Andy Rooney Time!

You want to know what I find annoying? Sure you do. "Inextricably linked" or "linked inextricably". It's one of the most annoying cliches I come across, and it bugs me just as much as other cliches. Like "Don't go there", "Don't get me started", or "too much information".

It's almost a reflex: when some people write "linked" they feel they must add "inextricably." Obviously, linked and inextricably linked mean different things. But it's become a parody of itself: linked is inextricably linked (in people's minds) to inextricably. And it's so overused now that the inextricable almost doesn't carry any meaning.

"And that's all I have to say about that."