Abstract
The very best, the last word in. The difficulty with this word is that, if the ultimate is reached today, there is nothing left for tomorrow and all progress is blocked. The Dictionary of Diseased English produced and commented on some choice examples of this grossly over-used word, but its popularity seems undiminished by the passing of time. The real objection to ‘ultimate’ is that it encourages mental laziness on the part of both the user and the reader. It is a press-button word, guaranteed to produce automatic longing and approval. Nothing as old-fashioned as meaning is involved.
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© 1983 Kenneth Hudson
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Hudson, K. (1983). U. In: The Dictionary of Even More Diseased English. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06516-5_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06516-5_21
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-06518-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-06516-5
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