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Thursday, December 04, 2008

I'm Annoying

I know this is old hat by now but the holiday season always keeps me at least 3 weeks behind the latest buzz about town.

And whatevs, it amuses me.

Last month Oxford researchers released their "Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases in the English Language" and the list was as follows

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

I say more of those than I care to admit, especially at work. I love "Absolutely" and call pretty much everything a nightmare especially in reference to traffic or meetings. And while I don't say it too often I kind of love "With all due respect" because it usually precedes something bitchy. My vocabulary is also chock a block with many, many other "annoying" phrases that are not on the list such as, well, "chock a block", "that's neither here nor there", "not in a bad way (best used when proceeding something bitchy" and of course "oh hai" which I am pretty sure is found annoying by everyone on earth other than people who use it every day like me (and Jenny. and Dink. O HAI GIRLS).

In any case.

I have a few phrases of my own I would like to add to the list. Phrases that grate over my brain like rakes over coal. Okay maybe not that bad but definitely phrases that make me smirk a little. If only inwardly.

Going forward.
As in "Going forward let's do X instead of Y". Why do people say this? To clarify that we're not going backward? I think it's safe to assume that if we're going to do something, it's going to be in the future and not in the past.

Irregardless
Not a phrase, but still annoying. It tends to be said by two types of people. Businessmen in which case it is just sad and young women who think, mistakenly, that they are being cute. I hate to tell you but it was only cute when Gretchen said it in Mean Girls. Stop trying to make "Irregardless" happen. It's not going to happen!

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20 comments:

Melissa said...

I use a lot of those top 10 annoying phrases too!

pigbook1 said...

the phrase I find annoying "fair enough" I just hate that phrase for purely irrational reasons

Anonymous said...

OH HAI.

At the reunion I was thinking about the fact that Joe WAS a rocket scientist. Do you think rocket scientists say "Ugh, it's not rocket science" .. because ... it actually IS rocket science.

Oh oh, how about "How nice for you."

LOL.

Anonymous said...

Can we please add "Deja vu, all over again" to the list of annoying phrases.... and also "Lucked out"... the first one, I think is obvious, the second, just makes no sense to me... it's a good thing, but you're out of luck? I don't get it... :P
-Amanda

Anonymous said...

I am guilty of saying "absolutely" and "it's a nightmare".
What really grates on me is office-speak. Probably from years of slaving in a cube. I can't stand "proactive". If you break it down, what does it even mean? You're in favor of being active? Oh my god, it's so obnoxious.

You know what I've been meaning to buy? This

book:http://www.amazon.com/Junk-English-Ken-Smith/dp/0922233233

You'd love it.

AnnaB said...

There's also "It is what it is."

hope505 said...

*haha!* I hate "moving forward" or "go forward and..." too!!! So yuppified.

IRregardless should get on everyones nerves since it isn't actually a word. It's "regardless". pfft!

I will contribute "gifted" to the list - as in, "Maria gifted me the glasses" or "I'm going to gift that perfume, so may I please have a box?"
GIFT is a NOUN, beautiful people! *hahaha!*
Maria gave me the glasses.
The perfume is a gift, so may I please have a box?
oh.
hai.
* : )

April Elizabeth said...

irregardless will never happen BECUASE IT IS NOT A WORD!!!! I hate that "word" its redundant. Ir as a prefix means "not" or "the opposite of" and regardless means In spite of everything; anyway so technically irregardless means not in spite of everything.

So if it was a word it would be a positive, not a negative.

Sarah said...

Anna you know I love "It is what it is"!! And also "I went where I went" a la Knocked Up.

Rebecca said...

I am ABSOLUTELY guilty of using the word absolutely. :)

You're spot on with the whole 'with all due respect' and I savor that for the perfect moments. If I use it twice a year, it's a lot - but I know a person I work with who completely abuses the phrase.

Irregardless always irks me because it's not even a real word! It's poor grammar. Sort of like saying "Anyways" instead of "Anyway".

Greens and Pinks said...

I am 1000% guilty of: Absolutely, it is what it is, at the end of the day, that is neither here nor there and with all due respect.

What I loathe: "out of the box", "paradigm shift" and I definitely overuse "psyched".

Anonymous said...

Can we please add "I hope you know ________" to the list? I had a childhood friend who used to say that at least once an hour. Actually adults probably don't even say that, so never mind! But, uggg it makes my skin crawl. haha

Anonymous said...

I always thought irregarless came from the SNL skit with the Boston kids so that when people say it, they're jopking? I hoped, anyway!

Also, I really DO hate "Oh hai" SORRY! ;-)

~Jeannie

Sarah said...

Those skits are hilar!! (That is a sweet fife).

When I hear people say irregardless it's usually at work like in a "I'm using this word because I have no idea it's not a real word" context. And then I say to them O HAI THAT'S NOT A WORD.

:-P

Anonymous said...

Ha! You're retahded!
(You ah!)

~Jeannie

Jenny said...

I hate "6 of one, half a dozen of another" and "It is what it is" ala Anna!

I like O Hai though! Although I've only read it on here. :)

Anonymous said...

I thought about this 'annoying phrase' stuff all morning... I thought to myself, I don't think I have anything to add - and then I realized (as I was typing out an email to a wishy-washy friend) that I do...

"Whatever makes you happy"

Oooooh, it's you trying to be nice but really it's the written equivalent of rolling your eyes!

Elsie said...

Ok so "Absolutely" is absolutely a regular occurance in my vocab....sometimes interchanged emphasized with "Fantastic", ugh shoot me :( I would like to add "Pop the Stack", Touche - no accent avail on this keyboard (when used inappropriately which is a common occurance in my office) and lastly "The 30000 foot view" used bascally in place of "Hey stupid back it up with the tactical nonsense and right the thinking ship"

Sky said...

Had to chime in... on my list, "Long story short...." can't stand when people start sentences with that. ugh

Jillian said...

I hate when people say whole nother. NOTHER is not a word!! It's whole other OR another. Drives me nuts.