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 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 years ago)

"YUM-O"

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

cf.

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

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

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

"Chav"

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

bourgie?

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

"what the...?"

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

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

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

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

"hating on"

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

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

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

dude, i call people 'boss'.

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

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

'Whilst'

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

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

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

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

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

Skipping 12396 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I'm hearing/reading "generational" an awful lot this year. Namely cases where, for instance, "generational ability" seems to mean "once-in-a-generation talent" or similar. While such usage may not be specifically spelled out in many dictionaries (yet) I don't think I can claim it stretches established definitions much, if at all.

BUT I'm against it regardless, for largely sub-rational reasons lol. At the very least, spelling out what one actually means with more traditional phrasing is surely easier on listeners/readers.

― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 03:40 (eighteen hours ago)

As the USA (& Mexico & Canada) World Cup is a couple of days away, I would like to submit "rooting for" to the pit please.

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 10:37 (eleven hours ago)

There is virtually no version of that phrase that I find myself comfortable using in conversation - rooting for (makes you sound like a pig), pulling for (what exactly am I pulling and why), cheering on (what, rah rah rah like a cheerleader?!)

― henry s, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 12:04 (nine hours ago)

You don't think that sports fans are like pigs or cheerleaders? Its one of the two, in my experience.

― peace, man, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 12:19 (nine hours ago)

It's the whole focus on "I'm going to join in with chants to encourage this team" which makes me cringe, reminds me of this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XOhDLUXuVs

The acceptable word is "supporting" - it does not imply that you have to make some kind of display.

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:10 (eight hours ago)

"Rooting for" seems so commonplace that it wouldn't occur to me to find it odd or cringey. I do not think of pigs.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:12 (eight hours ago)

not commonplace outside the USA. well, in Australia it's fairly commonplace but means something else.

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:16 (eight hours ago)

To my American ears, "supporting" / "supporter" used in a sports context always sounds strangely reserved.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:17 (eight hours ago)

I wi root for teams that I don't support, there's a clear and necessary distinction imo

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:45 (eight hours ago)

"Supporting"? Like an undergarment?

― peace, man, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:46 (eight hours ago)

My old man used to get pedantic about "supporting" unless you actually attended matches/financially supported a club in some way

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 13:46 (eight hours ago)

Americans who encounter ‘support’ in a sports context are usually trying not to think about jockstraps.

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 14:23 (seven hours ago)

I wi root for teams that I don't support, there's a clear and necessary distinction imo

Oh sure, but here we would say "fan" instead of "supporter." Not a verb form of that, though.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 14:43 (seven hours ago)

No problem with "root for" as an idiom.

But I do think saying "we won" when you're not on the team is weird.

― rebec on a xebec (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 15:30 (six hours ago)

"the"

― Wichita Referee's Assistant (darraghmac), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 15:37 (six hours ago)

POV: ineluctable modality of the visible: at least that if no more, thought through my eyes. Signatures of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide, that rusty boot. Snotgreen, bluesilver, rust: coloured signs. Limits of the diaphane.

― mahb, Tuesday, 9 June 2026 15:56 (six hours ago)

I'm sorry but "root for" elicits a queasy feeling in my gut and nothing anyone has said has done anything to address this.

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:17 (five hours ago)

i'm rooting for all of you. you got this.

― shaking babies (map), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:19 (five hours ago)

Oh sure, but here we would say "fan" instead of "supporter." Not a verb form of that, though.

yeah i completely get that, i was just responding to CaAL that (in UK parlance) "root for" isn't an exact synonym for "support". i guess you could use "cheer for" if you have deep-seated personal issues with rooting?

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:32 (five hours ago)

"cheer for" is equally lame, sorry.

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:34 (five hours ago)

lol i honestly had a feeling you'd say that

anyway there needs to be a verbal distinction for being a fan of a particular team and being a temporary fan of anybody playing a particular hated team

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:37 (five hours ago)

ride for

or what about "love". just "i love nottingham" or whatever.

or "they are my friends". i'll be watching my friends play football today. i hope that they win.

― shaking babies (map), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:38 (five hours ago)

it's the hierarchies of hate in watching sport that makes this complicated

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:41 (five hours ago)

hmm i see

― shaking babies (map), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:43 (five hours ago)

for example, in the World Cup, i don't have any love for the Australian football team, they aren't my friends, i don't love them. i will root for them to batter the USA tho.

― 99 gram lychee (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:44 (five hours ago)

"I'm hoping they win/do OK/don't get beat/etc" will do

― Tom D, focussed with getting on with the job (Tom D.), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:44 (five hours ago)

they're your frienemies.

― shaking babies (map), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:48 (five hours ago)

depends what you're doing.

supporting a team: we have a word for this
picking a team and going to watch them play: you're just watching them
joining in with "I believe that we will win" chants: don't do that
hoping a team will win a match: we don't need a word for this

― Roy Ouroboroson (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 16:48 (five hours ago)

i follow tottenham, who i fucking hate with every fibre of my being

― Wichita Referee's Assistant (darraghmac), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 17:30 (four hours ago)

"I'm ride or die for them"

― whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Tuesday, 9 June 2026 17:46 (four hours ago)

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