You can get the post below in a book illustrated by Brian Poulsen. See also the post where this list continues to grow: “‘I Used to Be an Ex-Manager’ and More Than over 1100+ Other Redundant Phrases.”

Ever dig into a book with relish?

Scratch that. Dig into says “with relish.”

Ever dig into a book? The other night, my husband did just that. He had heard good things about it. He couldn’t wait to read it. He adjusted the lights for reading, settled into his recliner, cranked up his feet, and gave the author what every author dreams of: undivided attention. A few pages in, he pitched the book into the recycle bin. Why? Because it was filled with distractingly redundant writing like this:

And yet, the man thought to himself contradictorily…

Double duh! First, the man is thinking to himself. To whom else would he think? We don’t need himself. Second, the man is thinking contradictorily. How else would and yet cross his mind? We don’t need contradictorily. If the author had stopped at “And yet, the man thought,” my husband might have finished the book. And if the author had stopped at “And yet”—giving readers the satisfaction of figuring out that the man is thinking those words—my husband might, by now, be urging this book on his friends.

Eight words. Two words. Eight words. Two words. I could add “hands weighing,” but you don’t need that visual-verbal redundancy: you already picture the hands.

Here’s an example of visual-verbal redundancy that comes straight from my mailbox:

“See inside for details.” Somebody paid to have this line printed. On an envelope. Envelopes, in their very envelopeness, say, I envelop something. Guess where you can find it! Hint: It’s not here on the outside.

I’ve even run into aural-verbal redundancy. I used to work with a woman named Tina whose mother began every phone call this way: “HA-llo. DEE-na. DEES eez your MAH-ther.” Thanks for telling me, Ma. It could have been an impersonator.

Redundancy. Unhelpful duplication. Bryan A. Garner describes it as “the result of semiconscious writing.” [1] Redundancy creeps into everyone’s writing. At best, it adds bloat. At worst, it insults readers’ intelligence.

We don’t intend to insult readers, so why do we do it? Because we’re thinking about our meaning, not our words. In the great stew of language, words with similar meanings stick together. When we dip into the pot, we often scoop out more than we need.

Every day I gather redundant phrases from TV, radio, the web, books, labels, billboards, conversations—including my part in those conversations. If you’re going to collect something, why not something that costs nothing, requires no space, hurts no one, makes people smile, and offers itself in abundance? This hobby is as easy as picking up bits of gravel from a country driveway, each bit taking on value only because someone noticed it.

Of course, redundancy depends on the context. As technical writer Alex Fornuto says, “There’s always room for argument with these things.” Take live show. Alex notes that if you’re talking to friends about an upcoming performance, all you have to say is the show—your friends know that it’s live. On the other hand, if you’re inviting people over to watch a TV show, say Saturday Night Live, and you want them to know that it’s not a rerun, you might want to say the live show or even the live Live show. Okay, I’m messing with you. You’d never say the live Live show to your friends, no matter how much you might enjoy saying it to yourself.

Here’s another example: whether or not. The or not is “usually superfluous” since “whether implies or not,” as Garner notes [2], but sometimes you need the whole phrase. Take these two sentences:

My friend can’t decide whether to change jobs. [Or not is not needed.]

Whether or not my friend changes jobs, she’ll change the world. [Or not is needed.]

And who would want to remove the brilliant redundancy from Raymond Carver’s short-story (and book) title “Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?”

You get it. Redundancy depends.

So don’t take my list as gospel. To get the most out of it, read it in the spirit of fun in which it was conceived. If the silliness of phrases like armed gunman and boat marina tickles you, you have much to look forward to here. For me, redundancies like these rival Tom Swifties for entertainment value. (Tom Swifties, in case you missed out on them, are intentionally goofy double-whammy statements like “We just struck oil!” Tom gushed.)

Lucky for me—and lucky for you, too, if you also revel in the pleasure that results from encounters with foibled language—redundancies are everywhere.

If this list’s organizational scheme—alphabetical order within parts-of-speech groupings dotted with blatantly unalphabetical thematic or aurally pleasing subgroupings—strikes you as inconsistent, you’re right. When you notice apparent arbitrarinesses or missed opportunities in the arrangement of this list, look for an underlying reason. I mean, look for a reason. I’m not saying that I always had a reason, but hey, why not make a game of it? May your search for meaning, here as in your life, be its own reward.

Think of this list as a panoplous poem, an epic paean to pleonasm (not to be confused with neoplasm). Take turns savoring these luscious rhetorically tautological dainties—scratch luscious—aloud with friends as you sit around a campfire making s’mores, your voices clickety-clacking across the alliterations as you pass the sticky marshmallows. The marshmallows.

Adjective Phrases

100% right

absolutely certain; absolutely essential; absolutely full; absolutely guaranteed; absolutely needed

actively involved

all inclusive

arranged vertically not side by side

awful bad

bald-headed

bare naked

best ever; first ever

blue in color; few in number; long in duration; nubbly in texture; round in shape; slovenly in appearance; short in height; slow in speed; small in size; tall in stature

boiling hot; freezing cold

booked solid

completely alike; completely filled; completely finished; completely necessary

crimson red

crystal clear

curiously inquisitive

deeply rooted

diametrically opposed

entirely dedicated

exact same; same exact; same identical

filled to capacity

hot and spicy

immortalized forever

incredible to believe; visible to the eye; warm to the touch

long-term rather than short-term; proactive rather than reactive; just one instead of two

morally wrong

most optimal

mutually beneficial for all involved

overly paranoid

rock solid

single greatest

singularly focused

sufficient enough

too extreme

totally severed; totally sure

up-and-coming young

velvety smooth

whole entire

Noun Phrases

academic scholar

ACT test; ATM machine; automatic ATM machine; BFF 4 evah; GOP party; GRE exam; HIV virus; ISBN number; JCR repository; KFC chicken; LCD display; PCR reaction; PIN number; RAM memory; RAS syndrome (redundant-acronym-syndrome syndrome); UPC code; VIN number

actual experience; actual fact

added bonus

advance notice; advance planning; advance preview; advance reservations; advance scout; advance warning

advisory recommendation

affluent rich

agreed-on standards

all-time favorite; all-time record

alternative choice

annual anniversary; ten-year anniversary

anonymous stranger

armed gunman

artificial prosthesis

autobiography of her own life; biography of his life

baby calf

backup copy

bad trouble

balsa wood

basic basics; basic essentials; basic fundamentals; basic necessities

big kahuna

black darkness; dark night

blowing wind

boat marina

bouquet of flowers

brief moment; brief respite; brief summary

broad overview; broad range; broad spectrum

bunny rabbit

burning fire

cacophony of sound

cameo appearance

careful scrutiny

cash money

challah bread; chicken coq au vin; chili peppers; chili con carne with meat; clam chowder soup; minestrone soup; soup du jour of the day; pie à la mode with ice cream; pizza pie; shrimp scampi; tuna fish; with au jus; with au jus sauce

classic tradition

clear lines of communication

close proximity; close scrutiny

closed fist

coat lapels

coherent strategy

colorful palette

complete monopoly

component parts

concerted effort; intentional effort

concrete example

conscious choice

consensus of opinion

convicted felon

core essence

crisis situation; emergency situation

current incumbent; current trend; current-state baseline

definite decision

desirable benefits

direct confrontation

diverse characteristics

early pioneer

elderly senior citizens

empty blank

end result

English language

entire planet

equal halves

established norms

ethical obligation

eventual plan; proposed plan; forward planning

evil villain

exception to the rule

exciting climax

experiential travel experiences

extreme hazard

face mask

false illusion; false pretense

famous celebrities

fast speed

favorable approval

fellow classmate; fellow colleague; fellow peers

final conclusion; final ending; final outcome; final ultimatum

fine mensch of a person

firm believer

first priority; relative priority; top priority

foreign imports

seasoned veteran

foundational starting point

free gift

friend of mine

frozen ice; frozen tundra

fruit-tree orchard

full satisfaction

future forecast; future plans; future goals; future recurrence; expectation for the future; inevitable wave of the future; recommendations for the future; vision of the future

general consensus; general public

giant thrill

glowing embers

golden opportunity

good cheer; good rapport; good sportsmanship

good, hard look

grand total; sum total

great good fortune

green grass; blue sky; white snow

guiding principles

gut feeling; visceral feeling

hand gestures

hands-on demonstration

handy hacks; handy tips

harmful injuries

head honcho

helpful hints

hierarchical classification scheme comprising categories and subcategories

high-level roadmap

hollow tube

huge chasm

hunting camouflage

hushed silence

hybrid of the two

idea in one’s head; thought in one’s head; mind meld of both our heads; doubt in my mind; suggestions that come to mind

illustrated drawing

implicit implication

important milestones

income coming in

inferior underling

inner courage

innovative new idea

invited guests

jet plane

joint collaboration

key stakeholders

knowledgeable expert

latex rubber

leading authority

little baby; little cat nap

live studio audience; live witness

local residents

long dreadlocks

loud roar

lucky winner

main focus; primary focus; central focus

major breakthrough

mass exodus; mass consumer market

meaningful relationship

mental attitude; mental mindset; mental telepathy

meticulous attention to detail

minor quibble

modern citizens of today

moue expression

mutual advantage of both; mutual cooperation; mutual interdependence; mutual respect for each other

nape of the neck; palm of the hand; sole of the foot

native habitat

natural instinct; natural tendency

new beginning; new change; new construction; new innovation; new invention; new news; new recruit; new wave

nostalgia for the past

number-one leader

official regulations

old adage; old classic; old custom; old proverb; old legacy; old cliché; tired cliché

open trench

oral conversation

overall big picture

pair of twins

paramount importance

passing fad

past experience; past history; past memory; past record; past tradition

personal friend; personal favorite; for me personally; I personally

pivotal turning point

poisonous venom

polar opposites; exact opposite

positive identification

PR evangelist

prearranged appointment; predefined terms; preestablished rules; preplanned activity; prerecorded music

precise moment

predictive guess

previous experience; previous history

private industry

proactive support

proven process; proven track record

quarterback sack

quick two-minute survey; quick briefing

rapt attention

record of errors recorded

regular routine

representative example

required requirements

root cause

running motif

safe haven; safe sanctuary; safe sandbox (in technology)

sand dune

sequence in time

serious crisis; serious danger

several different kinds; two different bridges; 500 million different people; six separate buildings

sharp point

short hop; short summary; short recap

single unit

small details; small footnote; small handful

sneak peek

solid evidence; solid foundation

solitary hermit

specific areas; specific details; specific products

specified specifications

state of confusion

stated mission

sticky marshmallows

strict limit

strong reputation; reputation in the community

stuffed cabbage rolls

such a shame

sudden explosion; sudden impulse

superfluous words that add no value

synonyms that convey the same meaning

tangential rabbit hole

tangible work experience

target objectives

telltale sign

temper tantrum

temporary reprieve

test score on the exam

the La Brea Tar Pits (the the tar tar pits)

therapeutic treatment

three-way love triangle

timpani drums

top three most important criteria

top trumps (British)

total certainty; total opposite

trained technician

traveling gypsies

treasure trove; rich trove

true fact; hard fact; cold fact

two halves

two-way conversation

ultimate goal

unacceptable racial slurs

undergraduate student

underground subway

underlying reason

unexpected surprise

unintentional mistake

unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

universal panacea

unfilled vacancy

unfriendly smirk

unmarried bachelor

unsolved mystery

uphill climb

usual custom

vast sweep

venerable old edifices

vernacular of ordinary people

vista to look out upon

visual diagram; visual image

vocabulary of terms

wall mural

weather conditions

wide range

widow woman

win-win situation for both sides

Verb Phrases

actively open doors to opportunity; actively participate; actively use

add an additional; add a new; add more

advance forward

aid and abet; cease and desist; pick and choose

allow you to be able to

always include; always remember; never forget

anticipate what will happen in the future; predict future behavior

are currently

ascend up; connect up; elevate up; heat up; hoist up; hurry up; lift up; open up; partner up; raise up; rise up

ask the question

assemble together; associate together; attach together; blend together; collaborate together; combine together; confer together; connect together; cooperate together; fuse together; gather together; gel together; join together; integrate together; meet together; merge together; mingle together; mix together; pool together; share together; splice together

begin to proceed

belabor too much; encroach too much; overthink too much

best optimize

breathe in and out; gasp for breath

bridge between; span across

bring a smile to your face

change over time; improve over time; increase over time; learn over time; remain relevant over time

choose as one of his picks; consciously choose

circle around; circulate around

classify into groups

collaborate with others

communicate with each other; compete with each other; equal to each other; integrate with each other; interact with each other; interdependent on each other; meet with each other; separate apart from each other

commute back and forth; vacillate back and forth

completely annihilate; completely destroy; completely eliminate; completely engulf; completely eradicate; completely fill; completely surround

continue with the ongoing analysis; continue on

cooperatively conduct

copy and paste from one place to another

could possibly; can’t possibly

count the number of

cream thoroughly

customize for each person; personalize for various audiences

decimate a percentage of

delete out

depreciate in value

descend down; dwindle down; fall down; kneel down; write down; pouring down rain

deviate away from

did before; did earlier; had done previously

disappear from sight

drone on endlessly

earned their stripes on the way up

effectively help

eliminate altogether

enter into; penetrate into; input into; output out of

Enter, Superman, to the rescue.

entirely remove

estimate at roughly

evolve over time

experience firsthand

extend an invitation

extradite back; refer back; reflect back; regress back; remember back; reply back; retreat back; return back; revert back

firmly believe; firmly stand behind

first began; first conceived; first started

fly through the air

focus only on

follow after

frequented on a regular basis

go back and reread

got up after going down

grasped with her hands

grow greater; grow in size

implement tactically

in the process of doing

includes industry giants such as

indict on a charge

introduce a new; introduce for the first time

invent something new; create a new form

keep your eyes focused on; see with one’s eyes

kill dead

lag behind

lead forward; going forward; moving forward we will

learn something you didn’t know

look ahead to the future; look back to the past; loom in the near future

maintain constantly

make perfect sense

meander all over the place

merge into one

mix and match any way you like

originally created

overexaggerate

pause for a moment

perceive a noticeable impact

physically occupy

plan ahead; proceed ahead

please RSVP

position for future growth

postpone until later

preboard; predefine; preestablish; preheat; prerecord; pretest

prepare ahead of time; prepare the future enterprise

prioritize in order of importance

proactively anticipate; proactively schedule; proactively solve problems before they occur

protest against

raining outside

recur again; redo again; repeat again; rethink again; review again

reelect for another term

savor slowly

say explicitly

scrutinize in detail

search inside a pocket

Select the file—don’t open it, just select it.

self-analyze yourself; self-diagnose themselves; self-publish their own material

set clear expectations

share in common; share the same

skip over

slip quietly

spell out in detail

start to do

still continues; still persists; still remains

successfully authenticate; successfully follow

surround on all sides

take this, for example

think to oneself; in my head I’m thinking; picture this in your head

tinker around

translate into another language

ultimately conclude

warn in advance; plan in advance; preview in advance; reserve in advance; schedule in advance

will do later

win a victory

wince in pain

winnow down

work diligently

Adverb Phrases, Odds, and Ends

6 a.m. in the morning; 10 p.m. in the evening; twelve noon; twelve midnight

all of the apples; off of the couch; outside of the circle

always and forever

and etc.; also too; in addition you can also

any and all; each and every; none at all

at an earlier time; at a later time; earlier this year; later this week; at a time when; since the time when; period of time; point in time; time period; period of a few decades; present time

at least quarterly if not more often

copyright © 2015

down under; down below

during the course of

far other end of the scale

first and foremost; first of all

for some unknown reason

for your FYI

From birth, he had an adventuresome spirit as part of his DNA.

from the top down

from whence

globally around the world

having said that; that being said

I for one

increasingly more and more

initially from the beginning

in my opinion

in this day and age

in which we live in; of which you are one of

just simply

manually by hand

many theories abound

more not less

most definitely

never before

no longer any more

now pending

number #5

on April 1

outside in the yard

previously noted above; subsequently described below

several tens of millions

soon in the near future; sooner rather than later

TBD for now

the reason why; the reason is because; the cause was due to

throughout the entire; across the entire

two (2)

up to the ceiling

whether or not

I know, I could have stopped after a few representative examples—I mean, after a few examples. If I had, though, think of the smiles you would have missed. Besides, you’ve just sharpened your eye. The more you spot redundancies, the more you spot redundancies. And that’s no redundancy. But then, that goes without saying.

Sources

But Wait—There’s More!

Can’t get enough? See my sequel: “‘I Used to Be an Ex-Manager’ & 1000 Other Redundancies.”

—

This post first appeared in my TechWhirl column, “Word Wise,” October 16, 2013.

[1] Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern American Usage, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 701.

[2] Garner, p. 857.

[3] Mark Nichol, “50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid,” Daily Writing Tips blog, 2011, http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-redundant-phrases-to-avoid.

[4] Richard Nordquist, “200 Common Redundancies,” About.com Grammar & Composition, [date unknown], http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/redundancies.htm.

[5] Mignon Fogarty, “Are You Annoyingly Redundant?” Grammar Girl blog, August 7, 2009, http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/are-you-annoyingly-redundant.

[6] Fogarty, “Excessive Redundant Redundancies,” Grammar Girl blog, October 8, 2006, http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/excessive-redundant-redundancies.

[7] Garner, pp. 700-701.

[8] “Redundant Redundancies” [author and date unknown], Brain Candy, http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/twice.html.

[9] The idea of posting individual list items to social media came from Listly.com founder Nick Kellet. The title for those postings—”Today’s redundancy of the day”—came from my high-school classmate and fellow wordplay lover Anne Willis Reed.