What words and phrases do you hate?

[UrbScotty]

For me:

1. "Real world" - we hear so much about students entering the 'real world' after graduating. So, does that mean that for the first 18 or 21 years of their lives they have been living in some fake world? Can you possibly live in a world that's not real?

2. "Legal," when referring to someone of a certain age - "Congratulations, you are now 18, which means you're legal!" Oh, so for the first 18 years of your life, in addition to living in a fake world, you have been 'illegal?' Wow.

3. "Unelectable" - Even though the Primaries have been over for 10 months, I stll cringe at that word.

[ET Awful]

1. "Republican" I really hate that word.

:)

[RC]

2. 'nuff said.

Drives me up the wall. This is usually a reply to someones short post that is really just a conversation starter.
I think it's used to get the posters post count up. Nothing more. If you're gonna post, contribute.

Another one is 'kick', posted 3 minutes after the thread starter. Why? Again to get the posters post count up? That's the only reason I can think of.

[cruadin]

3. "outside the box"----used to denote original, innovative...

thinking or planning.
If somebody is not already engaged in original, innovative thinking, then that person is not thinking.
They're just repeating the same tired phrases, plans and cliches that have been used in the past, and whether they're inside or outside of a box is entirely beside the point.

[tjwmason]

47. Along with all other management speak nonsense

We have plenty of real words in the English language to encourage people to work harder or to be more inaginative. Use these don't make up new sotck phrases which can be trotted out at some over-priced seminar, and then repeated ad nauseam to increasingly infuriated employees.

Also, I'm just wondering whether the answer is actually inside the box. After all we're all so desperate looking outside this wretched box, that nobody cares about it's contents.

[mcscajun]

51. Anyone who uses "outside the box" is firmly planted IN The Box.

You nailed that one. :)

[NoStinkinBadges]

101. "State of the Art"

Really means new, overpriced, and untested.

[Upfront]

4. You Know

No I don't, tell me.

[bread_and_roses]

5. "venue" and the misuse of "hopefully"

I really detest hearing "venue" used in place of any and every possible word. "We have three possible restaurants," becomes "We have three possible venues." Pretentious.

I just shut my ears to the misuse of "hopefully." No hope there.

[Coventina]

6. "Git 'er done"

:wtf:

:puke:

Where did it come from, anyway? All of a sudden everyone is saying it.

[Ekirh]

7. I Concur with this...

I think it came for Larry the Cable Guy.. A Redneck Comedian... in my opinion completely unfunny, but my parents of all people love this phrase... and I can't stand it.

[smbolisnch]

13. Oh yes that drives me crazy!

It calls for my obligatory eye roll, and I hear it a lot. People around here love to say that, and think it's really funny and original :eyes:

[Cooper]

41. yeah, when will the rednecks quit, huh?

seriously. it's just a joke. get over it. Larry the Cable guy is funny as hell.

[Shipwack]

8. "My fellow Americans..."

Usually used by politicians that have nothing socially, economically, or philosophically in common with me.

[Tweed]

9. "Dear Baby Jesus"

I'm religious and it bothers me that people just throw that one around. Especially how it's often used.

[Reverend_Smitty]

22. I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone say that...

However I can understand how that could get on your nerves. In what context would someone say a phrase like that?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

10. Meme. Sorry....

[Hoping4Change]

25. I second that.

[LDS Jock]

90. I'll third it n/t

[readmylips]

11. family values....Christians...

Family values, we all family values, good or bad. Christians, everything belonging to the universe is Christian, made by God.

[Deja Q]

12. Life is what we make of it. I don't subscribe to #1, that's for sure.

People are indoctrined to believe in the world as it is, instead of actively changing it. I'm guilty of it, too, but at least I realize and say it.

[sepia_steel]

16. OMG

"I'm hatin it"

Effin' hilarious! May I borrow that for a sig on another board?

[meow2u3]

14. Quality--as an adjective

"Quality" sounds better than "barely meeting minimum standards of quality."

I also hate:

"Team player" to mean someone who kisses the boss's ass. A team player is someone who does well as part of a sports team; he got fired for not being an ass kisser, or being "too" independent a worker.

[bigmonkey]

15. "Lead a productive life"

As if all human beings are for is to produce things. Why not say "lead a good life"?

[bigmonkey]

17. "inefficienct"

As if efficiency were a human value. It's not, universally, although it may be a useful one in certain contexts. For instance, maybe it's "inefficient" to take care of the indigent, or keep the grandparents alive, or not destroy the environment. Am I clear?

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

110. Efficiency is a value if you're 7 of 9. n/t

[loudestchick]

18. I apologize in advance..."Where do you stay?" I don't "stay" anywhere,

I "live" somewhere, I have a mortgage. This isn't said by folks just stating out, but by people who have lived in the same house (w/ a mortgage) for 10 yrs+. I know it's cultural, but it makes me crazy nonetheless.

[realisticphish]

83. ive never heard that

:shrug:


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Bunny]

19. Well, it drives me up a tree when people pronounce *moot*

as *mute*. Makes me nuts, it does!

[Blue Gardener]

20. Utilize

I rarely heard this word 20 years ago. Now it's everywhere. To always replace the word "use" with the word "utilize" just sounds pretentious.

[Emops]

21. "Webmistress"

[EstimatedProphet]

23. Significant Other

It obejctifies the partner, makes them sound like a variable in an equation.

[barb162]

37. I can't stand that phrase either; usually the people using it

think they're cute or smart.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

24. "Thinking outside the box"

"Grow" the economy

[giant_robot]

75. "Grow the economy" OMG that drives me NUTS!

I often wondered if that was correct usage or not. Is sounds f'n awful. I found this at the American Heritage Dictionary website:

USAGE NOTE: Grow has been used since medieval times as an intransitive verb, as in Our business has been growing steadily for 10 years. It has been used with an object since the 18th century, meaning “to produce or cultivate,” as in We grow corn in our garden. But the transitive use applied to business and nonliving things is quite new. It came into full bloom during the 1992 presidential election, when nearly all the candidates were concerned with “growing the economy.” The Usage Panel is decidedly less fond of this development than business leaders and politicans are. Eighty percent of the Panel rejects the phrase grow our business. The Panel is more accepting of, though not enthusiastic about, the phrase grow our way, perhaps because of way's established use in expressions like make our way and find our way: 48 percent accept We've got to grow our way out of this recession. The Panel has no affection for the odd but occasionally heard phrase grow down: 98 percent reject If elected, I shall do my utmost to grow down the deficit.

Link: http://www.bartleby.com/61/80/G0288000.html

[Thor_MN]

97. That is my number one pet peeve phrase "Grow the business"

My opinion is that anyone who use that phrase is spreading manure...

[annonymous]

26. Family values and mandate

and any buzzword used by the Bush administration such as privitize, and death tax.

[UrbScotty]

87. Oh yes, MANDATE...

:mad:

[Beware the Beast Man]

27. "going forward"

I had a manager at my old job who used that phrase constantly. Isn't "from now on" acceptable enough?

[the_spectator]

39. absolutely

My mother pointed this one out to me a while ago, it's awful! It's one of those business-world cliches, along with OUTSIDE THE BOX, IMPACT as a verb, and of course PRO-ACTIVE.

[Beware the Beast Man]

50. welcome to DU!

:toast: yes, corporate lingo is among the worst newspeak I have ever heard. Two weeks ago, during a nasty snow storm, our regional sales manager left us coworkers an e-mail telling us she would be "working remotely." I guess "working out of my home" doesn't have the same ring to it.

[the_spectator]

57. Thanks for the welcome! (nt)

[GRLMGC]

28. quirky

It's too cute sounding. I don't like it.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

29. "Flat-tax", "unamerican" and "accept Jesus into your heart"

There are many more examples, but I can't think of them right now.

[fluffernutter]

30. "the fact of the matter is" -an annoying coworker always says this

he thinks he's all that, and i want to smack him whenever this flies out of his mouth. he also always says "that's about the size of it" when he finishes some long-winded BS, and i want to say "i bet it is!" :P

[the_spectator]

31. "said"!!!!

This one seems to be spreading like wildfire, especially amongst younger people in blogs - I hate it! As in, "I met a cool guy yesterday at school and saw said guy later on the street." "THE" would easily work for most of these trying-to-sound-intelligent-and-literary "saids." FAR TOO MANY LAWYER SHOWS on TV, I guess.

(Lurker here who finally de-lurked just to make this point.)

[barb162]

43. oh welcome and glad you mentioned this; I never heard it being used

in place of "the"

[Left Is Write]

32. "President George W. Bush."

[Tom_Foolery]

33. "Fun Times"...

It grates on my nerves.

[lpbk2713]

34. At the end of the day

Outside the box
Quote / Unquote
Team player
(So-and-so) has "issues"

"Can you hear me now?" --- I'm really getting tired of that one.

[dog_lovin_dem]

35. "I could care less"....

I am accused of acting like an English teacher when I point out the irrationality of this misused phrase, but it drives me crazy when someone says it! I try to bite my tongue when I hear it used, but sometimes have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.

[Tafiti]

79. This HAS to be the most widely used phrase...

...that is almost invariably stated incorrectly. Hell, it's such an epidemic of sorts that I've probably said it myself a couple of times!

[LDS Jock]

92. I hate it.... keep telling people its stupid

I do all the time. Maybe we can stop a few people from saying it.

[5thGenDemocrat]

36. My number one pet peeve

Is when someone says "anxious" when they mean "eager."
John
Not only does that happen way too often, but the words are diametrical opposites.

[barb162]

38. "tux" instead of saying "tuxedo" and the word "icon" which is totally

overused the last 5 or so years.

[barb162]

40. forgot another: "hero" which is so overused and not applied

correctly.

[Jessica]

42. I hate the word "brainchild" ...

It just sounds really, really gross. x(

[barb162]

44. Okay, how about "flipflop" and "swifties" (loud scream) n/t

[UrbScotty]

88. Swiftie is the name of my dog. (nt)

[tjdee]

Illegitimate, irregardless...

Thank you very much, random asshole, my kid sure as hell IS legitimate.

Also, irregardless just isn't logical.

[barb162]

45. "animal control officer" usually means the stray animal killer

[Groggy]

46. You GO girl!!

yuk. :crazy:

[fluffernutter]

48. "cool beans"

[VeniceBeat]

49. Forbidden Words 2005

Courtesy of Matt Groening's "Life in Hell"

* ABSOLUTELY!
* AWESOME
* BASICALLY
* BASKETBRAWL
* BLING-BLING
* BRING IT ON
* CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
* COMPASSIONATE CONSERVATIVE
* DISINTERESTED
* DOCUDRAMA
* EATERY
* FLIP-FLOP
* THE GOVERNATOR
* GIRLIE MEN
* HEGEMONY
* HOMELAND
* HOPEFULLY
* IT'S ALL GOOD
* MEDIA BIAS
* METROSEXUAL
* MORAL VALUES
* MOST DEFINITELY
* NIPPLEGATE
* NO-BRAINER
* NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
* NUCULAR
* THE O.C.
* OH. MY. GOD.
* POLITICAL CAPITAL
* PUNKED
* QUANTUM LEAP
* SWEET!
* SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH
* THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
* TOUCH BASE
* WARDROBE MALFUNCTION
* WHATEVER
* WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
* YOU'RE FIRED
* OUR ENEMIES ARE INNOVATIVE AND RESOURCEFUL, AND SO ARE WE. THEY NEVER STOP THINKING ABOUT NEW WAYS TO HARM OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE, AND NEITHER DO WE.

!

[mcscajun]

52. "MainStream Media", "Politically Correct", "Family Values",

"Grow the business", "incentivize", "mission statement", and "PC" (unless it's in reference to a Personal Computer.)

Oh, I really COULD go on, but...

Basically, any business or political cliche that either mangles the English language or substitutes for rational and/or original thought irks me to no end!

[Orsino]

53. "Retard"

It seems the most cowardly of insults, smearing those perhaps least likely to be able to defend themselves.

Ethnic and sexist slurs are invitations to argument/@$$-whuppin', while "retard" seems more like pure victimization.

[chefgirl]

78. I agree with you about retard

I've never really used the term as a general insult.

However, when I'm discussing George W. Bush, the word just seems to flow from my lips too easily.
In my defense, I will say that when I use it, I don't just throw it out there as a randomly derrogatory statement, I REALLY mean it, as in:

"George W. Bush is developmentally retarded"
"George W. Bush is an emotional retard"

Sometimes you gotta call 'em as you see 'em.

-chef-

[gardenista]

54. "Knock yourself out". nt

[da_chimperor]

55. "Get over it"

:grr:

[fleabert]

56. "That is so gay"

my 22 yr old cousin and her friends like to say that about things they think are stupid or silly.

It makes my blood boil. We had a knock down drag out fight a few weeks ago about it. She did not get that she, as a heterosexual, does not get to decide if that phrase is offensive! She just didn't get it at all.

Grrrrrrrr.

[kwassa]

82. middle-school students use this endlessly

[realisticphish]

85. i used to say that

until i actually thought about what i was saying, and realized how fucking bigoted it was. so, i stopped, and started yelling at my friends for saying it. they looked at me wierd, asked the inevitable question (what, are you gay now? :eyes:), but they DID stop


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[fleabert]

86. good for you! I am hoping she has the same epiphany.

that's great your friends caught on too!

[LDS Jock]

93. thank you.. I wish more people thought like you

I know most don't realize it is offensive, because they just don't think. You did, changed your ways, and are spreading it to others around you. Well done. :toast:

[zann725]

58. "Awesome." (It's mundane, and down-right silly.)

n/t

[democracyindanger]

60. It's not mundane

It's freakin' AWESOME!

[NJCher]

59. I am easily annoyed

So you can imagine what hell my life is because not only do I teach college writing, I teach business communication both at the university and in corporations around northern NJ. I get every hackneyed expression out there--from every direction!

Here's the one that makes me crazy and it is invariably found in the first paragraph of a student's paper: "In today's fast-paced world..."

hyperventilates--> :nuke:


Cher

p.s. and where is, "My bad" on this thread?

[mcscajun]

73. Indeed! "My bad" instead of "sorry" or "my mistake", and peeps instead....

...of people, when everyone knows that Peeps are marshmallow candies sold at Easter and best eaten Stale. :)

[NoStinkinBadges]

99. My Bad, good one.

Where did that start?

[senseandsensibility]

61. Been there

done that. A sure sign that they haven't.

[hickman1937]

62. Grounded. The most overused meaningless

word in Hollywood. Why do pampered, overpaid jerks use this word to describe themselves, their boy/girlfriends, Friends, dogs, fish, couch, house, etc, etc, etc,? What the hell is it supposed to mean? Blah!

[Skittles]

63. whatnot

WTF is whatnot?

[Gemini Cat]

64. Lots!

1. "Think outside the box."
2. "Family values."
3. "They hate us for our freedom."
4. "Wrap my mind around..."
5. "9-11, 9-11, and 9-11." "Do you remember what happened on 9-11?" (Usually uttered by some asspants that wishes to remind me of the date or inform me that nine-elevan is why we went to war in Iraq.)
6. "Tard."
7. "Noo-key-ler." Or however that moran says it.

I know there are more, can't remember them right now.

[NYC Liberal]

65. "Needless to say..."

Then don't say it!

[Richard Steele]

66. Everyone beat me to my most HATED answers; {Choose: 'View All'}

Just what I deserve for joining a site full of people who use their BRAINS as more than a 'cooling system' for their blood....

Betcha y'all voted fer Kerry before I did too....

*wink*

[Phentex]

67. "I respect you as a person." As opposed to what?

[madinmaryland]

68. "If you haven't ___________, then you have nothing to worry about"

[goddess40]

69. "Folks" makes me cringe everytime

I agree with your "real world" one too - ask any kid who gets bullied on a regular basis if it's real or not. Adults have convinced themselves that it is a right of passage and that those that are bullied should just get over it.

[tonekat]

70. "works for me"

selfish phrase used by those who are not capable of performing to a satisfactory level, and who have total disregard towards those around them.

[LibDemAlways]

71. The Words "George Bush,"

especially when prefaced by the word "President."

[aWaKeNoW]

72. "Mash the button"

I mean you are PUSHING buttons on a telephone not making a side of potatoes to go with your dinner. LOL Is this phrase just a southern thing??

[mcscajun]

74. HOW Could I Forget This One? "Get a life."

Only ever spoken by a) kids too young to have any appreciation of what life or "a life" is; b) condescending morons who think your life is dull or empty because it doesn't square with their experience.

[eyepaddle]

96. However,

The Chris Elliot show "Get a Life" from the early nineties was OK! ;)

[RetroLounge]

76. "President Bush**"

Makes me cringe every time.

RL

[DrGonzoLives]

77. Meme

Idiotic, pseudo-intellectual word that means nothing.

[kwassa]

80. Paradigm

Another beaten-to-death word

[kwassa]

81. Reality show, reality series .... nothing real about them.

Manipulated, contrived, manufactured, falsified. All more accurate names.

[KurtNYC]

84. "No brainer"

as in "re-elect B*sh - It's a no brainer"

[UrbScotty]

89. Another one for you: LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS

Oh really? Prove it!

[Padraig18]

91. I hate nouns that are suddenly (and newly) made into verbs.

They drive me to an absolute FURY!

:puke::grr:

[Worst Username Ever]

116. "task"

I am going to task you with this project. Drives me crazy.

[LDS Jock]

94. "spot on" I HATE IT n/t

[Dastard Stepchild]

95. "Signage" and "Bling-Bling"

I used to think this word was a joke, so every time a former boss said it, I would laugh. It didn't dawn on me right away that this was the term that corporate had assigned to denote the signs we were to hang in the store.

Old way: We need to hang those signs today.
New way: We need to hang the signage today.

Huh?

Bling-bling is a term that drives me nutty. I was on the bus the other day, and some precocious little tot was walking around asking everyone to show her their bling-bling. I wanted to ring-ring her neck.

edited for sp.

[NoStinkinBadges]

98. Win-Win.

Also the variation----Win-Win-Win. First was used in the early 80's and is still being used. The person telling you this really means they are going to come out very well and you will be screwed.

[sendero]

100. "on the ground"...

... is rapidly becoming the "impacting" of the 00s. :)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

102. Boo-yah. What the hell is that, anyway?

[Hoping4Change]

106. Hell is that place filled up with once dead fundies.

oh. My bad. That place is called heaven.:spank:

[CBHagman]

103. "Utilize"

Why not say "use"?

Also, Bush has forever ruined the word "compassion" for me, a word I used to like. Genuinely compassionate people don't go prancing around applying the word to themselves.

Add to the list "soft bigotry of low expectations" and "nuclear" mispronounced as "nuke-yuh-lurr."

The term "pre-born" also bothers me. Pro-life activists use it to refer to fetuses in the womb, as though they had already been born the once ("pre-born") and were stuffed back in there.

[Biased Liberal Media]

104. "Poor choices/decisions in life"

UGH. I really hate when people sit there, smugly, telling a person they have made "poor choices/decisions" in life.

[Boswells_Johnson]

105. "Dude" and "Whatever"

They drive me up the wall. Both are attempts at casual/cool, but in my mind just sound moronic. Just about everyone says either one from time to time, but still I grit my teeth.:)

[Worst Username Ever]

115. Whatever, dude.

[Boswells_Johnson]

120. har har har

:)

[UrbScotty]

107. Got another one for you: PRO-LIFE (w.r.t. abortion)

Apparently, you can be pro-war, pro-death penalty, etc., etc., and still be 'pro-life.'

[NoSheep]

108. "...to be perfectly honest..." I mean DAYUM! You aren't usually?

Also "yada, yada, yada"
and nounage turned into verbage-it disgusts me to think of an example:+

[Shrek]

109. "Don't go there"

As though a topic of conversation were some sort of destination.

[ceile]

111. fixin' to

Yes, I'm from TX born and raised, but I refuse to say "fixin to". As in: "I'm fixin' to go to the store." or "I was just fixin' to call you back" etc. My SO says it all the time and I told him once the kid is born it has to stop. I will not raise an intelligent, yet redneck sounding child.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

113. Even worse than that is "fitin' to".

I taught at a predominiately black high school in Florida. All the kids said "fitin' to", as in "I'm fitin' to do it" (it referring to their work). "Fitin' to" is a corruption of "fixin' to", which is also a slang saying. I'm from Maine. No one says "fixin'to" to or "fitin' to" to up there. People in Maine would say "going to".

Another thing those kids used to say is "Can I hold a pencil?" instead of "May I borrow a pencil?". I always wanted to say to them "well, I hope you know how to hold a pencil".

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

112. One that I say all the time that I wish I could stop is..

"you know what I mean?". My mom used to say this a lot, so I've picked it up from her. It is mostly way to get a response to something that was just said. Kind of like "what do you think about that?".

[ariesgem]

114. Any phrase that repeats two words together

Bling Bling, Something Somthing (I HATE that one)etc..

[Bullwinkle925]

117. "George W. Bush" has just been elected to the office of President of the .

United States (name your own election year).

[Bullwinkle925]

118. 'Puter' - as in computer...........i absolutely hate that!!!

[mvd]

119. "pro-abortion"

Pro choice people are pro-choice, and NOT pro-abortion!