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

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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-one 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-one years ago)

or "bits"

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

optics

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

also photonic inplace of optic

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

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

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

one year passes...

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

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

"YUM-O"

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

cf.

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

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

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

"Chav"

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

bourgie?

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

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

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

"what the...?"

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

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

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

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

"hating on"

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

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

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

dude, i call people 'boss'.

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

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

'Whilst'

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

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

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

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

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

'betwexit' = betwizzle, obv

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:47 (nineteen years ago)

i bet you all hate 'innit', too. i can't help it! *weeps*

― g-kit (g-kit), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:48 (nineteen years ago)

u say innit, only to piss people off, though, geez.

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:50 (nineteen years ago)

everyone on this thread: get one grip

― Britain's Jauntiest Shepherd (Alan), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

People who say or write 'cliche' when they mean 'cliched'–it's becoming very common and it really annoys me.

― estela (estela), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

everyone on this thread: get one grip

"No can do"

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

I agree with the original poster about 'veggies'.

― estela (estela), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

Today I'm hating 'power off' and 'power down'. I've heard them said far too many times this morning.

'If I can just ask you to power off your machine'.

What's wrong with switch off?

― Rumpie, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:54 (nineteen years ago)

"Thanking you" instead of "Thank you". Aaaaaarggggggghhhh!

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:54 (nineteen years ago)

"Peeps," for some reason, stirs a visceral reaction in my soul. I loathe it so.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

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Men who call their wife/partner ‘babe’ constantly

i keep seeing this on reddit in people's txt conversations and it makes my eyes cross. who are these people.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Friday, 11 July 2025 23:23 (yesterday)

i also hate basketball announcers using 'bigs'

― mookieproof, Friday, 11 July 2025 23:25 (yesterday)

As kids born in the '60s, the older members of our family were the "grups," stolen from a Star Trek episode.

― Hideous Lump, Saturday, 12 July 2025 05:31 (thirteen hours ago)

Given that the past tense of read is read, and there is an English word lead which is pronounced led, it makes perfect sense that the past tense of lead would be lead. But it isn't. It's led. And it drives me absolutely nuts how nobody seems to remember that. I feel like I imagined it.

― trishyb, Saturday, 12 July 2025 11:54 (seven hours ago)

Better red than lead

― Alba, Saturday, 12 July 2025 12:44 (six hours ago)

Please. I'm alredy ded.

― trishyb, Saturday, 12 July 2025 13:04 (six hours ago)

"policy wonk"

― hungover beet poo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 July 2025 13:46 (five hours ago)

Does the word ‘wonk’ derive from the idea that they should know things backwards?

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Saturday, 12 July 2025 13:51 (five hours ago)

it should actually be leaded

― tuah dé danann (darraghmac), Saturday, 12 July 2025 13:53 (five hours ago)

used by Washington elite types to disparage a person's interest in policy detail as if this were a vulgarity

― hungover beet poo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 July 2025 13:54 (five hours ago)

Working, as I do, in Washington DC I prefer the term "wank."

Experts in policy are known as policy wankers.

― je ne sequoia (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:01 (five hours ago)

wanking is policy I endorse

― hungover beet poo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:03 (five hours ago)

I wank for a think tank

― je ne sequoia (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:05 (five hours ago)

xp
https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/wonk.php

short answer: no one knows where wonk comes from

― rob, Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:08 (five hours ago)

Compare: boffin

― je ne sequoia (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:16 (five hours ago)

“On the go” anyone?

― einstürzende louboutin (suzy), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:47 (four hours ago)

"boffin" or "boff" was the equivalent of "nerd" at my high school, like "why'd you put your hand up in class, you fucking boff?" before you got punched.

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 12 July 2025 14:53 (four hours ago)

Re: babe, I had a FRIEND regularly call me that for 2 years. It was weird as we were never romantically involved and we hadn't known each other particularly long

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 12 July 2025 16:53 (two hours ago)

I like the term “olds” … I will refer to people under 35 as “the youngs”

I refer to my kids as “the two yoots”

― Sam Weller, Saturday, 12 July 2025 19:06 (twenty-two minutes ago)

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