Gentle alternative for "abused the crap out of something"

Question

I really like the saying "abused the crap out of....." because it feels strong. Recently I am asked to prepare a speech and I don't think it's appropriate to use the saying. Are there any formal ways of saying it?

Thanks.

Edit: to add a bit of context this is my graduation speech. I'm trying to say something like "abused the crap out of the freedom I got", but I'm pretty sure I'll use this again in the future.

"I took advantage of the freedom given to me" or "I exploited the freedom given to me to its fullest" — Mari-Lou A, Nov 29 '17 at 09:25
Yeah, don't say "took advantage" or "exploit". It's verbose and ambiguous. — Michael Lorton, Nov 29 '17 at 09:28
Abused is already a strong word when used in a formal setting; is the hyperbolizing modifier really necessary? Compare at murdered versus violently murdered. — choster, Nov 29 '17 at 15:59

score 0 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 29 '17 at 09:55

0

How much formality do you need? If you just want something less vulgar, you could say, "they drove it like it was stolen and parked it like it was rented."

For true formality, just say, "severely abused".

edited Nov 29 '17 at 09:55

Mari-Lou A

91,183

answered Nov 29 '17 at 07:45

Michael Lorton

28,092

In front of my teachers and a lot of parents formal. Surprisingly I haven't heard that saying before! It sure sounds very good. Thanks! – See Jian Shin Nov 29 '17 at 07:46
@SeeJianShin -- If you don't want to drive, you can ride shotgun. – Michael Lorton Nov 29 '17 at 08:35
@Mari-LouA he actually gave the answer before I edited the post. – See Jian Shin Nov 29 '17 at 09:31

Gentle alternative for "abused the crap out of something"

1 Answers1