---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many parents and teachers have become…"
description: "\"Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of 'like' has spread through the idiom of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg"
---

#  Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the…

![“Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of 'like' has spread through the idiom of the young. And it's true that in some cases the term has become simultaneously a crutch and a tic, driving out the rest of the vocabulary as candy…” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg)

> “Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of 'like' has spread through the idiom of the young. And it's true that in some cases the term has become simultaneously a crutch and a tic, driving out the rest of the vocabulary as candy expels vegetables.”

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Overuse of filler words erodes language richness, reducing expressive depth.

**In simple terms:** Filler words weaken language.

Key Takeaway

Reduce reliance on empty terms.

Themes

language communication clarity

Mood

critical analytical

Type

journalistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- public speaking
- editing

Key Concepts

linguistics cultural criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does filler affect your speech?
- When is casual language appropriate?

A Different Perspective

Some colloquialisms aid social bonding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candy/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Crutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crutch/) [Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction/) [Driving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driving/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Growth Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-like-904754/) [Idiom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiom/) [Irritated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritated/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Like Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-spread-2595519/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents and teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-and-teachers/) [Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point/) [Rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest/) [Simultaneously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simultaneously/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spread/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true/) [Vegetables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetables/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/) [Vocabulary Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary-candy-4219972/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Weed Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed-style-4219973/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/)

## Related quotes

> [I like to spread myself out. Since I was a kid, I always recognized some void.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ward/i-like-to-spread-myself-out-since-i-was-a-kid-i-always-recognized/)

[Fred Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ward/)

> [“Kind of like you spread the ass cheeks while I do the wiping kind of bond.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-lynn-vale/kind-of-like-you-spread-the-ass-cheeks-while-i-do-the-wiping-kind-of/)

[Lani Lynn Vale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lani-lynn-vale/)

> [I usually don't do one huge thing that's really nice. I like to spread little gifts out here and there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-usually-don-t-do-one-huge-thing-that-s-really-nice-i-like-to-spread/)

[Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/)

> [Spiritual growth is like learning to walk. We stand up, fall, stand up, fall, take a step, fall, take a couple of steps, fall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-larkin/spiritual-growth-is-like-learning-to-walk-we-stand-up-fall-stand-up/)

[Geri Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-larkin/)

> [You have to maintain the balance between fast growth and smooth growth. It's like driving a car and knowing when to balance the gas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guo-guangchang/you-have-to-maintain-the-balance-between-fast-growth-and-smooth/)

[Guo Guangchang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guo-guangchang/)

> [Spiritual growth is like childbirth: you dilate, then you contract, you dilate, then you contract again. as painful as it all feels, it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/spiritual-growth-is-like-childbirth-you-dilate-then-you-contract-you/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [In my own life and career, I feel like things have continued to build for me in small ways, and I want to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-kahan/in-my-own-life-and-career-i-feel-like-things-have-continued-to-build/)

[Noah Kahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-kahan/)

> [Growth isn't central at all, because I'm trying to run this company as if it's going to be here a hundred years from now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/growth-isn-t-central-at-all-because-i-m-trying-to-run-this-company-as/)

[Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/)

> [All artists are people of growth. It's like food, you take the good and leave the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jack/all-artists-are-people-of-growth-it-s-like-food-you-take-the-good-and/)

[Andrew Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jack/)

> [Now, I feel very comfortable with the 'Squid Game' team, so I can slowly get used to this success with people. But when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyeon-jung/now-i-feel-very-comfortable-with-the-squid-game-team-so-i-can-slowly/)

[HoYeon Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoyeon-jung/)

> [Human growth is not like rhubarb. It can be nurtured and encouraged but it cannot be forced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hargreaves/human-growth-is-not-like-rhubarb-it-can-be-nurtured-and-encouraged/)

[Andy Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-hargreaves/)

> [We were re-engineering the entire business and at the same time having accelerated growth. That's like changing the engine while the plane is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steward/we-were-re-engineering-the-entire-business-and-at-the-same-time/)

[David Steward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steward/)

> [When you're together with someone for some time, you will automatically depend on them as if they were a crutch. And then it ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-wilde/when-you-re-together-with-someone-for-some-time-you-will/)

[Kim Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-wilde/)

> [How can you stand alone when leaning on a crutch is all youve ever known...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-can-you-stand-alone-when-leaning-on-a-crutch-is-all-youve-ever/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's terrible, a crutch, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-belmondo/it-s-terrible-a-crutch-isn-t-it/)

[Jean-Paul Belmondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-belmondo/)

## More by Christopher Hitchens

> [“The spirit of our accurate and exact philosophy is outraged by conclusions that contradict each other so glaringly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-spirit-of-our-accurate-and-exact-philosophy-is-outraged-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Many governments employ torture but this was the first time that the element of Saturnalia and pornography in the process had been made so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-governments-employ-torture-but-this-was-the-first-time-that-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ It's \[Los Angeles\] mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they'll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-los-angeles-mostly-full-of-nonsense-and-delusion-and-egomania/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [To be against rationalization is not the same as to be opposed to reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-be-against-rationalization-is-not-the-same-as-to-be-opposed-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“In the very recent past, we have seen the Church of Rome befouled by its complicity with the unpardonable sin of child rape, or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-the-very-recent-past-we-have-seen-the-church-of-rome-befouled-by/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [There are, after all, atheists who say they wish the fable were true but are unable to suspend the requisite disbelief, or who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-are-after-all-atheists-who-say-they-wish-the-fable-were-true/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“It isn’t so long since a test of Anglican orthodoxy was applied to anyone seeking to study or teach at Oxford and Cambridge universities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-isn-t-so-long-since-a-test-of-anglican-orthodoxy-was-applied-to/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Gullibility and credulity are considered undesireable qualities in every department of human life - except religion ... Why are we praised by godly men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/gullibility-and-credulity-are-considered-undesireable-qualities-in/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-much-worse-to-see-a-woman-drunk-than-a-man-i-don-t-know-quite/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [I worked out early on to give up things I couldn't do well at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-worked-out-early-on-to-give-up-things-i-couldn-t-do-well-at-all/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Writing is what's important to me, and anything that helps me do that - or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/writing-is-what-s-important-to-me-and-anything-that-helps-me-do-that/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

[Explore all 1,241 Christopher Hitchens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## More Become quotes

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

> [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [If someone has the opportunity to become a model, I would say, 'Do it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/if-someone-has-the-opportunity-to-become-a-model-i-would-say-do-it/)

[Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/)

> [I had a talent for copying the signatures of dignitaries like Indira Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan and so on. So, I wanted to become someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/i-had-a-talent-for-copying-the-signatures-of-dignitaries-like-indira/)

[Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/)

> [In the Tea Party era, it is the restless conservative Republican who has become passion's plaything, the toy of impetuous romance, an erotomania only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/in-the-tea-party-era-it-is-the-restless-conservative-republican-who/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [You can never tell when a commercial space venture will suddenly become viable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/you-can-never-tell-when-a-commercial-space-venture-will-suddenly/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

> [My first bill to become law repeals regulations to make everyday life easier and more affordable for Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/my-first-bill-to-become-law-repeals-regulations-to-make-everyday-life/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

> [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/)

[Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/)

> [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/)

[Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/)

> [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/)

[Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/)

> [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/)

[Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/)

> [Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonald's everywhere, and you could feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-yun-lee/sometimes-when-you-re-in-different-countries-everything-has-become-so/)

[Will Yun Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-yun-lee/)

[Browse all 4,184 Become quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth of 'like' has spread through the idiom of the young. And it's true that in some cases the term has become simultaneously a crutch and a tic, driving out the rest of the vocabulary as candy expels vegetables.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Hitchens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-irritated-to-the-point-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Become"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-irritated-to-the-point-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95f/christopher-hitchens-117_become_many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-ir_2915354.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Many parents and teachers have become irritated to the point of distraction at the way the weed-style growth…” — Christopher Hitchens",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Christopher Hitchens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Many parents and teachers have become...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-irritated-to-the-point-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/many-parents-and-teachers-have-become-irritated-to-the-point-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
