Anal

Do you think we could stop with that word already?  If I live to be a thousand I don't think I'll ever understand how the word "anal" so comfortably crept into the public vernacular.  On a recent trip through my local grocery store I heard one stock clerk tell the other, "When I stocked dairy I used to be, like, really anal about it..."

Oh man - I really don't need those images so closely juxtaposed.

Of course (except not at all "of course") he was referring to some deep, deep Freudian theory that I am quite sure is understood by less than 7% of the people who keep saying "anal."  It's not a polite way of calling yourself an asshole.  It really is referring to the anus.  It's not a synonym.  Or a homonym.  Anal-retentiveness is a peculiar and pretty useless theory, no doubt fueled by lots of cocaine, about psychological issues that may arise during toilet training.  

Now for some reason this one didn't catch on, but according to Freud, the other choice is to be anal-expulsive.  Maybe this is too vivid?  I don't know - should I be asking people who say they are anal to be more specific?  

"I can be really anal about things."
"Oh.  Retentive or expulsive?"

"...[blink]"

Guess who's coming out of that conversation looking like the idiot?  It's the one who sort of knows what they're talking about.  I can also envision this conversation turned around another way...

"I'm really particular - almost obsessive about how I do some things."

"Oh. Anal?"

"Did we really need to invoke the anus here?"

"...[blink]"

I'm not sure who won that round either.  This is all just one big race to the... bottom.

Sorry.