Phrases that like really bug us all, basically

The Telegraph ^ | 5/29/2007 | Johanna Leggatt

[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

[Fresh Wind]

Sorry about that, chief.

[7thson]

Phrases I hate -

"Blood for oil."

"Bush is Hitler."

[Red Boots]

When people write "would of" when they should write "would've" .

Of is not a contraction of have !

[WKB]

Someone ACTUALLY typed all that stuff in. They ACTUALLY collected all these silly phrases.

.

ACTUALLY, I'm ACTUALLY in 100% agreement with you.
I ACTUALLY think the use of the word ACTUALLY,...
ACTUALLY bugs me. I mean REALLY.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Synergy ( also called TQMS )

The use of such to reorganize a company to get rid of the deadwood, usually producing the exact opposite result.

[njmaugbill]

Here’s one.

When speaking about a budget or money, someone says:

In this “physical” year, vs. the proper ‘fiscal’ year.

Bill

[BulletBobCo]

“These ones”

[LantzALot]

Wish someone had come up with that game while I was still in the work force. We’d have heard “BS!” in every meeting.

[docbnj]

“24/7”

It sounded clever the first 2,500 times, but is beginning to turn stale.

[Lazamataz]

This thread is

[docbnj]

Another most hated phrase: “For English, press 1. Para español, numero dos.”

I feel like pressing 2 and asking for German, or some other language. This catering to one immigrant group is too much.

My revenge: press 2 and speak very bad Spanish.

[IronJack]

"core competencies"

What's left? Core INcompetencies? Ancillary competencies?

Oh, and how about "the problem being is ..."

Apparently one "to be" verb isn't enough to hoist a problem that heavy ...

[Fresh Wind]

Here's a handy list of objectionable words and phrases. I think consultants get paid by the number of times they use them.

[Drawsing]

There is no such word as "heighth". The word is "height" and ends with a "t" sound, not a "th" sound!

Please do not start your story with the phrase, "So there I was..."

The word "Asked" ends with the "D" sound and "Asks" ends with the "S" sound. Neither one ends with the "K" sound, but many people pronounce it that way out of linguistic laziness. The same phenomenon occurs with words like "wasps" and "tasks". I am NOT talking about people who pronounce "ask" as "axe". That is another topic entirely.

Spigot is not pronounced "Spikot".

[SC DOC]

"the reality of the situation..."

"He goes (instead of says or said)..."

"Less people (instead of fewer) think...."

[saveliberty]

In the 80’s, Thomas Sowell wrote that “’competency’ is ‘competence’ as described by the incomptent.”

[LantzALot]

Using the pronoun “I” where “me” is appropriate.

That's one that grate on me. When we're very young, we might say, "It's me;" or "Me and him did ..." We're taught that the proper way is "It's I;" or "He and I ..." Somehow, that morphs into the misconception that the nominative case is to be used in all situations. Even people supposedly educated in language, such as news anchors, will do this.

[DManA]

I've noticed southerners often begin a sentence
I feel like that we should .....

[WKB]

But they think it makes them sound SOOOOOOOOOOO
intelligent.

[stayathomemom]

Actually:
I love to watch HGTV and one of my favorite shows is Design on a Dime. They have a new crew this year who, at the end of the show when they are describing what they have done to the room, use actually in EVERY sentence. They really should review their tapes and try to get out of that habit. It is very annoying.