What Can I Say?

I have noticed recently that some of the common expressions that people say are really dumb and don't make any sense. Here are a few I've noticed lately:

• As of late
  I was watching a Blazers game on the Internet the other day (more on that in a future post) and the announcer said something is a certain way "as of late." I've heard this expression many, many times. I've even used it before without thinking twice. A quick Google search returns over a million hits.
  
  But when I stopped to think about it, I realized it doesn't make any sense. As of when? Late. Late? Double you tee eff? Isn't there a better way to say that? How about recently or lately? Somehow it has become acceptable to use this expression that makes no sense at all. How about saying as of early? Oh yeah, I'm really tired as of early. You know, earlier this morning. It's the same thing, and neither of them make any sense. So let's all agree to stop saying "as of late" and use one of the many other alternatives we have available. There are about a thousand different ways to say any particular thing in this language, so let's find another one.
• The Other Day
  I use this expression all the time. In fact, I've already used it in this post. But I don't like it because it doesn't make any sense. It implies there is only one other day in question in the current context, which is almost never the case. Starting today, I'm going to try to refrain myself from using this expression.
• A Whole Nother
  I occasionally catch myself saying something like, "That's a whole nother thing!" When I catch myself I feel ashamed because it sounds so stupid. A "nother"? You mean, "another," which undoubtedly comes from "an other." I think "a whole other" or simply "an entirely different" are better choices.

There are more, to be sure, but I won't bore you with any more of this stuff. I know that languages evolve and there are all sorts of social and cultural factors at work, but I think every now and then it is worthwhile to pause and think about the words we use and ask ourselves if what we are saying makes sense. And if it doesn't, then why are we saying it?