Posted on 05/29/2007 2:17:17 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
Readers have responded in their thousands to The Daily Telegraph's call to select the worst phrases in the English language.
Since our invitation was issued in February, more than 3,000 of you have submitted personal inventories of the damned, containing the phrases, aphorisms and clichés that irritate the most.
High on the list of grievances was the increasing use of slang, poor grammar and the incorporation of Americanisms into everyday speech.
Many of you shared frustrations over the misuse of "forensic" and "literally", while management jargon such as "downsizing", "brainstorming" and "thinking outside the box" also received plenty of nominations.
The Daily Telegraph has responded with its own compilation of annoying phrases, and She Literally Exploded: The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook is now available on Amazon.
Here is a selection of your comments so far:
"It's not rocket science". Rocketry is engineering, not a science. - Tony
The phrase "up close and personal" was irritating to start with and has become hackneyed and meaningless e.g. I went on a river trip and was thrilled to get up close and personal with a crocodile - Margot Lang
I can't stand "to die for". Nothing's that good and even if it was, you'd be dead and wouldn't be able to enjoy whatever it was. - Vivsy
"Pushing the envelope" always conjures up for me some ridiculous scene in a mailing room or post office. - Nigel Brown
Why, when someone famous dies, do tributes always "pour" in? Also, when a plane crashes in the sea, the media is quick to remind us that the waters are always "shark-infested". - S.Winrad
Only £1,999.99. - P.H.Heilbron
"This door is alarmed". Is it really frightened? - Alan Lawrence
The infuriating rising inflections at the end of sentences that make everything sound like a question? - Steve Grant
I hate being addressed as "hallo there". My name is not "there". And why have all the cookery books and frying pans disappeared? What is a "cook" book and a "fry" pan? - Susan Byers
When the waitress plonks the plate in front of you and says, "there you go". Where do I go? Where's there? - Ken Clarke
"It will be in the last place you look". Well of course I'm not going to continue to look for it when I have found it. - Tom Batt
My html got screwed up. Take out the  in both pronunciations.
Ink pen.
I was with you, right up until the word “amongst.”
I think that one is okay. It's on the order of fish and fishes.
With fish, the plural is "fish" when speaking of many fish of the same kind. When speaking of different species collectively, it's "fishes."
The parallel is that when speaking of different currencies or monetary units collectively, it's "monies," but when speaking of the sum in your pocket, it's still "money" even if it is made up of coins and paper.
Back to money, when counting out change, you would still say, "eight, nine, ten, and ten is twenty", not "...and ten are twenty" as in several coins and paper; you would say "is" because it's a singular concept of one sum total number.
-PJ
You just think you’re in charge. Here’s an example of how it really is.
I bought several pairs of reading glasses before I finally found a pair that remained comfortable long enough to read anything. I went back to the store to buy a couple more pairs like it, for spares. I couldn’t find another pair like it.
Just as I was giving up, one of the employees walked passed me. I asked her if she knew who does the ordering of the eye glasses. Instead of answering my question, she asked me why I wanted to know. I told her I hoped I could get them to order the ones I wanted. She picked a pair off the shelf, and asked “How about these?” I said “No, I’d like another pair like the ones I’m wearing.” She picked up another pair, and said “These are nice.” I said “No, they aren’t like the ones I’m wearing.” She picked up another pair of glasses, and tried to sell them to me. This odd exchange went on for about five minutes, until I wandered off in frustration.
I never did find out who orders the glasses.
"Unnamed co-conspirator"
yitbos
Maybe it was the day the Soylent Green machine was broken or needed re-calibrating?
Upspeaking, I am?
Good point. I hadn’t thought of it that way.
Love it! (But then, I’m so *old school.*)
I get it, and I’m not guilty.
How about preventative in lieu of preventive?
I also think of “monies” as coming from separate revenue accounts or budgets.
A boy from Channelview should have known better. :-)
I never heard it pronounced with "th". I wonder if that's a regional pronunciation.
Spigot is not pronounced "Spikot".
Oops. Guilty.
If you are hearing thunder, it is thundering. But if you're seeing lightning, why isn't it lightninging?
-PJ
I would hazard a guess that most people who use the term “cakewalk” don’t have a clue as to what an actual cakewalk is or what the point of one is.
Amen, brother. Preach it.
As long as you used “swum” in the perfect tense, it was fine - as in “has swum,” “had swum,” “have swum” and so forth. It’s not a stand-alone.
One I struggle with is the difference between "affect" and "effect". I stop and ponder whenever I need one or the other, and I'm never confident I selected the proper word.
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