Almost as irritating as the upward inflexion at the end of every sentence uttered by young folk (which turns every statement into a question), is the proliferation of the term ‘going/moving forward’. This has crept into business jargon like bindweed, it pains Obiter to relate, and deserves to be trampled in our crusade against superfluous verbiage.

Thus we have the Ministry of Justice telling us that Office of Public Guardian fees are increasing so OPG can ‘fund its business moving forward’. Perish the thought that OPG would be raising its fees to fund its business travelling backwards.

Meanwhile, Carol Bartz was lately fired as boss of Yahoo, signing off in an email in which she wished all staff ‘only the best going forward’.

We propose that every firm in the land introduces the modern equivalent of a swearbox, into which the utterance of this and other pompous and redundant terms would merit the deposit of a pound.

All proceeds to the Plain English Campaign. And while we’re about it, what’s with the sudden popularity of ‘impact upon’?

What’s wrong with good old-fashioned ‘affect’?

Keep sending your mot moans to us.