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

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

-- 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.

I also have a horror of people who write prolifically in all caps.

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?

Also: 'fridge,' girls who refer to each other as 'girl,' proactive...i'll be back when i think of more....

'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.

Wait, huh? Fridge is the thing you put food in, whats wrong with it?

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?"

As used to describe a footballer running into a streak of good form

When used in phrases like "a raft of policies" or "a raft of new measures" - why?!?!??!!?

Getting sick of rioters in the UK being described as thugs, largely as the word derives from the Thuggee gangs of India who may not even have existed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee

Contemporary scholarship is increasingly skeptical of the thuggee concept, and has questioned the existence of such a phenomenon,[7][8] which has led many historians to describe thuggee as the invention of the British colonial regime.[9]

I propose the alternatives of yobs, ruffians, rapscallions, ne'er-do-wells, or rowdys.

Made me laugh: just saw someone I like call himself out on TV for saying "At the end of the day" twice within a minute, then he said "at the end of the day" two more times in the next minute.

it is what it is

At the end of the day, that's true.

And that's okay

Your regular reminder that “your regular reminder” is so fucking irritating.

When a sports announcer says, "that's a man's ____, right there..." - especially in Olympic basketball.

I dont know who needs to hear this..... but it's kinda surreal that at the end of the day, it just is what it is

“Have a day, ATHLETE”

"Robust" used indiscriminately. Can't remember when it came into vogue--maybe as far back as Obamacare? ("A robust public option.") I heard someone on the radio today who recommended a website as having "a robust amount of information." Which would be like what--it's detailed?

I have grown weary of “situation,” particularly in cooking youtubes

‘Robust’ was a big fave of David Cameron’s so I’m assuming it’s a nudge unit thing.

I would OTM that if I knew what a nudge unit was.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_Insights_Team

Does Adam Curtis know about these people?

He does.

neither word nor phrase but that heart sign people make with their hands

neither word nor phrase but that heart sign people make with their hands

So, in the past few months I have gotten “a promotion” which means I get to attend meetings with people from other orgs and local government staff… as opposed to mainly working with the people who my org helps… so I now have moved from the annoying “woo woo” language to the corporate jargon that many of you already suffer with.

On a sociological level, I notice how the jargon use often mirrors the hierarchy… if the department head talks about a project as a “container” then a month or so later, their underling will also start talking about a project as a “container”… and I have to try not to make a face or ask, “like a shipping container? Shipping containers aren’t considered buildings or subject to building codes if they are kept on wheels…”

https://i.thriftbooks.com/api/imagehandler/m/F0074583EFC9562CAA3B14F2352C2800CF12CE4E.jpeg

I still hate “morph” as a synonym for “change” every time I encounter it.

In orbit … u know i want to read that

I have it! Come over and borrow it some time. xo

I haven't heard 'learnings' in a while now - there's always some fresh new word to dazzle, you don't wanna be caught using stale jargon - but it was pretty well abused in nonprofit circles just prior to covid

(I heard somewhere that shipping containers are possibly the 20th century's greatest invention that nobody talks about)

Learnings is awful and I cannot help but hear it in an ‘Igor’ voice when it appears on the page/screen.

xp
depends on what you mean by "greatest"

I do really HATE hate "learnings." It evokes the Lloyd Alexander character Gurgi imo -- "yearnings and learnings for Gurgi, oh yes."

lool

That's on my list to read too! xpost

shipping container buildings is my favourite Grand Designs / tiny house sub-genre

twice today I've heard "trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube"...

Not sure if I hate it but it's interesting to see how these things have their moment

Does it “add value”?

Levinson's shipping container book absolutely worth reading if you suspect it's your thing. This one too...

https://f.media-amazon.com/images/I/91AFvKf1ygL._SL1500_.jpg

oooooh now I want a new book.

although the phrase doesn't innately bother me, there's been an alarming increase of "lean into" in recent months

https://ideas.time.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/03/book.jpg?w=720&h=480&crop=1

^ written about a decade ago

re Shipping containers , also well worth watching this Sekula film

https://www.theforgottenspace.net/

'colourway'

https://imgur.com/Oggx5G2

seem to be running into this a lot lately when reading about/watching news on tech or fashion. completely superfluous.

"this is the new macbook pro in a space black colorway"

...not sure where my jpeg is, but it's the trend graph of the word's usage from google...

in 2024, everything is feral or potentially feral

also while i'm at it, and this is one i occasionally use, but about 10 years ago many of us realized it wasn't a good practice to call everything "crazy" all the time in a positive way. "wow, they won the game? that's crazy!" etc. i think it was fine to move away from it, "crazy" has some issues and the word had a good run. but now, everything is "wild". wow that's wild. everything is wild and potentially feral. i still say "wild", so i'm not trying to make anyone reading this feel bad. this thread's wild! but yeah i might just start seeing "good"

Anything new and distinct that everyone starts using all at once usually annoys me, and then I eventually surrender and start using it as well. That's how "wild" has for me recently.

Fire

Also never forget “will be wild”
The podcast by the same name was also quite good tbh