until $_ happens to contain something that looks like a printf specifier

And the millions of microwave ovens in family kitchens across the globe can act exactly like small bombs with nothing more than the addition of some plain water! But nobody suggests we should ban the use of either.

The answer is quite simple. Don't use it where that is a possibility.

For one-liners, say is actually very convenient to use.

a) Yes, I know. b) Nobody was talking about one-liners.