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
"downsize"
yitbos
"Being that . . . "
yitbos
What you said, FRiend.
One of my current peeves is “foundational.” I’m also not fond of “societal” and cannot find any reason to judge “coronate” a verb.
There’s a difference in quality.
“Irregardless” is not a word.
“Nukular” is a word, just a wrongly pronounced one.
"unnamed sources"
yitbos
That reminds me... I love it when football players being interviewed claim to be an ‘intricate’ part of the team.
Yell If The Beer's On Sale!
How did "tour" (too r) become "tore" as in "torist"?
Niger (American pronunciation) is now Neejer (French and Nigerian pronunciation). The media tried to start using Mexican pronunciations of California cities, San Paydroh (Mexican) for San Peedroh (American), Mejico for Mexico. It didn't go over well.
yitbos
Point of order . . . we are all “one race” because that’s the way we started.
“Human” is our race.
Our ethnic and geographic backgrounds might differ, but not our races.
Me, I don’t give a flying damn what La Raza says. If it wants to separate itself from the human race, that’s its lookout.
"client"
yitbos
Closure.
“almost without exception”
LOL! I had forgotten that one. Don’t the weather channel idiots love to say “hunker down”.
LOL !
LOL..what a wanker...
I’ve never been quite clear on that. Does that mean you can use “y’all” when addressing a single person? If so, it’s no improvement at all in terms of clarity over just plain “you”. I don’t know, off hand, if any language has a pronoun or word ending (for agultinative languages like Hungarian) than distinguishes between addressing a single person and a group.
Well, I just checked with my Hungarian co-worker and, yes, there is a clear difference between addressing a single person and a group.
Lexus radio commercials are the epitome of precious, priggish snotty-speak.
Any commercial that uses “purchase” instead of “buy” steers me clear of its product.
Some people drop “basically” about 3 - 4 times in every sentence.
No one says "yes" anymore - they say "absolutely".
Watch an interview sometime, when the interviewer asks something like, "Did you find it hard to write your book while working full time?"
"Absolutely"
Or "Did you check out the new mall?
"Absolutely!"
Does EVERYONE say this nowdays?
"Absolutely"
Another point of order: here in the South, we do not say “you all.” That’s two words.
We say “y’all,” pronounced “yawl.” We MEAN “you all,” but we don’t feel like saying all that. ;)
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