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Words, usages, and phrases that annoy the shit out of you...

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I blame the consolidation of global political power and the diminution of class mobility on people who write in the passive voice.

I also have a horror of people who write prolifically in all caps.

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:07 (twenty-two years ago)


"It must say something about ILX that this is the most repeated topic of all time..."

This is true.

But, this is a topic that should be dealt with routinely and harshly... the only way we can correct the language and suppress it's organic growth is by exposing and banning every new usage as it occurs... Isn't that what the French do?

― andy, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Least favorite (mis)usage ever - "ON accident..." it's BY accident you fucking moron!!

Also: 'fridge,' girls who refer to each other as 'girl,' proactive...i'll be back when i think of more....

― roger adultery, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I know, oops, but still it pisses me off.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:54 (twenty-two years ago)

The recurrence of this topic is always accompanied by the recurrence of complaint about its recurrence.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 01:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Space. All this crap about needing space. Fuck off, then.

― Roderick the Visigoth. (Jake Proudlock), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:19 (twenty-two years ago)

All girls must now refer to one another as "guy"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

ok?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Using "Sexy" in a business environment that has nothing to do with sex. As in "this is a very sexy proposal for our company". Well, I guess, if ripping people off is what turns you on.

― BrianB (BrianB), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 05:26 (twenty-two years ago)

'exact same'.

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

"bird" instead of "girl" or "woman". AAAAAARGH.

― Melly E (Melly E), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 21:10 (twenty-two years ago)

When people call each other 'babe' and the completely inappropriate use of the word 'literally'. Also can I add at this point, even if it may not be entirely relevant, the unjustifiable grammatical error in Rachael Stevens' song 'Sweet Dreams My LA Ex' : "accuse me of things I never done." And I've listened hard for "I've never done" to try and give her the benefit of the doubt but she doesn't say it.

― barbara wintergreen, Monday, 29 December 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

"Begging the question" and "chomping at the bit." The first is almost always used incorrectly, and the second should be "champing," Goddamn it.

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Monday, 29 December 2003 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

or "bits"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 29 December 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

'any way shape or form'. Most heard in full-media-glare denials of misdeeds. Used by dodgy sportsmen who have been 'coached' by their minders for the occasion. It immediately strips the first dozen layers of credibility from whatever statement is being made.

'poetic justice'. Used by the lazy to describe all 'justice' the speaker approves of, instead of a particular type. The adjective is rendered meaningless.

Agree re 'bird' for woman/girl, and lament its threatened return. Stinks of 'I'm being un-PC, where's my medal?'. Also the C-person uses it, which kinda ends the argument.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Monday, 29 December 2003 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

optics

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 30 December 2003 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

also photonic inplace of optic

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 30 December 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

"the....(insert superlative)...in pop."

― barbara wintergreen, Tuesday, 30 December 2003 00:19 (twenty-two years ago)

To return to the top of the thread, I still after 20 odd years gag on 'outreach' as a VERB....

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Tuesday, 30 December 2003 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

the mightily empty "i could care less" variant on being unable to do the same

― ermes marana, Tuesday, 30 December 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...
People who pronounce the word "presentation" as "PRE-sentation".

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:29 (twenty-one years ago)

since i was reading some VICIOUS anti- rachael ray sentiment last night and i'm still feelin' the love: "E.V.O.O. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL"

― s/c (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:32 (twenty-one years ago)

"YUM-O"

― s/c (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

cf.

― gear (gear), Thursday, 18 August 2005 07:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Also: 'fridge,'

Wait, huh? Fridge is the thing you put food in, whats wrong with it?

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 18 August 2005 08:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Saying "it impacted on me" instead of "it had an impact on me"... well that's annoying enough but, just recently, I've heard people say "it impacted me" - which surely would only make sense if the speaker was a molar?

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 09:10 (twenty-one years ago)

'fridge,'

I'm picturing him saying things such as "Would you like me to remove another beverage from the refrigerator for you, whilst we watch some association football?"

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

bougie, instead of bourgeois. heard it four times last week.

― naus (Robert T), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:38 (twenty-one years ago)

"Chav"

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:39 (twenty-one years ago)

bourgie?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"Yes, sir, I am bougie, I am bougie... etc."

― Win A Lie-Down, Mrs. Davies (kate), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"what the...?"

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bougie

― naus (Robert T), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"He's on fire"

As used to describe a footballer running into a streak of good form

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

chav, prole, "get one...", but most of all commercials selling relatively expensive goods such as electrcal gubbins, fitted kitchens and the like where people say only "one-nine-nine-nine" instead of "nominally under two thousand quid". do you think not actually saying the proper number is fooling me?!!?!!

― stelf)xxx, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"Raft"

When used in phrases like "a raft of policies" or "a raft of new measures" - why?!?!??!!?

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

which surely would only make sense if the speaker was a molar?

Or a colon.

COINKY-DINK, "guestimate," and any time someone ends an interrogative sentence with "at," as in "Where's my keys at?" or "Where's your head at?"

― pullapartgirl (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"let's unpack that (concept/policy/statement/generalisation)"

"hating on"

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh! Oh! This one REALLY annoyed me the other day:

"Action" used as a verb. (Especially with regards to some annoying little thing I had already been doing.) "Can you please action this?" Actually, no I can't. Action is a noun. If you would like me to DO it, then just ask. Argh.

Especially when coming from the same irritating marketing bods who last week asked me to "manage the relationship" with one of our suppliers. Fuck. Right. Off.

― Win A Lie-Down, Mrs. Davies (kate), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

oh i used to have a PA in the cubicle next to me for a while that said 'diarise' as in 'sure, john is free on tuesday morning, i'll diarise it'. aaaaarrrrggghh

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"Boss"

A term of address directed at Turkish shopkeepers by 13 year old boys and directed by Turkish shopkeepers at everyone else. The most annoying ever.

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not your fucking boss!!!!!!!!!!

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

"Madam" when used by shop assistants. This kept happening to me yesterday.

DON'T MADAM ME, YOU LITTLE...!!! OK, according to Watching The English, this means that they have socio-status assessed me as middle class or higher. But it irritates me because it makes me feel old.

― Win A Lie-Down, Mrs. Davies (kate), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i like most of these. i just like variety. i do hate 'action', 'impact on, etc, though.

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

dude, i call people 'boss'.

― g-kit (g-kit), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't want you to think that I obsess over it, but "obsessing over something" as opposed to "being obsessed with/about something"

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

People saying 'momentarily' when what they mean is 'in a moment'.

'Whilst'

― estela (estela), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeah i fkn hate 'whilst' and 'amongst'.

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i like whilst too! it's kinda romantic, like 'betwixt'.

― g-kit (g-kit), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

'betwexit' is ok, a girl i liked used it instead of between all the time. but whilst can fuck off.

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

In 1993, agency folks were saying both "creative" as a noun and "editorial" as a noun. Not to mean an opinion piece but to mean anything written.

We need some editorial here.

― Paprikachu (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 29 September 2026 22:39 (three days ago)

a buddy of mine in manhattan at bbdo in the fucking late 80s schooled me on creatives, creative, and what he had to do to accomodate and SELL THAT SHIT.

i adopted the descriptive term now regret, but this shit is _ancient_.

he moved on to make a fucking fortune in pharma sales 90-now, but that’s a dif story.

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 29 September 2026 23:29 (three days ago)

Yes, creative has long been an ad industry term, but my sense (including my brief stint in that awful world) is that “creative” is short for creative department, as in “he’s in creative”, “creative needs it by friday”, or “he’s creative” in the way you might say “he’s finance.”

I think this is different from the ca. 2010s way people started saying “I’m A creative” to mean you’re a freelance illustrator. I think it has more to do with, say, the rise of Linkedin and linked-in speak.

― ed.b, Tuesday, 29 September 2026 23:42 (three days ago)

If this thread didn't happen to be near the top of the page the universe would have been spared this post (I mean, I'm generally used to Australians talking like frickin' 3-year-olds) but a radio traffic report just announced that "traffic is generally light due to school hollies", ie. 'school holidays', presumably. She shortened it several times over, on the national broadcaster. Just talk properly 'straya. I'm not demanding RP or whatever here, just, you know, actual words. This stuff is not cute.

― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 00:06 (two days ago)

I’m an unapologetic y’all user and I live in the Midwest. It’s the best group term we have and y’all can eat a donut in stony silence if y’all don’t like it

despite having been literally born in pittsburgh (magee women's hospital ftw!) and grown up there . . . i have long since lost the battle/war for its plural term. it *should* be 'yunz' but has instead become 'yinz'

anyway everyone everywhere has full permission to use either term

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 07:03 (two days ago)

ye

― Wichita Referee's Assistant (darraghmac), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 08:33 (two days ago)

Ahem

― Paprikachu (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 09:27 (two days ago)

different deployment ofc

yours, i presume, is just short for kanye

― Wichita Referee's Assistant (darraghmac), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 09:33 (two days ago)

It's actually supposed to be a thorn (Þ)

Because it's short for KanÞ

― Paprikachu (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 09:39 (two days ago)

Actually it would be a yogh in that case, should really be Kanȝe.

― Happiness is a warm gurn (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 09:51 (two days ago)

but a radio traffic report just announced that "traffic is generally light due to school *hollies*", ie. 'school holidays', presumably.

Ugh, it reminds me of the turdtastic “cozzie livs “. Stop it with this shit people!

― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 10:18 (two days ago)

"cozzie livs" seems like a parody of the genre, as does "menty b"

― The Ella Langley Schools Music Project (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 10:44 (two days ago)

The Australian diminutive is not new, prezzies for Chrissy etc. Firefighters being called firies, though, is a choice.

I thought cozzie livs/menty b is more specifically 2020s British?

TS Mel B vs. Menty B

Menty B and Rakim

― Paprikachu (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 11:14 (two days ago)

"y'all" is a very useful word, but it's the camel's nose inside the tent for creeping Southern-ism"

This. My problem with it is the tone and way it's used in my current environment. In Texas it was fine and I used it freely, it was just another word. In Savannah there's a tone to it that grosses me out. It's like, a weird pride in using the word? In my attempts to personally eradicate it I've given up on using a contraction but I think I'll switch to "youse." Added benefit: it will really aggravate my pedantic mother-in-law who is a ya'llmaxxer.

― Art Cow (Cow_Art), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 11:17 (two days ago)

I thought cozzie livs/menty b is more specifically 2020s British?

Cozzie livs yes, menty b has always been described as Aussie slang when I've heard it.

― a ZX spectrum is haunting Europe (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 13:06 (two days ago)

Never heard of either of them but they seem quite amusing to me, school hollies is just stupid though. Prezzies isn't Australian, by the way.

― Happiness is a warm gurn (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 13:16 (two days ago)

... first recorded usage is by Nancy Mitford! And, yes, I can definitely imagine it starting as English upperclass/public school slang.

― Happiness is a warm gurn (Tom D.), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 13:19 (two days ago)

"creatives" as a broad term is annoying but god forbid you run into "makers" and "builders"

― mh, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 14:02 (two days ago)

I've made my peace with it, but the one that bugged me for a while was people putting "based in" in their bio. As opposed to "lives in," I guess? I kind of jokingly called someone out on it because they didn't really travel much for work.

― mh, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 14:06 (two days ago)

I think I'll switch to "youse."

One of us... one of us...

― wipes chooser (unperson), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 14:08 (two days ago)

I saw someone write "Youns be all" in a group chat. I assume it was some mad typo, but I like it

― snark of mall Ds (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 14:17 (two days ago)

Anyway, I'm starting to hate "quietly" being used in clickbait headlines. "Alex Karp quietly purchased 32,000 acres of Swedish forest". "Israel has been quietly bombing the citizens of the West Bank" etc...

― snark of mall Ds (dog latin), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 14:19 (two days ago)

I think youns is supposed to be pronounced more like yoo'uns, as two syllables.

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 16:21 (two days ago)

campaign to bring back "thou"

― mahb, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 16:38 (two days ago)

good but singular, so for y’all i’m sticking with dmac’s “ye” i guess

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 17:31 (two days ago)

I’ll be continuing with y’all bc those other substitutes are not part of my dialect at all. I’ve never said yinz or yunz or youse in my life and I’m not about to start now.

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 21:48 (two days ago)

this one guy at this bookstore used to greet my wife as i with a semi-exasperated "hello, you two" like we're a couple of ne'er-do-wells or something

― brimstead, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 22:20 (two days ago)

i say vosotros

― Stone Temple Pilates (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 30 September 2026 22:45 (two days ago)

all y'all

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 30 September 2026 22:49 (two days ago)

on LETTERKENNY, eh? they say 'yous' but i am not canadian enough to say how that is spelled or how widespread it is

― mookieproof, Thursday, 1 October 2026 01:13 (yesterday)


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