Where did EPIC come from?

[Cruz-n-again]

Has anyone else noticed the proliferation and over use of the word "EPIC" in our daily lives? Particularly in the media. For idunnohowlong there have been these fake inspirational posters online with the "Epic Failure" theme, but there seems to be this new trend where epic has become the new "it" modifier.

 

The Weather Channel AP on the IPAD on which this is being typed just had "Epic Weather On the Horizon.". Bad headline writing aside, unless they're talking about the kind of weather that made the Andrea Gail go down, it's just NOT Epic.

 

In Miami, there is the "Epic Hotel" right down the road from the pier where Epic docks.

 

All the movies advertise the Epic movie event of the year.

 

I here Epic on TV; I read it in the newspaper; I hear it on the radio.

 

Didn't NCL think about how much this word is used before calling its brand new ship Epic? During the week we were on the Epic, I heard it asked time and again why did they call the ship Epic? The best response I heard during that week was a gentleman that kind of giggled and said

 

"cuz 'Titanic' was taken.":D

 

Well put, my friend.

[Us2inFL]

George W. Bush:

 

The president has used "awesome" to describe everything from dead soldiers to the pope. How did a slang word trickle up to the highest office in the land?

 

 

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2008/07/23/shock_and_awesome

[crew mom]

I have noticed the increase in the usage of the word Epic also beginning about the same time the ship's name was announced. I don't know who came up with using it as the name but someone lucked out or was really current with language trends. I hear the word all the time now. Free advertising.;)

[Cruz-n-again]

I have noticed the increase in the usage of the word Epic also beginning about the same time the ship's name was announced. I don't know who came up with using it as the name but someone lucked out or was really current with language trends. I hear the word all the time now. Free advertising.;)

 

When does free advertising become meaningless? One of my favorite courses I took in college was Marketing. The professor asked the class on the first day, "What's another word for a copy machine?" Most of the class immediately chimed in with "Xerox machine." That's a problem.

 

Xerox has become so synonymous with copying, their marque is meaningless. I had a supervisor that needed a new copier. He said, (paraphrased) "Hand me that HP Catalog. I need a new Xerox machine."

 

The marque Epic will have no meaning if this trend of overusing the word continues.

 

Furthermore, it seems that as often as not, the word is used to describe something negative. The weather channel is the perfect example, "Epic Weather Ahead." Then there's Epic Failure, Epic Disaster, etc. The only time you hear it used positively is "Epic Adventure."

[brfan]

I just saw an advertisement at exofficio.com for an "epic underwear sale". It cracked me up as I had just read this thread shortly before somebody sent me the link to that site. :D