words that annoy

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The American word "math" annoys me beyond all reason - as does the English word "cheers" as a replacement for "thanks", even though I catch myself saying it quite often. "Bless" said in a certain way is another one guaranteed to piss me off.

― freedom dupont, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 09:47 (9 years ago) Permalink

"petal"

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 09:49 (9 years ago) Permalink

All those Internet abbreviations - LOL, IMHO etc

In fact all Internet clichés - references to beverages all over the keyboard in particular

The word snarky

― P.J.Harvey-Nicks (jimjones), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 09:55 (9 years ago) Permalink

Snarky is a perfectly decent word.

― David. (Cozen), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 09:57 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yes, but overused

― P.J.Harvey-Nicks (jimjones), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 09:59 (9 years ago) Permalink

Utilise. ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH, it makes me want to throw things. The word is USE.

― kate (kate), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 10:00 (9 years ago) Permalink

Mandatory. Although, the 'tory' bit has an appropriate association.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 10:44 (9 years ago) Permalink

In America they use the word 'winningest' to describe a team (in motor racing, for example) that may not necessarily be leading the league but has the most wins. As a word, it just sounds awkward and I cringe every time I hear it said.

― Alfie (Alfie), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 10:48 (9 years ago) Permalink

I hate the abbreviation TTFN! That said, saying it the right way is still for dickheads!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 10:51 (9 years ago) Permalink

janus

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 11:01 (9 years ago) Permalink

"guesstimate"

― fletrejet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 11:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

i hate the phrase '24/7'

― Fuzzy (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

Me too!

"Go figure"
"Barf"

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

bling

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

what does ttfn stand for?

― robin (robin), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:27 (9 years ago) Permalink

ta ta for now

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:28 (9 years ago) Permalink

"latest and greatest"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:37 (9 years ago) Permalink

My grandmother has been known to write letters to newspapers complaining about the (mis)use of the word 'basically'. And although I do (mis)use it myself, I have still inherited her hatred.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:52 (9 years ago) Permalink

optics, I hate the business bastardization of that one.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:54 (9 years ago) Permalink

My grandmother has been known to write letters to newspapers complaining about the (mis)use of the word 'basically'. And although I do (mis)use it myself, I have still inherited her hatred.

Similarly 'literally'.

If you can't write English properly then you're literally fucked.

― Alfie (Alfie), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 12:56 (9 years ago) Permalink

rite on!! oooh that feels gud

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

Oh yeah, 'literally'. QVC Presenter Syndrome.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:20 (9 years ago) Permalink

i hate it when people want to describe a person who has come around to an opposite way of thinking, but instead of saying "he/she has done a 180", they say "he/she has done a 360". good grief!

also, people tend to say "i could care less" when they mean "i couldn't care less"

and i detest the word "irregardless". no one uses it correctly, and it sounds very awkward.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

i hate the word "pants" when used to describe something crap.

i hate the way we in the uk now say "nine eleven" when for us it's obviously eleven nine.

"lovely jubbly" makes me want to kill.

― Officer Pupp, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:33 (9 years ago) Permalink

My pet hate is "already" used completely wrongly and arbitrarily at the end of sentences.

"Like, hey, enough with the kitten pictures already..." IT MAKES NO SENSE!

I blame Friends.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:33 (9 years ago) Permalink

"leverage" when used by corporate types (e.g., "we will leverage our bullshit bullshit experience to become a leading competitor in the bullshit bullshit market).

"paradigm" is also starting to get on my nerves. It's another overused favorite of the MBAs.

there are other many other examples of corporatespeak that irk me but I am trying not to think about them.

― quincie, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:35 (9 years ago) Permalink

"leverage you synergies"?
and
"paradigm shift"
Don't forget 'to think outside the box' while "holding good optics" on the client centeric tasks at hand.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:38 (9 years ago) Permalink

i swear within the NHS management have started referring to frontline staff as "you guys at the careface"...

― Officer Pupp, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 13:47 (9 years ago) Permalink

"i like everything, from [thing] to [distressingly similar thing]"

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 15:10 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yeah! like "i like all kinds of music- from Sting to Phil Collins"

― Officer Pupp, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 15:53 (9 years ago) Permalink

problematic

juxtapose

POSTMODERN

― daria g (daria g), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 16:16 (9 years ago) Permalink

Thinking about it, most words in English are annoying (maybe all other languages too). Words loaded with three different meanings, dopey slang, irritating labels designed to put people in boxes they maybe don't want. Etc.

Let's start again from scratch.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 16:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Carbs." If the Adkins diet doesn't go away soon somebody whose regional accent gives a particularly horrible turn to that RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is gonna get PUNCHED.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 17:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

Ann is OTM on that one. I have coworkers who talk about nothing but their carb intake and then criticize others for their carb intakes. The thing is, hello, it's not helping this particular group of people's asses get any smaller, so why bother?

― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 17:18 (9 years ago) Permalink

when you think about it, all diet talk is kind of annoying. I think it's cuz you get the lay populace playing around with scientific terms -- always a disaster, and they turn words they can't pronounce intoo cutesy nicknames. Bleah.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 17:40 (9 years ago) Permalink

I may not be able to spell it but I haven't met anyone who can't pronouce it.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 17:44 (9 years ago) Permalink

touch base

also, you use a hammer to pound nails, but
you utilize a crescent wrench to cave in the head of an officemate who doesn't care about the difference between the two words.

― Kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 18:02 (9 years ago) Permalink

"...go ahead and..."

― Annouschka Magnatech (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 18:11 (9 years ago) Permalink

proactive, i have seen it used more often than "active". it seems unnecessary, like irregardless.

― Maria (Maria), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 18:50 (9 years ago) Permalink

I hate "newfangled"
and "hifalutin" and "moist"
and my own damn name

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 18:54 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Healthful" really irritates me.

― kirsten (kirsten), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:00 (9 years ago) Permalink

Thinking about this (wow, this is actually thought-provoking), I particularly hate sci-geeks who take words out of space books/shows and use them in everyday language. I used to know someone who used the word 'felgercarb' (or whatever) all the damned time, which really pissed me off. I'm not enough of a geek to know where it's from, but I bet someone can tell me...

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:09 (9 years ago) Permalink

"copacetic" makes me want to gouge my eyes out. I suppose it's because it reminds me of stoners thinking they're wise when they use it. It's like their one dictionary word or something.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:12 (9 years ago) Permalink

'creative' as a noun referring to a person. and this shirt in particular as if people in the art dept. would actually embrace some shitty term dreamt by marketing/management/whoever to describe them and then be bad-stereotype-elitist about it. grrrr.

― lolita corpus (lolitacorpus), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:13 (9 years ago) Permalink

YES! I had a roommate once who drank an entire 6-pack in the shower every morning; by evening he'd have used the word "copacetic" at LEAST four five times.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:20 (9 years ago) Permalink

fashionista
anything "-ster" (hipster, trendster)
stalker (as an exaggeration)
"serious" when used to mean "large in magnitude"
class

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:28 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Think __________ (meets ______)!"

― felicity (felicity), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:32 (9 years ago) Permalink

"Think __________ [meets ______ (on acid)]!"

I think I will try to popularize the term "protes" for proteins.

― fletrejet, Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:36 (9 years ago) Permalink

If you count "riddum" as a word it belongs here.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:37 (9 years ago) Permalink

Just watch out for my fa free diet!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 24 September 2003 19:37 (9 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 496 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

very possibly, but it's more the frequent use in book reviews and then blurbs that causes me to go IA in bookshops or other bookish places. wild eyes. handwaving. raised voice. concerned confused looks from companions. angry asseverations it's to do with a lubberly fear of masterly/masterful pedantry.

― Fizzles, Saturday, 16 June 2012 16:59 (11 months ago) Permalink

i see now from whence you arrived and you have my full sympathy.

― Aimless, Saturday, 16 June 2012 17:06 (11 months ago) Permalink

thanks, A. not sure it is actually used out of the masterly/masterful fear, but I can't understand why ever else you'd use it. how can magisterial possibly be an appealing quality in a book, unless maybe its a historical/genre survey or other secondary text? (don't have a problem with these types of books, but they're the only groups I can imagine the word magisterial being a recommendation.)

but generally it just annoys me.

― Fizzles, Saturday, 16 June 2012 17:26 (11 months ago) Permalink

blurb writers seems to think 'magisterial' is a useful word to convey the idea that they were favorably impressed, while also showing off their vocabulary. when it turns out the book is not magisterial in any sense, you come to understand that their vocabulary is rather smaller than they thought it was.

― Aimless, Saturday, 16 June 2012 17:54 (11 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/08/literally-everyone-is-lying.html

"Literally," I'm okay--I use it every now and again. "Actually" I use too often. My Achilles Heel is "just." I use "just" (when writing) like a teenager uses "like."

― clemenza, Wednesday, 8 August 2012 14:40 (9 months ago) Permalink

noise. noise annoys.

― rods & cones (doo dah), Wednesday, 8 August 2012 18:27 (9 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

grok
parse
truthsquadding
wonk
spa
soups
mouthfeel

― horribl ecreature (harbl), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 23:38 (8 months ago) Permalink

mouthfeel

― /\ /\ Delete post (admrl), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 23:44 (8 months ago) Permalink

iconic

― horribl ecreature (harbl), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 23:58 (8 months ago) Permalink

activate

― /\ /\ Delete post (admrl), Thursday, 13 September 2012 00:02 (8 months ago) Permalink

pecadillo

― /\ /\ Delete post (admrl), Thursday, 13 September 2012 00:03 (8 months ago) Permalink

totes
simpatico (in Gringo usage)

― Loo Reading (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 13 September 2012 03:40 (8 months ago) Permalink

Heard these both tonight in the course of a conversation and wanted to get up and leave.

― Loo Reading (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 13 September 2012 03:41 (8 months ago) Permalink

females

― estela, Thursday, 13 September 2012 03:46 (8 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

moisturize

― tuplet nester (clouds), Sunday, 21 October 2012 02:54 (7 months ago) Permalink

One of my sisters hates the word "tender" because her 3rd grade teacher privately admitted to her that she had a mole in "one of her more tender areas" after seeing a mole on my sister.

― overfaded aeropostale bootcuts I have owned (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 21 October 2012 02:59 (7 months ago) Permalink

what about some love for the old legal tender?

― Aimless, Sunday, 21 October 2012 04:01 (7 months ago) Permalink

That one, so soon after telling my sister's story, made me cringe as well.

― overfaded aeropostale bootcuts I have owned (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 21 October 2012 05:45 (7 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

"lil'" as an abbreviation for little. I have no problem with this as a rapper prefix, but in the vernacular it annoys the shit out of me.

― kathryn bigelow, female juggalo (qiqing), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 01:21 (5 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

"Bodied"

― brimstead, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 18:37 (4 months ago) Permalink

"prior to"

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 10 January 2013 00:03 (4 months ago) Permalink

"undeniably"

― Fizzles, Friday, 11 January 2013 11:20 (4 months ago) Permalink

More like a phrase than a word. I can't stand documentaries/pieces of a journalism that start with voiceovers or ledes along the lines of

"I'm on a journey to discover..."

or "This is a story about..."

I blame Adam Curtis.

― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 11 January 2013 12:10 (4 months ago) Permalink

"I want to say..."

... when asked a question where you are unsure or thinking of the answer, an Americanism I sincerely hope never takes off in the UK

― Designated Striver (Tom D.), Friday, 11 January 2013 12:14 (4 months ago) Permalink

Oh, I do that a lot. My accent changes when I do it too, I start inflecting all wrong. I really must train myself out of this. I have no idea where I've picked it up from.

― ailsa, Friday, 11 January 2013 12:25 (4 months ago) Permalink

Scary

― Designated Striver (Tom D.), Friday, 11 January 2013 12:26 (4 months ago) Permalink

Actually, I've just realised I picked it up off a pal of mine, I can actually hear his voice in my head saying it right now as I'm thinking about this and it would appear that I mimic the way he does it.

― ailsa, Friday, 11 January 2013 12:33 (4 months ago) Permalink

never occurred to me that that is or might be an Americanism tbh

I do it quite often tb even more h

― nilmar wells (DJ Mencap), Friday, 11 January 2013 12:53 (4 months ago) Permalink

i'm all for imprecision in speech, the world seems pretty imprecise

― Broken Clock Britain (Noodle Vague), Friday, 11 January 2013 13:13 (4 months ago) Permalink

"REPPING" for shit

― Poliopolice, Thursday, 17 January 2013 22:31 (4 months ago) Permalink

i will always rep for shit, it's how i get rid of unnecessary waste products in my digestive tract

― non-elitist melted poo (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 17 January 2013 22:33 (4 months ago) Permalink

don't know that i've ever heard anybody say "I want to say..." Are you guys sure this isn't from South Africa or New Zealand or something?

― whose black line is it anyway? (how's life), Thursday, 17 January 2013 22:49 (4 months ago) Permalink

don't know that i've ever heard anybody say "I want to say..." Are you guys sure this isn't from South Africa or New Zealand or something?

here's an example of when this phrase might be uttered:

"Ever since Bono was gunned down in a West Hollywood brothel, I've been feeling an unusual sense of well-being."
"Wait-- Bono's dead? When did this happen?"
"Hm... I wanna say, like, 2 weeks ago...?"

― Poliopolice, Thursday, 17 January 2013 23:08 (4 months ago) Permalink

oh, ok! in terms of estimation! that makes total sense. I was reading it like "I have something that I really want to say."

― whose black line is it anyway? (how's life), Thursday, 17 January 2013 23:13 (4 months ago) Permalink

I wanna say that he died two weeks ago, but I lack the precise information or specific expertise required to guarantee that number.

― whose black line is it anyway? (how's life), Thursday, 17 January 2013 23:15 (4 months ago) Permalink

"oh is that what you mean? what a convenient way to say something. you americans sure are innovative. swooon..."

― whose black line is it anyway? (how's life), Thursday, 17 January 2013 23:17 (4 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

"proctored"

― þjóðaratkvæðagreiðsla (clouds), Sunday, 24 February 2013 15:43 (2 months ago) Permalink

"skinny" and "naked" when applied to food

― þjóðaratkvæðagreiðsla (clouds), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:43 (2 months ago) Permalink

― .... the rest look like Dudley Sutton (Tom D.), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:46 (2 months ago) Permalink

that's fine but i'm never going to actually ask for a "naked burrito" or a "skinny sandwich" by name even if that is what i'm ordering

― þjóðaratkvæðagreiðsla (clouds), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:50 (2 months ago) Permalink

automagically. ick.

― Let's talk more my bunny! (doo dah), Saturday, 2 March 2013 15:15 (2 months ago) Permalink

automagically is a perfectly presentable word, if it is being used by Billy in Family Circle.

― Aimless, Saturday, 2 March 2013 18:45 (2 months ago) Permalink

"obviously" peppered liberally into sentences where nothing described is at all obvious.
A weird twist on this: I encountered a guy who has changed it up to "ironically" - he kept saying "ironically" about twice per sentence and there was no irony whatsoever! I mean maybe THAT'S ironical idk

― kinder, Wednesday, 6 March 2013 18:47 (2 months ago) Permalink

I find myself using obviously a lot as a crutch and I hate it, obviously

― dog latin, Wednesday, 6 March 2013 18:50 (2 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

motobecane

― how's life, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:03 (3 weeks ago) Permalink

i like it; it makes me think of french people in the 80s

― love's secret borad (clouds), Wednesday, 24 April 2013 15:22 (3 weeks ago) Permalink

bangarang

what are you even skillex person

― gosh, talulah! (jumpskins), Monday, 29 April 2013 01:15 (3 weeks ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

so tired of "piece" -- the assessment piece, the evaluation piece, the blablabla piece the piece the piece the piece

piece of what?!

― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 16:59 (1 week ago) Permalink

― the white queen and her caustic judgments (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:00 (1 week ago) Permalink

that's a v impt piece

― free your spirit pig (La Lechera), Tuesday, 14 May 2013 17:01 (1 week ago) Permalink

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