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

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed
Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (12243 of them)

"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)

"The plane will be taking off momentarily"

"AARRGGHHH!!! I certainly hope it will be taking off longer than that - we're flying to London!"

Win A Lie-Down, Mrs. Davies (kate), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't call it a tornado.

jmm, Saturday, 28 March 2026 01:59 (five days ago)

Have I previously complained about “noshing”? Crops up regularly on the NYT crossword and makes my skin crawl every time. Sounds like one of the trend words that Seattle scenester made up to spoof a newspaper which called to get the lowdown on grunge in the 90s.

assert (matttkkkk), Saturday, 28 March 2026 02:30 (five days ago)

Noshing as in eating? That's very outdated Brit slang!

brian of britain (Matt #2), Saturday, 28 March 2026 03:01 (five days ago)

Oy vey, ‘nosh’ is Yiddish.

einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Saturday, 28 March 2026 05:16 (five days ago)

it's not gnosh?! i always assumed it was the gnash relative.

My homies buttthole surfers' record sounds like a f (Western® with Bacon Flavor), Saturday, 28 March 2026 05:26 (five days ago)

No, gnash is Nordic.

The top Jewish delicatessen in Minneapolis had ‘Kibitz and Nosh’ as its advertising slogan (‘kibitz’ is Yiddish for sitting around and chatting). This is giving me Lincoln Del hiraeth and now I want a corned beef on pumpernickel experience that’s been unavailable since 2003.

einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Saturday, 28 March 2026 06:32 (five days ago)

Yeah, my grandma used to say nosh...

m0stly clean (Slowsquatch), Saturday, 28 March 2026 13:13 (five days ago)

south coast of UK in 90s... noshing was schoolboy slang for oral sex - so even now i will always have that come to mind when i hear it elsewhere

. (jamiesummerz), Saturday, 28 March 2026 14:03 (five days ago)

Didn't realise it was Yiddish! I associate the word with The Beano.

brian of britain (Matt #2), Saturday, 28 March 2026 14:30 (five days ago)

lately I've noticed people on the internet using the term "instrumentals" to just mean...music. Not like, a track that is completely sans vocals, but just the parts that are not vocals. I suppose this is like 'vinyls' where I probably jut have to accept that common usage is evolving the language, but I don't like it.

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, 28 March 2026 14:55 (five days ago)

OED says that the English verb "nosh" derives from Yiddish and originally meant "to nibble a snack, delicacy, etc." It later expanded to mean "to eat, have a meal."

The verb also led to a noun form, but there is a transatlantic difference. In North America, "nosh" as a noun retains the original limiting sense of "food which may be nibbled as a snack or delicacy," while the more general sense of "food, a meal" is chiefly British.

As an American, I'd say "nosh on some crackers" sounds quite common, "have a nosh" is recognizable but has a distinctly Jewish feel, and "have some nosh" is unfamiliar.

jaymc, Saturday, 28 March 2026 15:35 (five days ago)

xp

i saw this on the Steely Dan sub recently, someone was looking for Steely Dan instrumentals and way too many people were just answering w/parts of songs where they weren't singing.

omar little, Saturday, 28 March 2026 15:57 (five days ago)

Can't hear 'nosh' without thinking of that Giles Coren rant

kinder, Saturday, 28 March 2026 16:23 (five days ago)

Same, alas.

Alba, Saturday, 28 March 2026 20:36 (five days ago)

Neurospicy

Lady Sovereign (Citizen) (milo z), Saturday, 28 March 2026 21:13 (five days ago)

amazeballs, awesomesauce

Mollusk, Virginia (Boring, Maryland), Saturday, 28 March 2026 21:50 (five days ago)

i respond to apologies with "you're good" all the time

c u (crüt), Saturday, 28 March 2026 22:05 (five days ago)

or more precisely "ah you're good"

c u (crüt), Saturday, 28 March 2026 22:06 (five days ago)

Ok, this is more of an annoyance at my sister, but others have used it. I’ll tell her I’m going to a gig or have bought a record. She’ll ask who it is and then without fail she’ll go ‘never heard of them’.

Fair enough, but try showing some curiosity as to what they sound like instead of coming across as pig ignorant.

Dan Worsley, Monday, 30 March 2026 19:34 (three days ago)

who said that? your sister? never heard of her

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 30 March 2026 20:52 (three days ago)

i think my reflex is “all good” or “we’re good,” which is likely exactly the same but maybe is my effort to take agency not sure

strictly hard music (Hunt3r), Monday, 30 March 2026 22:17 (three days ago)

"It's all good" became so overused among hippies in my area in the early 2000s, that one of my friends would snap back at them, "No, some of it sucks!"

peace, man, Tuesday, 31 March 2026 12:47 (two days ago)

I really dislike people saying "does it pass the sniff test". Just feels gross and inappropriate for talking about a piece of software or a technical idea in the workplace, which is where I hear it most. I guess it comes from checking food in your fridge but even then it conjures horrible images of someone very carefully smelling a rancid piece of meat.

LocalGarda, Tuesday, 31 March 2026 13:22 (two days ago)

i use the sniff test on my armpits

Mollusk, Virginia (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 31 March 2026 13:24 (two days ago)

I don't even like people doing to sniff test on milk

Alba, Tuesday, 31 March 2026 13:35 (two days ago)

sure beats putting foul chunky milk in your mouth

Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Tuesday, 31 March 2026 13:37 (two days ago)

“cuck”

It’s such a right-coded insult, usually coming from guys who totally want to watch their wives getting nailed*. It popped up in a thread on here recently and I wrinkled my face and said “ew” out loud.

No problem with the kink, just it’s use as an insult in the past few years.

Cow_Art, Tuesday, 31 March 2026 13:58 (two days ago)

“Getting his/her flowers”

I’m just sick of this. I see it constantly now. It’s over, come up with another phrase.

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Thursday, 2 April 2026 03:42 (fifty-two minutes ago)

Cuck is also over.

I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Thursday, 2 April 2026 03:43 (fifty-two minutes ago)


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.