Unexcited Brit at Curmudgeon Corner

I find myself this morning at Curmudgeon Corner - I'll probably visit here again the next time something irritates me sufficiently.

I'm not sure whether this current irritant is simply another example of what I see as the American habit of out-of-place hyperbole. This one seemingly has spread across the pond too. Or is it another "meme-ish" copycat thing? Why do some people, when attempting to describe their state of mind when looking forward to an event, or action by them or others, describe themselves as "Being excited to......" whatever, when the circumstance would appear scarcely to even warrant a sincere "I'm looking forward to...."

Devaluing words - again. I've whinged about the use of "hilarious" in the past, when attached to something that is, at best, mildly amusing.

What is going on here though? What causes overstatement? Is it a form of verbal one-upmanship, lack of vocabulary - or what? What'll happen when the next generation or "in-crowd" needs to go even one better than "I'm so excited to..." ?

Perhaps I'm still suffering from after effects of culture shock, being a Brit an' all, and therefore having been more used to understatement than overstatement for most of my life, pre-internet. The British - or perhaps more accurately - the English, have the reputation of being overly polite, self-effacing, and of uttering "thank you" or "sorry" several times at inappropriate moments. There are lots of examples of this in a Twitter feed, "Very British Problems" (@SoVeryBritish), I follow it among a scant handful of Twitterers because its entries almost always raise a chuckle of recognition, so much so that I've ordered the accompanying book. A passing reader might get the general idea from the following samples:


"I'm sure it'll be fine" - Meaning: This can only end in disaster

Being mistaken for a shop assistant and simply assuming the role as best you can

Never feeling more uncomfortable than when instructed to "make yourself at home"

Saying, "It's nothing, really" to indicate you're remarkably close to losing consciousness

Nearly washing the skin off your hands so as not to pressure the person using the hand dryer

Being unable to pay for something with the exact change without saying "I think that's right"

"With all due respect" - Translation: You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about

Ordering one of the specials so the waitress won't have wasted her time reciting them

Debating whether to open the train window or quietly succumb to heatstroke

Being unable to help saying, "At least I hope so!" after telling someone they're on the right train.

Punishing people who don't say thank you by saying "you're welcome" as quietly as possible

Becoming incandescent with rage when Microsoft Word corrects your spelling to American English

More here too.