The Most Annoying Phrases on Earth

OMG, this list is, like, sooo amazing! Literally. (Not).

If that sentence made your head want to explode, you're in good company. Researchers at the University of Oxford have compiled a list of the Top 10 Most Irritating Expressions in the English language. You think it's annoying when someone starts a sentence with the word "ironically," when it most certainly is not? Or when John McCain uttered "My friends" enough times to warrant a drinking game? Or when a friend says, for the 50th time in a conversation, "to be honest with you..."? Check out Oxford's worst offenders:

10 - It's not rocket science
9 - 24/7
8 - Shouldn't of
7 - It's a nightmare
6 - Absolutely
5 - With all due respect
4 - At this moment in time
3 - I personally
2 - Fairly unique
1 - At the end of the day

Oxford tracks overused phrases, buzzwords and commonly broken language (how many times have you heard someone say, thinking they're being smart, "I turned the job down for a myriad of reasons"?). Their 2008 list appears in a new book, Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare, by Jeremy Butterfield

Personally speaking (heh), I despise it when restaurants advertise "fresh" fish. Um, do you realize the quotes don't set off the word fresh, but rather imply, as fingerquotes would, that the fish really ain't all that fresh? Whatevs. Check out this Wired blog for other readers' suggestions and post yours below.

Unless, you know, you could care less.

Comments

[yogagoddess]

Pick your brain
Like minded
Think outside the box
On your period

[gymbunnybee]

"Hi how are you" - as a salutation.

[journeytoithaca]

"nuke-you-ler"

[Topfeeder]

"Drinking the Kool-Aid" makes me all kinds of stabby.

[soonerdru]

My wife just chimed in with these: "It's All Good!" and "We're on the same page."

[soonerdru]

I'm tired of hearing people tell me how 'shocked' they were by something. Really? Everytime I hear that I think that I would like to ACTUALLY SHOCK THEM. Just to see how the real thing compares with the false outrage.

[Marioli]

I hope I can word this in an understandable way:
As a non-native English speaker I always wince when people say something like: "This belongs to my husband and I." or "He was talking to my husband and I." etc. when - back in school - I learned that it should be "my husband and ME".
Strangely, this seems to be most often used in that combination "husband and I" so maybe it.s an exception with the woman being afraid to be an "object"?

Or is it correct, after all? I.d really love to know!
If anyone could, please, help me?

[AZBunny]

Yes, YOU are correct. We Americans don't always speak proper English. I LIKE and USE the word "funner" I KNOW it is not correct that it should be "more fun" but I still like it and since we endured a Prez that made up words I don't think my using the word "funner" is going to destroy the country. That's already been done. Now out with him!

[aquaholic]

Free Gift !

Oven Roasted

As a mother...[I'm special so my opinion trumps logic]

Irregardless

My point is...[clearly not made]

Getting back to my point....[must we?]

Until death do us part [proper phrasing is "...us do part"]

'nuff said

Have a Nice Day :)

[azusmom]

Any sentence that starts with "I just feel like..." (You know that's not going to end well.)
"Don't even!"
"OMG!" "LOL" or anything that is used in a text message. If you're talking to me, use words.
"That's what I'm talking about!" said by any white person other than the guy in "Napolean Dynamite."

[blaqntelligence]

Thrown under a bus.
Full-throated endorsement. Is there any other kind?

[cautionbug]

"a-whole-nother"
"irregardless"
"git-er-dun"

Anyone who utters these or anything like them around me gets whacked by a Webster's.

[ESerafina42]

I also meant to chime in enthusiastically on the use of quotes to emphasize something - at least that's what I assume they think they're doing. Folks, that's what bold and italic are for. Love the "fresh" fish example. Also, "Free" Delivery, etc.

[ESerafina42]

"Joe the Plumber"
"team of rivals" (nice idea, but the phrase has been done to death in only a few days)
"also" or "progress the country" (who told her "progress" was a transitive verb?) - when said by Sarah Palin, or indeed, anything said by her

[cliffdvr]

Without question, my number one source of annoyance is the constant (mis)use of "awesome."

It got so bad, that I started counting the times I heard it in one day. It seems to have become an all-purpose word which people use in place of "nice" and "good," as well as in lieu of "thank you," "yes" and "I see."

The topper was one episode of Trading Spaces where it was used 37 times in 44 minutes of programming.

[QuietAmerican]

Great list.

I'll post my politics-related peeves:

1- Flip-flop
2- Thrown under the bus
3- ...but stopped short of (saying, doing, accusing...)
4- Talk me down (no offense to Rachel Maddow)
5- Democrats seized upon...
6- Democrats pounced upon...
7- Democrats launch attack upon...
8 - (Often seen as a headline) -- "Sen. So-and-So Chastises Sen. So-and-So"
9- Our children, and our children's children
10- I misspoke (often offered up after being caught in a blatant lie)