But of course it's just the tip of the iceberg. To coin a phrase. Show us the money, the teachers' union responded. I hate this one. Everybody, it seems, is sending messages.
Nothing just starts or begins anymore.
I'm with you. Both verbs are so dated that we should probably just remove them from copy whenever they occur. Management finally outlawed that particular gem at a former workplace of mine. But I've seen this phrase in stories on every topic possible. The only thing in the wake of something else had better be in the water.