PHRASES PEOPLE HATE

I know I’ve wailed about this before, but I came upon something that I find interesting, and hope you do too, the use of words that irritate me.

I am constantly hearing words and phrases that people hear and use as their own. Words from TV, movies and radio, and yes, even the Internet. They may seem clever the first time, but when everyone constantly uses them, they no longer sound clever.

Researchers compiled a list that monitors the use of phrases into a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the Internet and other sources.

The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework.

This database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are no longer being used as much. It also shows how words are being misused.

Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy". How true that is!

Phrases such as "literally" and "ironically", irritate people when they are used out of context.

Here is the list they compiled.

The top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - 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 could add a few.

The top ten most irritating phrases and words compiled by the staff at DelBloggolo. (Big deal!)

1 - Irregardless
2 - You’d think
3 - Oh… My… God!
4 - Whole nine yards
5 - The whole ball of wax
6 - Duh!
7 - Give me a break
8 - For crying out loud
9 - The whole dichotomy of it
10 - Some such

Now I know I use some of these words occasionally. We all do. This doesn’t mean I find us annoying, just lacking sometimes in creativity in expressing ourselves.

I can remember a writer where I worked that took every phrase the boss used, and would incorporate it into her lingo. We all do something of the kind.

Please take a moment for Joan and DD, two people who could use your prayers.

Thank you for reading my ramblings today.