Nica's Blog

I've found another word to dislike: "upscale". This is a marketing term which has now seeped into general usage. It is used to describe something as appropriate for upper-income people. Actually it probably means more that the product makes people feel like they are sophisticated beyond their income bracket when they purchase the item. It's a polite way of saying something has snob appeal.

The socially self-conscious background is only part of what annoys me about this word. I think the word lacks the panache of similar words like "haughty" "slick" "swank" "spiffy" "posh" and "lush". Upscaling and downscaling are terms occasionally used by scientists usually discussing the resolution of the simulation or device, and the words have a bare clinical feel about them more appropriate for the programmer, or technician than the designer or restaurant clinic.

Finally, I dislike using "upscale" to describe something because it is a lazy way of describing something. A bar can just be described as "upscale" and it really doesn't say a thing in particular about the place. Is it full of rich old men, or young hipsters? Is it a place where lawyers hang out with loosened ties, or where people show off their best shoes? Is their abstract art on the walls, or antique prints, or black and white photos? "Upscale" can be many things, but users of the word seem think it conveys all the nuances of an object or environment.