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
Ah, I see now. The way you pronounce these things in your little corner of the world is the one and only correct way, is that it?
I’ve heard “aunt” pronounced as “awnt” all my life, and I’m 40, so it’s hardly a new concept.
And like it or not, using “t-boned” to refer to an accident where one car broadsides another is a common phrase. Most anyone I might ask would know perfectly well what it means.
Personally I find many southern US pronounciations of words extremely grating, like prounouncing “semi” as “sem-EYE”, but I know that that’s how it’s said down there.
You want to talk annoying, how about people who pronounce “film” and “kiln” as if they had two syllables, and “idea” as if it had an “r” sound on the end of it?
“This page intentionally left blank.”
The main usage for this is in government-issued documents. No further explanation is necessary.
Heighth and Breadth are indeed words, albeit antiquated examples thereof
It is, here, too - “all y’all” implies “your momma and them.”
I haven’t read every post, but you guys are really giving it 110%!
I cannot stand “winningest”
It’s extremely unique
“Clearly....” No, we’ll be the judge of “clearly”, state your freakin’ case. (NPR uses this all to often)
“That’s Just the way I roll” the losers pledge of permanent mediocrity.
“....”irregardless” a joint mangling of irrespective and regardless”
I could not agree more. “Irregardless” is not a freaking word but you’d be surprised at how often I hear it around the office from supposedly educated people.
One of my biggest peeves is the word “co-conspirator”. Conspiracy by its nature means more than one, so how can one be a “co-conspirator”? Isn’t everyone in on the conspiracy a conspirator? Or do they have to be elevated to a “co-conspirator”?
Ok, done with ranting and I am now putting away the soapbox.
How about this instead:
“I could care less, but it’s a near thing.”
Is that better?
Or, when teens say, “My mom gots a new car.” AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
Very entertaining post. Thanks so much.
no dems.
conversate is a great one!!
> “Irregardless” is not a word.
I used to drive my Dad nuts with my insistence in using Irregardless.
“No such word!” He’d fume.
“Sure there is,” I’d reply. “Irregard is the absence of Regard. Irregard-less means with even Less irregard than the normal amount...”
“No! No! NO!” the hapless English-teacher would fulminate at his smartass son...
i also nominate IRREGARDLESS....
Hey, I thought it was pretty good. A “7” on a scale of 1-10.
Grrr! That has me grinding my molars every time as well! Just because height is used in conjunction with length and width, we don't add an h to the end of it!
Same for noone -- there are the pronouns anyone and someone, but not noone, that consists of the two words, no one (no hyphen). But this constant misspell comes about because of the pronouns anybody, somebody, nobody ... and because so many people are lazy.
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