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

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (12359 of them)

what?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

That seems like it'd be right up your alley, TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

My friends got into saying "P-word" as a jokingly PC way of saying "pussy" .. i.e. - "so-and-so is a p-word." I tried to explain that it's a real pussy move to be afraid of saying pussy and hypocritical of anyone then to call anyone else a p-word. I think it fell on deaf ears.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

my p hurts!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

If my dad wants to agree with something you've said, he says "This is true." It really, really gets me annoyed, for no other reason than overuse as far as I can think.

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:21 (twenty-two years ago)

"Have a Cool Yule!" - I haven't actually heard this lately but because of the season I remembered this the other day and darkly mulled over its wankiness.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

using "Cool Yule" seems like it should automatically warrant a knife in the face.

― El Santo Claus (Kingfish), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

My father met Cheech Marin while drunk and got his autograph. My father is not the autograph type, but kept it because it is a small bar napkin that says "BE COOL FOOL, CHEECH." A man of few words, that Cheech.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I cant stand it when I hear someone say 'impactful' is that even a word? Impact is not a property, its created.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

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

Four Words: Use Other Words Please
"Use other words please."
Commonly used phrases that inexplicably bug you
Most irritating cliche/phrase/expression
"Taking Things to a Whole `Nother Level!"
words that annoy
Words that should earn the author a slap
PROVERBIAL and other tip offs to poor writing

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm getting really pissed of with american interpretations of 'Liberal', 'Libertarian' and 'Conservative'

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I also get upset about "N-Word" as well. If you're using it in a critical context, people will understand that. If you're not, then you should have the conviction to let people hear it if you want to say it.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate "touch base" and "metrosexual"

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

OH come on, let's touch bases.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, "metrosexual" is possible the lamest noun of the new millenia.

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

Or is it an adjective? I don't know.

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

If my dad wants to agree with something you've said, he says "This is true." It really, really gets me annoyed, for no other reason than overuse as far as I can think.

-- caitlin (wpsal...) (webmail), December 23rd, 2003. (caitlin)

Oh yes, yes yes. I second that one. And the people who say it, say it over and over.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:02 (twenty-two years ago)

But Ed, those words have different interpretations in almost every country in which they are used.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:03 (twenty-two years ago)

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)

Skipping 12259 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/616NKng3dML._AC_SL1200_.jpg

― mick signals, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:42 (three weeks ago)

woke has gone too far, we can't even drink real bat milk now?

― obvious old hat (rob), Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:51 (three weeks ago)

lol

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:52 (three weeks ago)

singing this to the tune of Firestarter

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:53 (three weeks ago)

unfortunately I'm batose intolerant

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:53 (three weeks ago)

I thought Bat Milk Replacer was a Captain Beefheart album?

― Clarinet Cop (Tom D.), Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:55 (three weeks ago)

love me some fledermilk biscuits

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:55 (three weeks ago)

excelsior thread derail

― Andy the Grasshopper, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 20:59 (three weeks ago)

Dunna nunna nunna nunna

Bat miiiiilk

― a burrito, my gazebo (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 8 April 2026 21:23 (three weeks ago)

you have to pasteurize it otherwise you might get e. cholocation

― Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 21:36 (three weeks ago)

Anybody else going to Wombaroo 2026?

― mick signals, Wednesday, 8 April 2026 21:39 (three weeks ago)

lol i’m snorting and laughing in the bathroom wombaroo lol

― Cow_Art, Thursday, 9 April 2026 00:12 (three weeks ago)

e. cholocation... damn...

― m0stly clean (Slowsquatch), Thursday, 9 April 2026 15:58 (three weeks ago)

two weeks pass...

this has probably been going on for much longer than i'm aware, but

loathe COMPUTE as a noun apparently denoting 'computational power'

― mookieproof, Saturday, 25 April 2026 03:31 (one week ago)

Extremely yes and also I actually think that's the same way that the guy meant to use the word "intelligence" a few weeks ago? When he said effectively "In the future, we will own all the intelligence" or whatever? Which is also an extremely annoying way to appropriate the word "intelligence" and I think mislead a lot of people to get offended about not the real point.

― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Saturday, 25 April 2026 15:07 (one week ago)

these days you generally aren't buying hardware to perform computational tasks, you're buying time on a distributed system to perform computational tasks. it's not even an AI thing, almost everything we do on computers now involves computation that happens in the cloud and not on your own device. google, netflix, compute... all synonyms, the latter is just unbranded.

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Saturday, 25 April 2026 15:49 (one week ago)

they should call it "cloud juice" instead

― Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio, Saturday, 25 April 2026 15:57 (one week ago)

cloud juicing our biggest national economic concern, the pulp is ground mash of 350mil ppl

― strictly hard music (Hunt3r), Saturday, 25 April 2026 16:53 (one week ago)

hubby

― dream mummy (map), Saturday, 25 April 2026 20:30 (one week ago)

hubby is sappy

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Saturday, 25 April 2026 21:01 (one week ago)

Hubby probably the worst of them but all colloquial names for a spouse are bad: my better half, her indoors, the missus. Ball and chain maybe OK in a depressing way.

― Alba, Saturday, 25 April 2026 21:06 (one week ago)

The other day in a chat with clients, a colleague used “learnings” … I was reminded of how annoying it is. This colleague also does a painful (to me) amount of uptalk. In most of the contexts where they are speaking and I am present, it reinforces the sense that this person does not know what they are talking about. Thus, I suspect this colleague is super insecure about their professional abilities and is using words like the hated “learnings” to compensate.

― sarahell, Saturday, 25 April 2026 21:06 (one week ago)

It’s like wearing a t-shirt that says “Ask me about the Dunning-Kruger effect”

― assert (matttkkkk), Saturday, 25 April 2026 21:29 (one week ago)

soupy dunning-kruger was a tremendous social scientist and should be more widely known it’s a smart shirt

― strictly hard music (Hunt3r), Saturday, 25 April 2026 23:45 (one week ago)

they should call it "cloud juice" instead

they should call it time sharing instead

― rob, Sunday, 26 April 2026 00:16 (one week ago)

compute compote

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Sunday, 26 April 2026 01:47 (one week ago)

Which reminds me of -maxxing, as in looksmaxxing or tokenmaxxing. Not least because my mind reads it as "smacking", which makes me wonder why lipstick is suddenly so important. Look-smacking? What?

It's presumably derived from the min-maxing of role-playing games, but with an extra X. If I search google news for "maxxing" today I get looksmaxxing, protein-maxxing, lethality-maxxing, friction-maxxing, color-maxxing - "the Jennifer Lawrence-approved fashion trend of Spring 2026" - scent-maxxing, sleep-maxxing, wellness-maxxing, nonna-maxxing, and that's just on the first page of the results. Presumably the writers were handed a list of keywords and told to generate some crap that had maxxing in it.

I'm going to invent Michael Madsen-Maxxing, which is where you drink heavily. I'm going to invented it. I'm inventing it now. I have now invented Michael Madsen-Maxxing. We have all entered a new age, and I am your leader. In this one, narrow field.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Monday, 27 April 2026 22:42 (one week ago)

I am having trouble with the current use of "fuck with" as a synonym for "like."

Just saw "that's your band? I fuck with you guys so hard." Not sexual in context, just meaning "I dig your vibes."

"Fuck with" already had the colloquial meaning of disturb or interfere.

Related, "fucks" as a synonym for "rocks." "This album fucks so hard."

― livin la vida yoko (Ye Mad Puffin), Monday, 27 April 2026 22:56 (one week ago)

I wouldn't say it is a synonym for "like," more like "positively engage with." I like that it suggests active participation, not mere passive enjoyment.

― jaymc, Monday, 27 April 2026 23:03 (one week ago)

most verbs in English are overloaded, "fuck" famously so

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Tuesday, 28 April 2026 00:13 (six days ago)

i felt so undeservedly good about myself when my coworker exclaimed "THATS WHY I FUCK WITH BRIMSTEAD" after i started badmouthing white people

― brimstead, Tuesday, 28 April 2026 00:33 (six days ago)

badmaxxing

― strictly hard music (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 28 April 2026 02:34 (six days ago)

i, for one, am giving fuckmaxxing

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 28 April 2026 03:08 (six days ago)

xp a few years back I would hear people say "I fucks with that" ... most cringe shit ever. However I have come to accept "I fuck with that" depending on context and speaker

― Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria de Episcopio, Tuesday, 28 April 2026 03:22 (six days ago)

the ‘offs

― strictly hard music (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 02:42 (five days ago)

Roll tide. I don't watch college football, I have no idea what this term means, it doesn't make grammatical sense to me, every time I read it I get pissed off

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 20:57 (five days ago)

Hmm. Isn't it grammaticaly the same as Rule Britannia? Imperative verb plus proper noun.

(My wish is that you will) rule, Britannia, (personification of my nation) over the waves.

(My wish is that you will) roll, Tide (metonym for my school's team and therefore my sports allegiance) over your opponents.

It even makes a bit more sense because the metaphor is sound. It is natural for a tide to roll.

― kim jong illin' (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 21:50 (five days ago)

Does it refer to the NCAA team the Crimson Tide?

― sarahell, Wednesday, 29 April 2026 21:52 (five days ago)

Yes plus the laundry detergent they will need after playing.

― kim jong illin' (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 21:55 (five days ago)

I believe you are supposed to imagine a sea of crimson-jerseyed players rolling down the field like a great tide

― whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 22:19 (five days ago)

you're really not gonna like the Ole Miss one

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Wednesday, 29 April 2026 23:30 (five days ago)

"Completionist" instead of "completist."

― jaymc, Friday, 1 May 2026 13:50 (three days ago)

does this thread also cover punctuation?

the smart quotes in the American politics thread title.

― koogs, Saturday, 2 May 2026 01:54 (two days ago)

smart quotes are good, but so fickle

― mookieproof, Saturday, 2 May 2026 02:33 (two days ago)

it's more the way ilx doesn't know how to render them the first time it sees them so the bookmark replaces them with ?s

― koogs, Saturday, 2 May 2026 04:32 (two days ago)

true

― mookieproof, Saturday, 2 May 2026 04:35 (two days ago)

the second close quote is actually straight. but both apostrophes are also 'smart' so there's a lot going on there. roll on June.

― koogs, Saturday, 2 May 2026 08:19 (two days ago)

extremely important for everyone to read the same Donald Trump quote several times a day for a month

― Sgt. Biscuits, Saturday, 2 May 2026 10:29 (two days ago)

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