44 Common “Blue Sky” Words & Phrases

Overview: The following is a non-exhaustive list of the popular "blue sky" words that
are prevalent in everyday English. Often, frustration in articulating thoughts arises
from a tendency to package the rich, layered meanings in our minds—what we
might call 'mentalese'—into broad, common expressions. These ready-made words
and phrases can lead to a state of mental numbness, making us feel both numb and
restless. Although resorting to blue sky language is not a cardinal sin of
communication, it can strip away the individual nuances of our experiences and
cause listeners to disengage when they sense a conversation is treading familiar
ground. Finding satisfaction in communication often comes from the specificity and
authenticity of raw, real—even if rough—language. Not every utterance needs to be
profound, but your speech should strive to capture the unique essence of who you
are—your events, emotions, and experiences. The first step towards this is being
vigilant against the words and phrases that dilute our thoughts.

1) Interesting 23) We’ll see

2) Nice 24) At the end of the day
3) Fun 25) All in all
4) Fine 26) Avoid like the plague
5) Okay 27) It goes without saying
6) Cool 28) For intents and purposes

7) Great 29) So to speak

8) Fantastic 30) Things of that nature
9) Amazing 31) Any Way, Shape, or Form
10) Interesting 32) Secret sauce
11) Basically 33) It’s not rocket science
12) Absolutely 34) Stuff like that
13) Bad 35) Whatever works
14) General 36) Work in progress
15) Pretty good 37) It is what it is
16) Weird 38) Sooner or later
17) Awesome 39) To a certain extent
18) Important 40) In regards to
19) Basic 41) Nip it in the bud
20)First 42) More or less
21) Sick 43) Think outside the box
22) Stuff 44) Low-hanging fruit