heartsink
n.— «There are any number of heartsink words and phrases in the English language, and they are proliferating. Words such as “forum,” “convention” and “summit” send a signal to most people’s brains: Turn off now.» —“Beware Of Heartsinkers, Even If They Do Have One Useful Function” by Jenny Tabakoff Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Sept. 18, 1995. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The proverb when in Rome, do as the Romans do suggests one should respect local customs and traditions, but also more generally that sometimes it’s better to go along with a group’s consensus than resist and make a fuss. But why in Rome and not in...
A kerfuffle is a fuss, bother, or disturbance. It’s from Scots curfuffle, likely from Scottish Gaelic car, meaning “turn,” “bend,” or “twist,” plus fuffle, a Scots word that means “to disorder” or “to ruffle.” Early forms like carfuffle and...