Obiter’s stout defence of the language against the depredations of modernity is proving to be cathartic. James Pinder, a partner at DWF in Preston, has fired off his own list of pet hates.

‘Why is a plan or strategem now a "road map"? And why do people say, "there you go", instead of "here you are"?

‘And what is this peculiar obsession with the word "decade"? Nobody says "10 (or 20) years ago" any more. I even heard some clown refer to five years ago as "half a decade ago".’

And there’s more. Mr Pinder adds: ‘Why are damages "won" instead of "awarded"? Why are we "tasked" with something instead of being "asked" to do it?’

We’re glad that readers feel our pain, but Obiter has no reason to feel smug. Physician heal thyself, says Kevin Mutch, group legal director at Fabergé. He scolds Obiter for previously alluding to ‘superfluous verbiage’, when surely all verbiage - ‘speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions’ - is superfluous.

A gratuitous tautology! Hang on, isn’t all tautology gratuitous…? Our head is spinning now. Keep your mot moans coming.