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?"

Hoist a cold frosty one up to the Lord

High five the Lord

I don't think I've been to mass in 15 years and yet reading the above I was lifting my heart to the lord and giving hella thx and praise. It crazy how you just don't forget those things.

In MS Teams you can "send praise" to someone, and also view your "praise history" and we use it for comedic effect but it's a little bit triggering tbh.

More in the spirit of this thread: In a direct service-style environment where people/organizations do a lot of service provision, there's an unfortunate tendency to say that you have "serviced" someone, and I just...I respect people who don't hear this with sexual connotations but I myself can't escape it. I'll say we "served" our guests but my brain just won't engage with "servicing" them.

lol

I saw a sign on the road yesterday that read "Fines Double When Workers Present" and I kept thinking of "present" as a verb (think primates and sex) and laughing. If a highway maintenance worker presented at me like a mandrill, I might never recover.

I realize that Empire Records is terrible, but a few notes as someone who watched it every few weeks for many years:
- I still say "shock me shock me shock me with that deviant behavior"
- the music in it is actually, like, not terrible? the soundtrack has some great songs on it, including "Bright as Yellow" by the Innocence Mission, the Christian alt-folk band that I have a thing for.
- Brendan Sexton III is a fine actor

why would empire records have a higher bar set for it than any movie aimed at cool teenagers ever tbf

It suffers a lot when compared to other movies aimed at cool teenagers.

More in the spirit of this thread: In a direct service-style environment where people/organizations do a lot of service provision, there's an unfortunate tendency to say that you have "serviced" someone, and I just...I respect people who don't hear this with sexual connotations but I myself can't escape it. I'll say we "served" our guests but my brain just won't engage with "servicing" them.

I have been in many meetings where “service their unit” has been said

And then there is “service the members” …

"Why isn't there a thread about (_________)?" thread titles

Lol what

Someone sent me a cold email proposing a novel project. Then I noticed it used the word "delve."

— Paul Graham (@paulg) April 7, 2024

"Can't wait" has started to annoy the shit out of me. Especially in its first person plural form.
"We can't wait to see all you lovely people for what promises to be a very special night."
"Guess what, it's nearly Easter and we can't wait to show you our special Easter menu!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3xICOc13wk

In the speciality corner "Abbreviations that annoy the shit out of you", I've just realised that a common denominator for me might be abbreviating a word to end on an "O". Don't like "mayo", don't like "Glasto".

Avo

I blame Australians.

Yeah, but I don't mind it if it's added to a word that didn't have an o in the first place. Arvo? Smoko? Go for it.

I know afternoon has is in it but I mean it hasn't been truncated at one of them. Afterno.

'sunnies' for sunglasses

Pretty sure 'selfie' originated in Australia

i also find these cutesy truncations annoying, except when australians do it! idk why. it just seems so hot and dusty over there they deserve a little fun

I can't go a day without encountering the word "liminal" and it drives me nuts.

That's a great word!

I like it, aesthetically, but I'm pretty tired of encountering it.

Yeah "liminal" is a word that all of a sudden i started seeing every day.

i just played superliminal last week for the first time and i loved it

i wonder if it's related to everybody being a "switch" nowadays ;)

Liminal became an aesthetic identity. It always happens to the best words.

It's just nice to see that the singer for Kajagoogoo is still the talk of the town.

Umm, he was actually the bass player

Ha i was thinking earlier this week how liminal has been ruined

and 'liminal space' in particular. which doesn't have any good synonyms but now means the creepypasta thing where everything looks like the video to one of moby's ambient tunes

except when australians do it! idk why. it just seems so hot and dusty over there they deserve a little fun
It kills me when people say this, as I stare out the window after a week of miserable pissy drizzle and 14C days, th weak watery autumn sun trying its best on grey Melbourne cobbles.

i was purely joking, sounds like you do deserve a little fun though!

“liminal space” synonym is “the backrooms” according to the kids iirc

^ yes

I kept getting backrooms stuff on Tik Tok and had to figure out wtf it was supposed to be.

The what? What’s the back rooms?

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

John cale to thread

Ah OK like Severance

Doesn't annoy me that much except when watching US State Department press conferences (like right now) where absolutely everybody says it every minute or so: "speaks to" instead of "speaks about" or "speaks of".

It's just nice to see that the singer for Kajagoogoo is still the talk of the town.

the neverending usaaaaage

based on that wikipedia article, I'd identify that backrooms stuff as just yer basic "objective correlative" for a particular kind of dread that has been showing up in post-armageddon films and stories for half a century at least. otherwise known as "here's the church and here's the steeple, open the doors, where are all the people?"

This post resonates with me (I do not resonate with it): https://annehelen.substack.com/p/i-resonate-with-that-nails-on-chalkboard

"Do you like this post? Are you already thinking of all the people you want to forward it to and debate it with? Consider Subscribing! Support the things THAT RESONATE WITH YOU"

Heh