Posted on 11/07/2008 12:52:42 PM PST by redrunner
Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.
The tautological statement "I personally" made third place – an expression that BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys has described as "the linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice."
Also making the top 10 is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework.
The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.
The database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused.
....
The top ten most irritating phrases:
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
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
You ever been to Utar?
Okay, I’ll step on our southern brothers toes here (including my wife’s), so I’ll apologize in advance. “Fixin To”.
“Narrative”
Getting tired of that one. Like everything has to have a ‘narrative’ now?
What about "You have taken me out of context"?
Work to rule...when commie unionists do as little as possible - which is hardly nothing at all to begin with these days..to destroy their employers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work-to-rule
ohhhh Wise guy, eh?
Darn. I find “with all due respect” to be quite useful in addressing those who are due no respect.
I nominate
“full stop”
“totally surrounded”
12 PM or 12 AM
writing or saying someone “pleaded innocent”
Utar? Hmmm. Not that I’m aware of. Where be Utar?
“Full stop” is nautical. Need that one.
“Totally surrounded” LOL! Never thought of that.
And Iron Maiden’s “2 Minutes to 12 AM”
Truly a classic!
“frankly.” Whenever anyone says that, I know he/she is lying.
“from the get-go”, “up the wazoo” has really been irritating.
Yes we can.
Fundamental.
Comprehensive.
I heartily agree with you. I believe the use of "need to" in this manner must have arisen relatively recently. At least, I first noticed it during a brief return to the States in the 1990s. (Living abroad makes one more sensitive to changes in the language.)
I find it irritating because it represents a phony kind of politeness. I'd much rather have someone bark "You must..." or "It is prohibited..." or "I order you..." at me in an authoritative voice than whine "Uh, sir: You NEED TO..." and pretend that it is a request.
Regards,
“My friends”......
Mine is “went missing”.
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