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How about the ´óÏó´«Ã½ stops reporting these stories () as sooner or later due to all the publicity this only door is going to get shut by some do-gooding politician who has no understanding of what the people who take this journey are going through.
Owain Williams, Regensburg

I hate the phrase "touch base" (). But I was watching an episode of Hawaii Five-O from 1970 yesterday, and Steve McGarrett was discussing a plan to surround a warehouse. After he'd gone through it, he said "so all the bases have been touched there". Just after that, in response to a question about the district attorney, he said "I've touched base with him about it". Does anyone have an earlier reference to the phrase?
Thomas, Maidstone, UK

Some of these "cliches" are perfectly sensible phrases that make sense. They can be hated when used too often, or incorrectly, but most of the entries just seem to be written by people stumbling around bitterly under the delusion that anything uttered in day to day business must be evil.
Timothy Lexus, London, UK

Please tell me Alex Knob is a real name ().
Alex Mylips, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

It sounds to me like the document "Working with Liam Byrne" should be renamed as "Working for Liam Byrne" (Quote of the Day).
P.S. Note to my secretary, I would like a cup of tea and a biscuit now please.
Gordon, Newcastle

Re Paper Monitor: This whole campaign against bad language - The War on Swearer" perhaps? - is starting to remind me of the South Park movie. Although this time the Chef is the bad guy...
The Bob, Glasgow

is very interesting. Photographers would have recognised it more as "How not to use an ND Grad filter".
Bob Peters, Leeds, UK

If "pre-prepared scripts" sounds illogical (Friday letters), how about the use of the expression "pre-warn" - as opposed to post-warn? Or am I resurrecting the bad grammar debate?
Alan, Chelmsford, Essex

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