Words and sayings that wind you up.

[pap]

What do people commonly say that annoys you?

I'll start with two. First, the substitution of the simple word "yes" with the four-syllable "absolutely". Part of me thinks this trend originated on TV, some air-headed host using it to fill time. Sounds crap when said out loud, akin to the excited response of a fiendish fel-cher being asked the question "do you like shoving squirrels up your bum"?

ABSOLUTELY!

Meh.

My next pet hate, and I know it bothers others, are people who say Pacific instead of specific. It's got to be something to do with people not reading as much. If you see that word written down, there's no way you'd miss of the 'P'*.

(* unless of course, the person happens to be dyslexic, which I embarrassingly learned to my cost after a little rant )

[Ampersound]

My family in Southampton say "Deeeeelicious" when eating dinner!

Fcking gets right on my tits

[Bexy]

When someone is telling a story and says "So I turned round to him and said..."

Either you were having the discussion with your back turned up until this point, in which case you're probably a bit strange, or you didn't 'turn round to him' at all and are talking codsh*t.

[CB Fry]

The common sporting interview answer "yeah no definitely".

[Saint_clark]

"For all intensive purposes".
Sorry, what?

[Raging Bull]

Gonna give 110%......... It's 100% ffs!

Also politicians saying somethings not fit for purpose

[Rasiak-9-]

http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/redundancies.htm

This has a great list of phrases featuring a redundant word such as "mutual agreement"/"emergency situation"/"planning ahead"/"end result"/"ultimate goal"/"honest truth" and so on which is a nice bit of goofy fun.

[Saint in Paradise]

"At this moment in time" when the one word "now" is just as good. Also what Bexy said and one more point
I get so fed up when the person says "um" every few words. I usually turn the radio off then.

[badgerx16]

"Everybody is looking forward to the Olympics".

No I'm not!

[badgerx16]

There's an Envirofone advert out at the moment that says "You could get up to £150, or even more."

[Fowllyd]

"At this moment in time" when the one word "now" is just as good.

I hate that one too - what the f*ck else is it going to be a moment in? I find the intransitive use of the verb 'enjoy' annoying, as in "Enjoy!" - to me it's a transitive verb, and so requires an object. I also dislike the use of 'as far as' without a corresponding 'is concerned' or similar; that seems to me to be getting more common.

That said, as a linguist I know and understand that any living language changes and evolves all the time - only dead languages are static. Some changes stick, some don't; some one may like; others not. But there's nothing anyone can do to stop the process (the Académie Francaise have tried this to no avail) and I rather like the fact that language belongs to its speakers, not to any authority.

[colehillsaint]

"For all intensive purposes".
Sorry, what?

It is actually "to all intents and purposes"

[ALWAYS_SFC]

The "Arry" special

For sure....

[Lets B Avenue]

"Its not the fans fault."

[for_heaven's_Saint]

'Literally'

[bridge too far]

Aaaggghhhhh don't get me started!

I loathe the very common use of 'going forward' - why not just say 'in the future'? And people who start an answer to a question such as 'why is such and such happening' with 'So.........' instead of 'because'.

And finally - and many commentators do this when describing something that's already happened - 'He's passing cross field......' instead of 'he delivered a cross field pass'. Don't use the current tense when it's already happened!

[Trader]

Something being 'very unique'.

It's either unique or it isn't FFS!

[OldNick]

to die for.

[Bexy]

'Literally'

That quite literally gets on my tits.

(No, it doesn't - because being a bloke I don't have tits, but it sounds good dunnit?)

[Bexy]

"At the end of the day....."

Why do so many important things happen at midnight FFS!?

[saintfully]

It is actually "to all intents and purposes"

Whooosh...

[pressingon]

"Back in the day"
"Me personally"

[bridge too far]

Just been listening to an Australian commentator on the news. Why do Australians have to preface EVERY sentence with 'Look......'?

[Tokyo-Saint]

Gonna give 110%......... It's 100% ffs!

Also politicians saying somethings not fit for purpose

1,000,000% this!

[Whitey Grandad]

'basically' - what's wrong with 'quintessentially' ?
'proactive' - hate it with a vengeance. The word is 'active'
'team GB' - purlease, this is not the US of A.

[Upwind]

People (generally of black origin) who continually say "You know wot I mean" after every f ooking sentence. No, I don't know (or generally care) what you mean, and you make even less sense when you repeat it over and over.

I also hate Oh My God (OMG) or derivatives thereof. I wouldn’t object so much if this was used to acclaim a great feat or accomplishment; however, invariably it is uttered to highlight some tedious occurrence that does not warrant it – as in “OMG, have you seen her hair” etc………..

[pap]

"At the end of the day....."

Why do so many important things happen at midnight FFS!?

Got a mate who gleefully says "it gets dark!" whenever someone says "at the end of the day".

[ecuk268]

The word "heritage" - hardly existed when I was a nipper but it's everywhere now.

Any corporate speak - someone at work yesterday was on about giving a "heads-up" - utter ******.

"Empty space" - what other type of space is there?

How come the swear filter catches b o l l o x when it's not a real word?

[pap]

Just been listening to an Australian commentator on the news. Why do Australians have to preface EVERY sentence with 'Look......'?

Different opener, but similar things go on in Northern Ireland.

Bloke I know starts every sentence with "Do you see that....", even when the thing is impossible to see .

[pap]

On involuntary phrases, used to have a computing teacher who couldn't end a sentence without saying "ok" in the form of a question.

"This is a computer, ok?"
"You need to do such and such, ok"

In the end, you end up not hearing anything apart from the "ok".

See a similar thing in Liverpool too with some people, except it's "eeeeer" to start a sentence and "y'know" to finish it. Always

[bridge too far]

The word "heritage" - hardly existed when I was a nipper but it's everywhere now.

Any corporate speak - someone at work yesterday was on about giving a "heads-up" - utter ******.

"Empty space" - what other type of space is there?

How come the swear filter catches b o l l o x when it's not a real word?

Overuse of 'legacy' too

[Minty]

Innit.

When it was a colloquialism for 'Isn't it', I could handle it... but now this 'word' appears to have taken on the meaning of about 20 others... sometimes I swear it is used just to fill a gap where they know a word should go but aren't intelligent enough to know what word it should be.

It also seems to be used in a CB-radio style, to let you know that they've finished what they were going to say. Innit.

[pap]

Innit.

When it was a colloquialism for 'Isn't it', I could handle it... but now this 'word' appears to have taken on the meaning of about 20 others... sometimes I swear it is used just to fill a gap where they know a word should go but aren't intelligent enough to know what word it should be.

Innit, mate, innit?

[Joe Kirkup]

Off of - drives me bloody crazy.
Comprises of - aaaarrgghhh
and of course the all time classic - could of

[ericofarabia]

"My Bad"

My Bad Wwhat? What the feck is all that about when it is at home?

"Word" - Yes.... ok..... what word do you suggest?

[pap]

"My Bad"

My Bad Wwhat? What the feck is all that about when it is at home?

"Word" - Yes.... ok..... what word do you suggest?

I actually say that out loud.

Sorry.

[Minty]

Off of - drives me bloody crazy.
Comprises of - aaaarrgghhh
and of course the all time classic - could of

I tend to go a bit easier on people who genuinely aren't as good with their grammar than others and I find these tend to come in that category... we all had to learn it at some point. It's the made up words and complete ******** that annoy me more.

[Dimond Geezer]

A decimal being quoated as an integer, for example 3.27, being said as "three point twenty-seven" instead of "three point two seven".

[Joe Kirkup]

I tend to go a bit easier on people who genuinely aren't as good with their grammar than others and I find these tend to come in that category... we all had to learn it at some point. It's the made up words and complete ******** that annoy me more.

I think I've just become less tolerant with age.

[Tokyo-Saint]

Something Americans do that I dislike but can't really say I hate, is avoid saying thousand. When I was in Japan, I work with a lot of Americans and it seemed common practice to avoid saying thousand at any cost. For example, 3,700 would become 37 hundred.

I guess this is just their way of doing it but it annoys me as I don't instantly know the number they are talking about, I have to think about it for a half second. It throws you off slightly.

[badgerx16]

On the subject of Americans - 'Aluminum'. FFS they can manage magnesium, calcium, lithium, uranium, plutonium, caesium, and barium. Why not aluminium ?

EDIT: forgot there is also 'nuclear' pronounced 'new-cul-er'

[saintfully]

On the subject of Americans - 'Aluminum'. FFS they can manage magnesium, calcium, lithium, uranium, plutonium, caesium, and barium. Why not aluminium ?

EDIT: forgot there is also 'nuclear' pronounced 'new-cul-er'

Also, 'hErbs' with a silent 'H'. WTF!

[Deano6]

Working in a consultancy in NY I hear a lot of these 'Americanism' business phrases. The one that's annoying me most at the moment is "connect the dots", but mainly because it's being overused by a couple of people in particular that I'm dealing with right now.

[sussexsaint]

Hospickal or Bockle etc

[Saint_clark]

It is actually "to all intents and purposes"

I know...that's why it winds me up when people say the other.

[Dimond Geezer]

Chimley & skelington

[Joe Kirkup]

Doesn't wind me up but amuses me that so many Germans when speaking English keep to their own pronunciation of V and W although obviously they have those sounds in their own language.

[Wadge]

When people start by saying "Im not being funny but...." No you are not being funny and this story is also not funny so why say it??

[Tokyo-Saint]

When people start by saying "Im not being funny but...." No you are not being funny and this story is also not funny so why say it??

What make me laugh is.....

[Minty]

OK, one I am guilty of myself sometimes:

"With all due respect..."

(I am about to completely disagree with you and actually show you no respect whatsoever...)