Cliché words and phrases seem to infect the population at any one period of time. We in New Zealand have had such cliches in recent decades.
In the 80s the iconic phrase was No Way. It came in with Rogernomics. Just about everyone said it, many with a peremptory manner equivalent to saying Fuck Off. As it happened it epitomised the whole decade. No Way are we going to discuss the issues. No Way is there an alternative way of looking at things.
Then we had the 90s and many a Window of Opportunity. Some people are still seeing them, whereas No Way went out with pork-chop sideburns. This half-baked figure of speech is supremely indicative of that decade of half-baked managerial enforcement. A decade of unpredictable irrationality.
Now we have Absolutely in our current dying decade. Absolutely as in Yes, or That’s right, or a nod of the head. What does this portend? Is this the decade of determined reassurance?
