Oxford's Top 10 Most Irritating Phrases
 

Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases - Telegraph

The top ten most irritating phrases:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

What others would you add?

I would add "the fact of the matter is..." not to mention all the workplace lingo like "synergy", "think outside the box", "the disconnect is..", we no longer have problems we have "opportunities".

I do, "from time to time", misuse the number eight listed: Shouldn't of (which is only correct in grammatical terms as "Shouldn't have"...)

Interesting to see the link is from the Telegraph, a great publication I venture to occasionally. :)

Phrases? I can't think of any, but I rarely ponder on such trivialities of what irks me in daily life; I ignore most of what occurs for my betterment.

Perhaps the overabundant instances of the phase "That's awesome", thus rendering virtually everything mundane because it's used so often, for nearly anything, by almost everyone.

to throw x or y under the bus. [[this one i really detest. where did i come from? what i detest most about it is that i use it sometimes. it's like a virus.]]
to be upside-down.
enlightened self-interest.
free enterprise system.

there are more. i'll post as i think of them.

A product as a solution: Instead of writing the program ourselves, we may have to buy a solution. ARGHHH

If you're buying a server from a company, you are buying a solution. Enterprise grade solution instead of big server.

Nine Eleven

- tragic event, annoying name.

"a bomb ripped through _____"

"President Bush..."

The phrase "at the end of the day" is in my own top 10.

I'll add these:
•going forward
•utilize
•in fact (or, worse: in actual fact)
•ironically (when used improperly--which, ironically, is most of the time)
•to be honest/to tell you the truth
•[insert tired metaphor here]

I'm sure I'll add more when I remember them.... :)

"I personally" think lists like these are stupid. It only further reinforces that some people need to get over trivial shit like this and worry about things that actually matter. I will say though that "Shouldn't of" is annoying just because it's flat out wrong.

You stole my comment.

Baraka, I love using "henceforth" in place of "going forward"

to leverage. [[i fucking hate this one. hate. it.]]

Like.

"He told me to see him in his office and I was, like, uh, why?"

"You know."

No, I don't know, or you wouldn't have to tell me.

The above used together.

"He's like, you know, awesome!"

It never ceases to amaze me when I go to interview the president of some company and he's talking like, you know, a valley girl. Sha.

"Whilst".

How about "while"? "While" not fancy-pants enough for ya?

Also: "At a high rate of speed." What, "fast" isn't official-sounding quasi-fascist enough for you, mr popo?

I don't know where my sister chameleoned this phrase from,
but I find it highly irritating.

"right right"

Perhaps it's also the way she uses it.
It comes across as impatient and dismissive.

Urban Dictionary: right

It's Canadian, or can be easily associated as such. I have no idea how I assimilated it into my speech, but I rightly cannot stop because it's so right good to say in the place of 'very', 'real' and the ilk. (additional: I believe quite a bit of anime adolescents have a predilection to utter "right right" after being assigned a task, but again, I have no idea how I know this.)

I was in Radio Shack the other day picking up a switch for a broken folding machine at work, and the kid working there started every sentence with "actually". At first I let it go, but after 6 or 7 times it really, really started to grate on me.

I'm done with actually for a while.

epic...

a person at work starts nearly every sentence with "so"

"where is john?" "so, the last time I saw him he was in the other room."

This is along the same lines as "utilize" for me. (But isn't nearly as bad.)

People like "utilize" because it makes what they're talking about sound more important...but superficially so.

I have a saying: "Why utilize 'utilize' when utilizing 'use' will do?"

That's awesome. You get bonus points for also using "nevertheless," "moreover," "wherewithal," "erstwhile," "forthwith," "heretofore," "mayhaps," "happenstance," and "whosoever."

Go!

"My friends..." reminds me of dubbed, TV-friendly versions of "motherfucker".

that's odd. I've never hear 'right right' used together. I'll keep my ears peeled to see if I can pick it up.


My recent distaste has been for verbs that have been turned into nouns. It seems that every meeting that I am in these days has somebody stating that a request is an "ask"

I.e. : " the ask here is to get a project plan finalized by sunday night"

In my defense, I only use "awesome" in conjunction with heavy sarcasm.

"Process mapping"
"In all actuality..."
"Whenever we were..."
"Usually always" as in "We usually always put the left shoe on before the right."
"99.9% of the time...."
"You're shitting me."
"Shut up."


My favorite lately to use when stupid people are annoying me is "Oh fer fok's saaayke" Brad-Pitt-in-Snatch style. It silences people quickly and makes them think.

The english language is not rocket science. I personally think Oxford can kiss my fairly unique ass. They shouldn't of posted some useless crap like this, With all due respect, at the end of the day, as long as people know what you're talking about, you're saying it right.

I guess they get even more irritating when used together. :)

Thank you for not using "utilized." :thumbsup:

How about "I could care less"... especially considering most people actually mean "I couldn't care less" when they say it. Arrrrrrrrrgh.

"New and Improved" pisses me off.

It's one or the other, but it can't be both. If it's new, it can't have been improved upon yet. If it's improved, it's something that has been around for a while and is now somehow better.

"Going forward" is something my boss loves using lately, and it's beginning to get on my nerves.

Also, the way people at work have been using "really?" is getting to me.
"This lady cut me off in traffic today, and I was like REALLY? REALLY? Then... (blah blah blah)" Jesus... I'm easily irritated.

I´ll let you go.

I am talking to someone on the phone or whatever, and they say "well, i´ll let you go" as if they control me or are doing me a favor.

Thanks your highness, how fucking magnanimous of you.

My daughter and her friends actually say "O M G" that's "L O L funny", of course when she says "whatever" I have to hold back...

basically ...hopefully ...level playing field...
You betcha! (unless you're Swedish)
how r u? (h8 text-speak)
diversity (when the correct word is variety, or divergent)
dude...dude... omg! how I hate dude!:mad:

Lindy

wow...like, no one said "thinking outside the box."
Actually, to be honest, I really thought it would of been utilized by now. :p

"it is what it is"

yeah, no shit!

" I promise"

I am guilty of using "I'll let you go," when on the phone.

It sounds clumsy and disingenous to my own ears when I say it.

I will work on not using it anymore.

"I gotta go now," is honest and simple.

I do enjoy using a handful of different phrases that to others might seem
hackneyed and over-the-top cliche,
but I love them.

"Heavens to Betsy" ( I believe the origin of this, is still a mystery)

Many years ago, I had an elderly babysitter who used, "oh! my lands",
as a mild exclamation.

I wonder who I am "driving crazy"...with this one.

Oh, I thought of another one: "impacts."

It's irritating when people use it as a synonym to "affect/effect."

i.e. "It will be interesting to see how it impacts the children...."

Those poor children.... :( They never saw it coming. Now look at them...they've been crushed to death. :sad:

So the lesson is: "impact" when used as something other than literally "striking with force" should be used carefully.

"The program had an impact on the children."
"The impact of the program is evident on the children."

NOT

"The program impacted the children deeply."
"The program is impacting the children on a large scale."
"We will see how the program impacts the children."

Please... I beg of you.

While they are only intenet abreviations of phrases, maybe it's the condensed nature of these that make them especially annoying to me:

FTW ...and even worse FTMFW

Btw, ( ;) ) I'm starting to get annoyed by my excessive use of "..."

make no mistake
they say
it is said
makes it pop
cool
good chance of networking
interface with someone
You know what I mean?

The list goes on

x-factor - can you even define it?

Orientate - first you orientate your map...

NO, you dont. Stop using it.

"bless you/his/her heart."

random, used as an adjective.
to wit: "he/she hooked up with some random guy."

the phrase "he or she was all like..." as a baroque substitute for "he or she said..."

lol. and all it's heartier derivatives. and emoticons. all of them.
the net-slang bot who is responsible for these should roast eternally in a specially designed quandrant of hell.

"Obviously, [insert statement that is ostensibly so obvious.]" -- If it's so obvious, then it should go without saying.
"It goes without saying...." -- Then don't say it.

"More than" (e.g. "You're more than welcome to...." / "I'm more than grateful...." -- If it's really the case, then why not say exactly what you mean rather than some phrase suggesting some ambiguous degree?

That is so (put just about anything here)
that is so loving same sex couple...
that is just so Boston...
that is so nineties...
that is so not funny...
that is so urban...
This list is so Oxford.

Thank you so much. (And how much IS so much???)

per say (the correct is per se)

the currently fashion'able use of apos'trophi'es in as att'ention ge'tting dev'ices in proper names

redistribution of wealth

Lindy

a friend has countered "it´s not rocket science" and "it´s not brain surgery" by combining them. all the time i now use "it´s not rocket surgery" and see how many people pick up on it.

my coworker says "flusterate" all time, as in "I can't figure this out, I'm so flusterated!" GAH

the same co-worker also frequently spells/pronounces faux pas as fupa


A few others....

over-exaggerate (can you say redundant?)
wallering (as in, "we were wallering in it") - what????
get with ("get with me later to go over that presentation") sounds like you're trying to have sex with me
for conversation (no shit I already knew were were having a conversation)
conversate ("since we're just conversating, I'll let you know...") UGH




idk where people come up with this stuff...I'm all about using Ebonics/colloquial speech/etc but seriously this is work, not your living room

Oh, man, there are too many.

"People that...."

It's "people who...." People are people, not objects.

"People who exercise are more resistant to disease."

NOT

"People that exercise are more resistant to disease."

my friend...

with all due respect, although what you said was fairly unique, i personally think that it's a nighmare and you absolutely shouldn't of used it in this point in time.
you absoluetely dont need to study 24/7. its not fucking rocket science... my friend

"And?"

I hate it when people use this one word as a question, after you have finished your sentence. As if you don't know when your own sentence has ended. I have one friend who does this every time I talk to her. I finished my sentence. There is no "and." Not clear about something I said? Ask a question in a complete sentence. <<insert smiley sticking out tongue>>

When people say, "Really?" I love to reply with "No." Throws my kids off balance every time.

"Get at me." For whatever reason, that phrase really gets on my nerves. As in, "hey, get at me if you wanna go out later." *shudder*

My bad

and....lest we forget..... Irregardless

Works on my daughter (aged eight) too. :D

Try: "wallowing" :thumbsup:

see also: "does the Pope shit in the woods?" and "do bears wear funny hats?"

"there's three of them..."

How about simplistic when the word is used as a synonym for simple, which it is not.

Simplistic always implies OVER simplification of something (to the point where something important is lost) and is always used in a negative way.
It especially sticks out when the context tells me that it meant to be a complement.:confused: Simplistic is never complementary.

Usually used someone trying to look smart by using a two-euro word when a one-euro word would do.

Lindy

I despise having to interpret what someone means by responding to a question with "I'm good." I did not ask how you were, I asked you if you wanted spaghetti or the soup for dinner.

-"You need to chillax."

Chillax shouldn't even count as a colloquialism; its pure evil. I fucking hate that word...

Thank you! My ex drilled this into me years ago, with good reason.



I am guilty of using "basically" and "essentially" too often for my own good.

Can't stand "the thing is, is...."

It irks me when "i.e." and "e.g." are used or misused interchangeably.

I hear this a lot in my home: "he is wanting to" instead of "he wants to." It still doesn't sit right with me.

I also can't stand any and all corporatespeak.

Oh...my god, yesss. I abhore corporatespeak. Especially..."Action Item". It's a task. Nothing more...nothing less.

And...on that same line. I am not a "resource". I am an employee. When I am a customer in your store, I am not a "guest". The guys and gals at walmart, that wear the little blue vests, are not "Sales Associates". They are cashiers and stockers. I don't work for the Pirates, the Yankees, the Twins, the Sox, or the Brewers. I have not been a "team player" since I was a centerfielder in high school. I am an employee, who comes in every day and does the best job that I can. If you need me to, unless you are a total ass, I will also help you do your job...to the best of my ability. It benefits me by keeping my company's doors open that much longer.

Ah yes, but how else are Southern women supposed to be snarky? (as in: "She's as ugly as sin, God bless her heart.") Admittedly, I use this phrase a lot.

In college, I had a list of phrases I wanted banned from public discourse, mainly because they're over-used and/or used incorrectly. I can't remember the list in its entirety, but I do remember "double-edged sword" and "Catch-22" featured prominently on the list. It used to grate on my nerves to no end when some ass-kiss wanted to sound smart by using the term "Catch-22"....particularly when said ass-kiss used it incorrectly.

Another thing that bugs the hell out of me is when people use the term "Judge" like a proper name. As in, "Well, Judge said...." No, "Judge Smith" or "The Judge" said....he/she didn't legally change his/her name upon assuming office. I only use the term "Judge" by itself when addressing the person on the bench (as in "Thank you, Judge")

But can a task/item/thing be "actionable"? :D Is that okay?

No.
That makes my head hurt a little. These terms are used by upper and middle level managment types, with entirely too much time on their collective hands. They spent too much time reading about new "paradigms", and trying to look smarter than the next guy, than they spent on effectively running their companies. We see where that's gotten us. :rolleyes:

What is "actionable", anyway? Are we trying to determine the feasibility of a task or job? Or, are we just trying to say "Let's do it."? Or, as Larry the Cable Guy would say..."Git 'er done!".

What about "Let's work hard to escalate our sales"? :D How's that?

If you get to say, "Git 'er done" in business, I want to be able to replace, "May it please the court" with, "Now y'all hear this..."

This might be a Texas thing, but I've always hated, "I'm fixin' to _____."

I always want to ask, "What are you repairing?"

Or..."Y'all ain't gonna believe this shit!".

"the whole nine yards"
"family values"
"revenue enhancement" for taxes
"downsizing" for layoffs
Companies get "bailouts" but individuals get welfare.

not a phrase, but when i see "definately," the hair on the back of my neck rises...

Guesstimate. GAH, that word irritates me so much.