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

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Lately, "veggies" has been bugging the shit out of me... too flip, too Australian sounding. Also, "At the end of the day..." is being heavily abused by politicos... a new catch-phrase with no meaning.

Now, a small cadre of philistines in my office has been using the word "outreach" as a NOUN... "Were you able to establish some outreach with the printers?" etc.

What language abuses have been rubbing you raw lately?

― andy, Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"TURN BACK YOU POXY FULE"

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

what?

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

my p hurts!

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

I hate "touch base" and "metrosexual"

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

OH come on, let's touch bases.

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

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

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

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

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

I know, oops, but still it pisses me off.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:54 (twenty-one 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-one years ago)

Space. All this crap about needing space. Fuck off, then.

― Roderick the Visigoth. (Jake Proudlock), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

All girls must now refer to one another as "guy"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:30 (twenty-one years ago)

ok?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:30 (twenty-one 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-one years ago)

'exact same'.

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"bird" instead of "girl" or "woman". AAAAAARGH.

― Melly E (Melly E), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 21:10 (twenty-one 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-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 (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)

Skipping 11610 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

"And to “shake your booty” means to wiggle one’s butt"

It's only a matter of time before there's a Bill and Ted sequel in which Bill and Ted travel back to pirate times, and they meet a lady pirate played by Beyonce, who is holding a bag of gold coins, and they ask her to shake her booty, and she jingles the bag of gold coins. Everybody laughs. Applause. Curtains.

It feels like the kind of joke that was probably used in one of those not-quite A-list mid-2000s comedies, such as Scooby Doo or Get Smart, obviously with modifications, but it must have been done already.

Have I mentioned case? As in "use case". The use case of this gadget is obvious. This thing has an obvious use case. It doesn't fit any use case I envisage. I struggle to see its use case. My own use case for X is Y. And so on. It just feels like an unnecessary expansion of use intended to sound a bit smarter and more formal.

e.g. use. Not use. I mean use, as in use. Short use, not long use. Yoos. Not youse.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:49 (two weeks ago)

The man never doesn’t miss

― GY!BP (wins), Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:51 (two weeks ago)

still working on that Adrian Chiles column?

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:52 (two weeks ago)

The overuse of "manifest."

― hungover beet poo (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 13 September 2025 19:54 (two weeks ago)

In Ashley’s cinematic dystopia, there will also be a “clever” reference to Manifest Destiny and the lady pirate is Manifest Destiny’s Child and people will discuss this earnestly online.

― sarahell, Saturday, 13 September 2025 20:12 (two weeks ago)

you are my manifest density

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 13 September 2025 20:17 (two weeks ago)

xp insert sheik yerbouti zappa pic here

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Saturday, 13 September 2025 23:23 (two weeks ago)

"In Ashley’s cinematic dystopia, there will also be a “clever” reference to Manifest Destiny and the lady pirate is Manifest Destiny’s Child and people will discuss this earnestly online."

In my mind the character will slink into frame with the opening bars of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" playing non-diegetically in the background, because it's 2005 and the producer/director/whoever still remembers From Dusk 'til Dawn.

Twenty years later the Great Internet Content Farm will run a bunch of articles on the topic of whether the character was an offensive stereotype, or a surprisingly well-researched depiction of voodoo, with each article illustrated by a photo of the character in a bikini, and the majority of the actual content will be posts from Reddit.

― Ashley Pomeroy, Sunday, 14 September 2025 14:58 (two weeks ago)

We WILL make money on AI yet who doesn’t want— nay NEED! that content?

― beige accent rug (Hunt3r), Sunday, 14 September 2025 16:49 (two weeks ago)

less annoy, more fill me with dread: 'pivot'

― she freaks, she speaks (map), Friday, 19 September 2025 02:03 (one week ago)

now see I love a pivot table

― kinder, Friday, 19 September 2025 10:07 (one week ago)

surely we have already covered "timeline cleanse?"

― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 19 September 2025 20:25 (one week ago)

sounds like the title of a Dan Simmons book

― brimstead, Friday, 19 September 2025 20:27 (one week ago)

or something.

― brimstead, Friday, 19 September 2025 20:27 (one week ago)

'timeline cleanse'? does it start with stewed prunes?

Never heard of it

― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 19 September 2025 20:34 (one week ago)

Aka brain bleach

― shot the archduke but not the deputy (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 19 September 2025 21:39 (one week ago)

On days full of bad news (basically, all of them), someone on social media will post that phrase along with something cute from Sesame Street, or some vacuous affirmation thing, or Betty White breaking character on the set of Golden Girls or something. I guess the general idea is that it's meant to be a brief wholesome break from our daily horrors. I like the idea,, but given the state of the world, I find it can have a trolling effect

― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 19 September 2025 23:21 (one week ago)

I get it.. I remember reading an interview with some really doomy/apocalyptic naturalist philosopher dude who saw the environment as irreversibly in decline.. but he admitted to playing online poker in this downtime

― Andy the Grasshopper, Friday, 19 September 2025 23:27 (one week ago)

can we please stop calling food "dirty" now?

https://i.postimg.cc/nc5dPD1G/20250917-223237.jpg

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 21 September 2025 12:41 (one week ago)

in the case of KFC, it is legally obligated under FDA guidelines

― whimsical skeedaddler (Moodles), Sunday, 21 September 2025 12:56 (one week ago)

There needs to be an exemption for the New Orleans dish "dirty rice".

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Sunday, 21 September 2025 17:07 (one week ago)

no exceptions

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 21 September 2025 17:57 (one week ago)

or exemptions for that matter

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 21 September 2025 17:58 (one week ago)

in which case I shall ignore your disrespectful proscription and observe the tradition whenever I eat that glorious dish

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Sunday, 21 September 2025 18:57 (one week ago)

I'm sure it's delicious, but would be even more so if it had another name.

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 21 September 2025 19:06 (one week ago)

you are tilting your hat against millions of New Orleanians, past and present and the spritually-aligned. you shall not prevail

― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Sunday, 21 September 2025 19:15 (one week ago)

I will also extend the prohibition to "filthy" and "naughty"

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Sunday, 21 September 2025 19:16 (one week ago)