I'd be grateful if you would confirm that I've understood you correctly. I think what you meant to say was 'implement that solution', but I can't be sure." There were one or two shocked looks in the meeting, but the use of that particular abomination has ceased (at least in my presence).
Since you mention you are close to retirement, I'm going to hazard a guess that I'm younger than you. I'm not fresh out of high school young, so don't mix me in with that crowd.
However...
"socialising" certain matters
I've never heard of
socialising as a transitive verb with a direct object, and frankly I do not think it is time to start now. That statement makes no sense to me.
This is an abomination on two levels. The first is not as bad in a way, but I avoid using the word
action as a verb. It is very commonly used these days in business in place of the more mundane verb, "do". The more pressing matter is the clause itself, involving
solve used as a noun, I am assuming in place of something synonymous with
solution. I'd accept maybe someone mixing up their words and just pushing it out without bothering to backtrack. Maybe it's someone whose first language isn't English. In almost any other case, especially if deliberate... well, no... just no...
Saying "passed" for "died" is another one that drives me bonkers. "Passed" what? Just say "dead" or "died". It is concise and accurate, and leaves no uncertainty about the meaning. Recently I heard the the US Ambassador to the UN use "kick the can" in an address to the UN Assembly. I do hope that the highly skilled simultaneous translators have that idiom on their lists. I can barely explain what it means in English.
Saying
die or any of its forms seems to be reserved to either very direct / brusque circles, or where it is intended to be devoid of any emotion, e.g. when threatening someone - like, "You have killed my father - prepare to die!" - where the harshness is deliberate - like, "If you don't go on a diet today, you are going to die within a month." - or where the whole context is relatively impersonal - like, "3,000 civilians died as a result of the civil war." Ironically, if someone meets their maker through causes which aren't natural, even if they are close to us, we tend to be more "comfortable" using the verb
die, e.g. "Uncle John died of a heart attack on Saturday." or "My father died of his wounds shortly after being shot in a battle against the fascists."
It's one of those socially accepted moments when a euphemism is called for, and the verb
pass is one such word that can be used, though it is usually accompanied by another word like
passed on or
passed away. I've not heard it commonly - if at all - without any other word with it, e.g. "Aunt Glenda passed on Thursday morning" not only makes little sense to me, but can be confusing, too.
Many cultures - not just Western, English-based societies - have similar social conventions. French tend to use the verbal phrase
être décédé(e), which means
to be deceased. The verb
mourir - meaning
to die - is not used often in a similar fashion as described in English. The Japanese don't use their word for
to die, except maybe for their pets. They might use an expression that is similar to saying that they have gone to Heaven, or they may just say that whoever is dead is very, very ill (the intonation and articulation would prompt the listener to take the hint, similar to how Japanese tend to "say"
no).