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

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'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 (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)

'betwexit' = betwizzle, obv

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

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

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

everyone on this thread: get one grip

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

everyone on this thread: get one grip

"No can do"

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

I agree with the original poster about 'veggies'.

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

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

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

"Literally" improperly used.

The word "proverbial" when overused or when not referencing a proverb but an idiom or cliche. (Correct: "Let's not count our proverbial chickens just yet." Incorrect: "I'm having a proverbial bad hair day.")

Redundancy in general.

Word inflation (i.e. "efficacious" for "effective" or "efficient").

― elmo (allocryptic), Thursday, 18 August 2005 15:23 (twenty years ago)

Diarise? Diarise?!?!?!?????

Add that to my list, please.

― pullapartgirl (pullapartgirl), Thursday, 18 August 2005 15:27 (twenty years ago)

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"Making memories" has been sickeningly commercialised too

― Alba, Tuesday, 11 November 2025 15:55 (one week ago)

That phrase makes me think scatologically tbh

― sarahell, Wednesday, 12 November 2025 15:13 (one week ago)

Ugh, the baby just made some serious memories, ew

― calmer chameleon (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 12 November 2025 15:16 (one week ago)

I mean … that’s what babies do?

― sarahell, Wednesday, 12 November 2025 15:19 (one week ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6kIZ0BCvUU

― fluffy tufts university (f. hazel), Wednesday, 12 November 2025 15:34 (one week ago)

'raw dog'

― Sam Weller, Monday, 17 November 2025 14:20 (six days ago)

& the dweebs

― giving you schtick (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 17 November 2025 14:44 (six days ago)

'the juice wasn't worth the squeeze'

heard this twice in a week by journalists on NPR, must be having a moment

― Andy the Grasshopper, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 00:54 (five days ago)

It usually accompanies a “nothingburger” iirc

― sarahell, Friday, 21 November 2025 20:18 (two days ago)

nothingburger with a side of fuck-all fries

― Edward Albee Sure (Neanderthal), Friday, 21 November 2025 21:08 (two days ago)

Is it just me or are people introducing their sentences with the word "honestly" more than they used to? ex: "Honestly? I don't really like cilantro"

Like no one is doubting this very mundane thing you are saying, there is no reason to take an oath

― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 21 November 2025 23:47 (two days ago)

Sadly I came by that habit by being treated like shit by people who made me feel bad expressing myself

― Edward Albee Sure (Neanderthal), Friday, 21 November 2025 23:54 (two days ago)

i dislike “honestly” because the implied alternative is what, dishonesty? there is the superiority of “frankly,” which has antonyms not of dishonesty but of indirectness or evasiveness. at least to me

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Saturday, 22 November 2025 00:35 (yesterday)

"genuinely" has seemingly been on the increase here in the last few years - I blame Jonathan Ross

― kinder, Saturday, 22 November 2025 08:25 (yesterday)

had a former coworker who was a power user of 'quite frankly'

thanks to the joys of open-plan offices, it became a game to count how many times they used it on a phone call

― mookieproof, Sunday, 23 November 2025 00:14 (sixteen hours ago)

ha those kinds of office nonsense can provide the only good times imo

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Sunday, 23 November 2025 00:20 (sixteen hours ago)

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