Like many of you out there on the interwebs, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. I find it kind of addicting in a way that I used to think was absurd. How can you get addicted to a pin board, I thought?

And yet, here I am, on Pinterest not only every day but multiple times every day. Having it on my phone makes it something I can just check in to whenever I have a free minute.

I’ve been noticing many recurring captions over on the pin board. And you know what? They are almost always hyperbole or meaninglessness or, in some cases, unintentionally hilarious. Now, full disclaimer: I am certainly guilty of many, if not all, of these captions. So really, I’m mocking myself, too. And I realize that the requirement to write a caption, when many times you just want to pin an image, creates hurried platitudes and clichés. But I’m gonna go ahead and claim that that doesn’t make them any less ripe for mockery.

So here goes. This is my list of the top 11 most overused Pinterest captions.

11. Pin Now, Read Later.

This seems to be a new thing. What is this? Isn’t this kind of the whole idea? I think most people who use Pinterest pin something to go back to later. Do we really need that instruction? I’m a little offended at you telling me to pin it now and read it later. The “pin now, read later” comment is kind of like those instructions on glass cleaner that say “do not spray in eyes” or the back of a wet wipe that reads, “Open, use, discard.” Really? THANKS FOR THE TIP.

10. GENIUS.

I get it. It’s hyperbole. You have been stunned by the cleverness of whatever you’ve just seen. But people, cooking a chicken in a bundt pan is not genius. A wreath made of red hots is cute, but not genius. Using a tension rod to hang bottles is not genius. And none of these things are GENIUS.

9. Why didn’t I think of this?

I don’t know. Because you’re too busy studying neurochemistry and baking cinnamon rolls? Because you’ve been living in a Tibetan monastery for 10 years? Because you are an uninspired hack? I give up. Why?

8. I’m totally doing this!

You are not totally doing this. You will pin it, and you might even see it a couple more times when you click over to your board, and you’ll think, “Oh yeah! I’m TOTALLY doing this!” And then you’ll never do it. Let’s just be honest with each other. Another option here is the “Gotta check this one out soon.” If you have to caption to remind yourself to click over and look at the source of this pin? You are never going to look at the source of this pin.

7. LOVE IT!!!

You’ve reached an all-time low in originality when this is your caption. Another low: YUM.

6. The mother of all pins

Wow, this caption takes some serious commitment. You really think this is actually the pin by which all other pins should be judged? I mean, 186 handmade Christmas gift ideas is impressive, but not the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen on Pinterest. Corollaries to this caption include “may have just found the best pin ever” and simply “BEST PIN EVER.”

5. The repetitive vowel caption: looooooove, haaaaair, caaaaaake.

WTF?

4. The three-fer: cheese cheese cheese, love love love, cats cats cats

This one goes with the repetitive vowel caption. Repeating it doesn’t really help you, here. I mean, if it’s cheese, it isn’t any more cheesy if you give it two more cheeses.

3. MIND BLOWN

While this one kind of goes with “genius,” I think it actually deserves its own category. This pin is so exceptionally awesome, so profoundly ingenius, so staggeringly magnificent that your mind was actually blown? Like, it jammed you up for a minute, the awe-inspiring nature of this pin? I know, I know, it’s exaggeration. But if your mind is blown by the idea of using a binder clip to secure a USB cable, I’m worried for you.

2. I’ll be glad I pinned this one day

What’s funny about this caption is the range of pins that get attached to it. One person will be glad they pinned tips for painting furniture. Another will be glad she pinned a 2-sentence post about how to remove candles from votive holders. A third will be glad she pinned how to detangle a Barbie’s hair. And yet another will be happy she pinned “101 things to do with your husband.” Is she even married? Already she’s anticipating the ennui of married life? Sad.

1. .., /, other random punctuation

This is my number one choice because, while it’s totally meaningless, I kind of appreciate the “eff you” these people are throwing Pinterest’s way. So, you’re going to make me have a caption? Fine, suckers, how you like THIS caption?

As I’m sure you know, this is by no means an exhaustive list. So tell me what you think are the most overused captions in Pinterest in the comments!

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