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

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"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)

"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-one years ago)

'betwexit' = betwizzle, obv

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:47 (twenty-one 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 (twenty-one years ago)

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

― N_RQ, Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

everyone on this thread: get one grip

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

everyone on this thread: get one grip

"No can do"

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree with the original poster about 'veggies'.

― estela (estela), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:53 (twenty-one 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 (twenty-one years ago)

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

― Diddyismus (Dada), Thursday, 18 August 2005 11:54 (twenty-one 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 (twenty-one years ago)

it's funny because andy's at the top of the thread are the exact things that bug me, too.

― Homosexual II (Homosexual II), Thursday, 18 August 2005 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 13040 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

c) alfred, i think you know, let’s don’t pretend. it’s because of me chasing performance i did a lot of orthorexic shit in the 90s.

With all due respect, I didn't know -- this is the kind of detail that gets lost on ILX after three decades.

― stopping by billy woods on a snowy evening (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 21 October 2026 23:08 (two weeks ago)

Hunter, I get it. I have had problems with disordered eating my whole life— for reference, I was 215 in December of my freshman year of high school, and 118 by April of my sophomore year. At the moment I am
hitting what I need to but getting everything right, especially as my metabolism has slowed (I am 42), has been very fucking tiresome. Sorry to have lashed out.

― out of the cradle endlessly party rocking (the table is the table), Wednesday, 21 October 2026 23:09 (two weeks ago)

you’re all super kind thx. I remember like 25+ yrs afo how i was gonna meet my protein recommendations i was like “yo that shit’s impossible even with greek yogurt in a funnel yo.”

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 21 October 2026 23:37 (two weeks ago)

“ago” plus other errors.

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 21 October 2026 23:37 (two weeks ago)

also tabes, upon late review those numbers are real hard to read, sorry again. i sure hope you’re well, happy, and content. i know battles similar or overlapping to those, that’s all.

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Thursday, 22 October 2026 02:35 (two weeks ago)

I have reached my limit with 'genocide' used as a verb

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Sunday, 1 November 2026 23:03 (one week ago)

what is the genesis of "speaking of"?
it doesn't make sense grammatically and the longer / what i assume to be the more old-fashioned "speaking of which" is easy to say, coming out "speaknawitch", as it does

― massaman gai (front tea for two), Monday, 2 November 2026 11:53 (one week ago)

A lot of the complaints ITT tend to be about words and phrases (and ideas) that have broken out from niche but legit spheres of interest (marketing, fitness, psychology, social justice, gen Z slang) and into the mainstream where they get so inappropriately overused they lose all meaning.

For instance "gaslighting" being used to mean "disagreeing with someone". Or perhaps the complaint upthread about "creative" being used as a noun (literally my job title is "Creative" - a legitimate word in the marketing world for what I do and what I produce as part of my job).

― snark of mall Ds (dog latin), Monday, 2 November 2026 13:21 (one week ago)

what is the genesis of "speaking of"?

dangling participles perhaps ill-advised in writing but in everyday speech they're as common as they are unambiguous

"speaking of" started as a regular old present participle and over time became an idiom used as a discourse marker, you use it to introduce a new but related topic

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Monday, 2 November 2026 15:49 (one week ago)

Hazel you are always the voice of reason (that is maybe wasted on this thread's nonsense)

― L'enfer, c'est les otters (Noodle Vague), Monday, 2 November 2026 15:52 (one week ago)

yeah those words and phrases are breaking contain

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Monday, 2 November 2026 16:17 (one week ago)

haha, I like being able to use my education!

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Monday, 2 November 2026 17:17 (one week ago)

"Is [XXXXX] in the room with us now?"

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 9 November 2026 21:34 (yesterday)

yeah that one's getting old

― Andy the Grasshopper, Monday, 9 November 2026 21:36 (yesterday)

akin to the aforementioned 'show me on the doll where XXXX hurt you'

― Andy the Grasshopper, Monday, 9 November 2026 21:36 (yesterday)

“one of the only” was on a news report today, i puked and thought i’d bring it here. then it appeared in a nice poster’s thread moments later. so now this is one of the only terrible phrases i’ve adopted as my own.

― i am beyond the number of fingers (Hunt3r), Monday, 9 November 2026 21:48 (yesterday)

it's almost 2027, all those aphorisms can be retired now, along with 'lives rent free in my head'

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Monday, 9 November 2026 21:53 (yesterday)

Apologize if it’s been mentioned, but GOAT and GOATED. So sick of it

― pj, Tuesday, 10 November 2026 06:30 (twenty-three minutes ago)

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