Most Annoying Catchphrase of the Week

Each week, we at TheStreet will take the time to reflect upon the week that was -- and to assess that week's most annoying market catchphrase in a desperate effort to stomp it into oblivion. This week we bring you our first annoyance:

Annoying Market Catchphrase of the Week: "Green Shoots"

Most Frequently Invoked When Discussing: US Steel(X Quote), Goldman Sachs(GS Quote), Ford(F Quote), Dow Chemical(DOW Quote), The Snuggie, The Slanket, Lemonade Stands Manned by 11-Year-Olds

Why We Are So Annoyed: Yes, we get it: The shoots are green; they're growing from the ground; the ground represents the slashed-and-burned wasteland that is our economy; the shoots represent the nascent signs of economic growth.

It's all so terribly clever.

It's also, it should be noted, a phrase made (in)famous 18 years ago by the legendarily inept British Conservative Chancellor, Norman Lamont, when he claimed to have found "the green shoots of economic spring" during Britain's horrendous economic downturn. Mass derision ensued.

And anytime you're emulating the catchphrases of failed empire-states, you're walking a perilous vernacular path.

So how about we just start calling them "signs of economic recovery," and we'll all pretend like this whole "green shoots" thing never happened.

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