Annoying Words & Phrases

Channel98

Channel98

Don't yell or hit.
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We all get tired of hearing certain overused and/or idiotic words and phrases. The Marist Institute For Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie has conducted annual national opinion polls on a variety of topics since 1978. "Whatever" has just topped their list of Annoying Words & Phrases for the tenth consecutive year:

Top 5 Most Annoying Words of 2018

I do not like hearing people say "OMG" and "LOL," which are bad enough when written but are even more detestable when spoken. I do not like hearing people say something happened "literally" when it obviously did not -- or saying they "could care less" when they couldn't care less.

It drives me crazy when analysts and interviewees on news programs begin their response to a question with "So" or "Well, look, you know" or "Well, I mean, look." I do not like hearing "W" pronounced as "dubba-yoo" instead of "double-yoo." I cringe when I hear "comfortable" pronounced as "cumf-ter-ble" and "temperature" pronounced as "temp-a-choor." I do not like hearing "if you will," "for all intents and purposes," "at this point in time," "at the end of the day," "I go out there and give 110%" and "I know, right?" And I am really sick of hearing "Fake news! Fake news! Fake news!"

In advertising, why does every item depicting a cat have to be described as "purr-fect"? It's stupid, it's not really a word and it's been done to death. Why is every store opening promoted as a "grand opening" when there is seldom anything that could be considered grand? And why do so many stores and auto dealers advertise a "sales event"? It is hardly an "event" when they're selling the same things they sell every day of the year.

What words and phrases are you tired of hearing? And if anyone says he's annoyed by everything I write, I will be very hurt and might even cry. Keep this in mind.
 
scotchandcigar

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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I thought I had discussed this topic in another thread, but anywho...
I'm a grammar-phile, so I notice this kind of stuff. I was a big fan of Edwin Newman back in the day.

Written grammar errors drive me nuts. Using apostrophes for plural, to and too, there their and they're, could've and could of, course and coarse (sorry Wolf).

I work with many people who start every sentence with "so". Probably the most recent bad phrase is "It is what it is".

I watch a lot of HGTV; people talk about "price points", "open concepts", and "greenspace".

But mostly, I get annoyed by the usual; like literally whatever.
 
Channel98

Channel98

Don't yell or hit.
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Thanks to Mister scotch, I am now reminded of two more expressions I detest: "anywho" and "back in the day." Another dumb phrase akin to "back in the day" is "old-school," which is an older expression than you might think: the noun "old school," referring to adherents of traditional policies and practices, dates from 1749 and the adjective "old-school" dates fron 1803.
 
Wolf

Wolf

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So whatever :rolleyes:

I know I'm being annoying with these words. But these are words I use every day and I don't plan on dropping them.
 
Channel98

Channel98

Don't yell or hit.
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As they say in the AA (Annoyers Anonymous) meetings, becoming aware that you say annoying things is the first step to overcoming the problem. :)
 
scotchandcigar

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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Wolf said:
So whatever :rolleyes:

I know I'm being annoying with these words. But these are words I use every day and I don't plan on dropping them.
Click to expand...
How about 1 correction per year? I think you can handle that. This year's correction is: don't use "coarse", you almost always mean "course". :D
 
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scotchandcigar

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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Channel98 said:
Thanks to Mister scotch, I am now reminded of two more expressions I detest: "anywho" and "back in the day." Another dumb phrase akin to "back in the day" is "old-school," which is an older expression than you might think: the noun "old school," referring to adherents of traditional policies and practices, dates from 1749 and the adjective "old-school" dates fron 1803.
Click to expand...
Hard to believe they were using the phrase old-school back in 1803, as in "I can't get into that crazy new Beethoven crap that the kids are listening to today. Give me some old-school Handel, thank-you."
 
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Wolf

Wolf

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scotchandcigar said:
How about 1 correction per year? I think you can handle that. This year's correction is: don't use "coarse", you almost always mean "course". :D
Click to expand...

of course :p I agree, I need to work better on my vocabulary. These are words I been using for years and unfortunately they're stuck with me.

I guess, I never notice the difference between "coarse" and "course" when I type stuff. But thanks for noticing it.
 
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Channel98

Channel98

Don't yell or hit.
Feb 2, 2019
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Glendale CA
How about "before I knew it" and "before you know it"? Examples: "Clouds moved in and before I knew it, it was raining." "I boarded a jet plane and before I knew it, we were in Atlanta." "Our team was down by five runs and before I knew it, we were ahead by a run." If you're present when something happens, you know it as it's happening. Doy!

And where exactly is "the middle of nowhere" that people often refer to? Nobody ever says a location is on the north side of nowhere or the outskirts of nowhere -- it's always in the middle of nowhere. How can "nowhere" even have a middle? It's nowhere. If the middle of nowhere really does exist, it must be the most crowded place in the world!
 
scotchandcigar

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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If one is at the edge of nowhere, they'd be bordering somewhere. Not very dramatic.

The "before you know it" phrase makes me think of what is - hands down - the greatest routine about phrases; George Carlin dissecting airline language. As soon as the plane touches down, the flight attendant says "on behalf of the captain, we welcome you to sunny Miami". How can someone welcome you to a place that they themselves just arrived at?
 
IdRatherBeSkiing

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
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scotchandcigar said:
If one is at the edge of nowhere, they'd be bordering somewhere. Not very dramatic.

The "before you know it" phrase makes me think of what is - hands down - the greatest routine about phrases; George Carlin dissecting airline language. As soon as the plane touches down, the flight attendant says "on behalf of the captain, we welcome you to sunny Miami". How can someone welcome you to a place that they themselves just arrived at?
Click to expand...
The captain, sitting at the front, will get there first.
 
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