Get over the misuse of ‘over’

I couldn’t overlook a request from a reader to write an overview of people’s overuse of over. I found some examples of excess, but I don’t think its usage needs a complete overhaul.

The prefix “over” does serve a purpose. Many times, it simply indicates doing or showing a great amount of the word it’s connected to. Overestimate, overprotect, overfertilize, overmedicate, overproduce. When you overheat your dinner, you might burn your tongue. (Or were you too impatient to wait for dinner to cool?)

I suppose one can overexplain, but not if the listener catches on slowly. Or if the speaker is unclear. (On a related note, I do get a kick out of the word “mansplaining,” which Merriam-Webster says arrived to the language in 2008. It means your explanation has a streak of condescension.)

Other times, “over” modifies an already efficient word.

Do we need to say something is overexaggerated? Exaggeration is a substantial action. You overstate something. So, do you overoverstate when you overexaggerate?

Do we need overcrowded? This was a word I learned to change to “crowded” early in my newspaper career. “Crowded” means the room has too many people. If a room can be overcrowded, can it also be under-crowded? No.

For some reason, the word “overtired” always bugged me. How can you be more tired than tired? Is this a word parents used as a euphemism for “cranky”?

And then some words aren’t truly words or aren’t the same without the attached “over.”

“Overwhelming,” a few centuries ago, was slightly redundant. Back when Middle English was in, the verb “whelmen” meant “to overturn.” The word is still in the dictionary. The American Heritage Dictionary calls it archaic, but Merriam-Webster doesn’t. To whelm is to turn something upside down. Or, you are whelmed when you’re flooded with feelings. Still, would you ever say “whelm” in this century? The Cheesecake Factory menu has about 100 pages, but I would never tell the waiter, “I’m feeling whelmed trying to decide what to order.”

No. Doing so might mean you get no cheesecake.

“Overwrought” is another example of needing the “over.” “Overwrought” means almost the same thing as “overwhelm.” It’s when you’re worked up or upset or frenzied about something.

“Wrought” is also a word. Merriam-Webster says it’s the past tense and past participle of the verb “to work.” Tough things such as iron are wrought. Think of the elaborate fence in the opening scene of Citizen Kane. It’s a different word with the “over” at the beginning.

I think “oversaturated” is an unneeded word. When a sponge is saturated with water, it truly can hold no more. You can’t oversaturate it. Even if you use “saturate” figuratively, it’s thorough and expressive enough without the “over.”

A mulberry tree on the grounds of the Washington Monument believed to be more than 100 years old became uprooted over the weekend because of soil oversaturated by this spring’s heavy rains, according to the National Park Service.

The oversaturation of the flavor — it’s in pasta sauce, cheese, dog treats and even deodorant — [is] contributing to a collective feeling that pumpkin spice just isn’t as special as it used to be.

“Overextravagant” is fairly useless, too. “Extravagant” is already over the top.

Then we have the “over” words that clearly judge other people. It’s OK to be zealous, but who decides when one is overzealous? Who is to say that I’m overemotional?

And a couple of judgmental “over” words are simply silly to me. Can one truly be overeducated? Perhaps you can have too much education for a particular job. You might not need a doctorate in English to work in a bookstore (which happened to be my favorite job ever), but you really can’t have too much education in life. Also, can a person be overcivilized?

I could go either way with “overanxious.” It’s bad enough to be anxious. If you’re overanxious, you are truly a wreck. But if you’re anxious and someone says you’re overanxious, you would be allowed to glare at the other party.

In researching this column, I found a fun word: “overweening.” It means arrogant to a great degree. Merriam-Webster has decided the word is archaic. American Heritage Dictionary doesn’t call it archaic. So, does weening go on? “Ween,” an archaic word, means to think or believe. I can’t wait to get the chance to use “overween” on an unsuspecting soul.

Over and out.

LITTLE ROCK

Thanks to all my fellow wordmongers who came to the gathering at the Terry Library on March 1. I had such a good time answering great questions and meeting many of you individually. I won’t say it was an “awesome” time (even though it was) because you told me that word is used far too much.

Next time, I’ll try to give people a little more notice before I visit.