Posted on 11/07/2008 8:35:19 AM PST by edzo4
Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.
The tautological statement "I personally" made third place – an expression that BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys has described as "the linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice."
Also making the top 10 is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework.
The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.
The top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“Know what I mean”
“as of yet”. basically they’re saying “as of as of now”. News readers use this phrase constantly and it’s like shoving a hot poker in my eyes. Either a just plain “...yet.” or “...as of now.”
At the end of the day it’s an absolute nightmare...been thinking about this 24/7 but at this moment in time I personally find this list not at all fairly unique. With all due respect it’s not rocket science.
You jest? The only thing better is "Arsenal are defeating Manchester United, 11-nil."
Sniff...!
You rang?
I was stunned that, this being a British list, “Brilliant” wasn’t at the top. They use it the way Paris Hilton uses “...like...”
“Not for nuthin, but . . .”
Hubby’s pet peeve when watching football games is when the commentators say “Corderback” instead of “Quarterback.” Drives him crazy!
Transparent.
It’s true, very few qualifier make any sense applied to ‘unique’, I think only modal qualifiers like seemingly, apparently, necessarily, and yes, hopefully
work.
Language is defined by its use, so the modal use of ‘hopefully’ as a way of avoiding longwinded circumlocutions like “It is hoped that” is perfectly sound English. To all prescriptivists who insist that the word can only be used in the non-modal sense of ‘in a hopeful manner’, let me suggest you’re speaking the wrong language: move to France and get a job at the Academie Francaise.
Good one!!!
At this moment in time, I personally can’t stand “I feel” and “basically”.
Fascinating.
If you tried to “drink water from a firehose” the pressure would rip your face apart.
“Go armed.”
Wilco! Need more ammo anyway.
“Can’t we all get along?” Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I’d of thought they’d of thrown under the bus under the bus.
Yes! “Hot water heater” is the worst! Closely followed by “general consensus.”
Some of me customers want to know what is the “least inexpensive” thing we have.
So I tell the the most expensive.
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