Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases

[SeekHer]

Received in my daily newsletter from Salon.com section called “5 Things”

The Daily Telegraph’sOxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases...

The majority of them barely irk me but there are quite a few in the comments section that "Get my dander up"...As it is a British newspaper there are quite a few American euphemisms, clichés and idioms mentioned in both the article and comments...

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A top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford University.

By Charlotte Bailey
The Daily Telegraph

Last Updated: 3:18PM GMT 08 Nov 2008
Comments 2193 | Comment on this article

This is one where you really should read the comments! Actually quite a bit better then the article itself!

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 database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused.

As well as the above expressions, the book's author Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".

Other phrases to irritate people are "literally" and "ironically", when they are used out of context.

Mr Butterfield said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often – an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism – and the same seems to happen with some language."

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


COMMENTS
1) get over it
2) bell curve
3) outcomes
4) have an issue with
5) the bottom line is
6) leverage
7) neocon (used to smear conservatives)
8) fundamentalist Christian (used to smear all those who oppose gay marriage, late-birth abortion etc.)
9) war against terror (it's against radical Islam)
10) community (as in "gay community" or "Muslim community")
11) sexy (applied to high-tech gadgets, computer software and other consumer items)
12) hands-on
13) progressives (for liberals)
14) sex workers (for prostitutes)
15) French youths (for Muslim rioters who hate the French)
16) you guys (addressing a mixed group of males and females)
17) indigenous Americans (for Indians. This makes immigrants of all Americans who arrived after the Indians.)
18) peace activists (for terrorist-sympathizers and supporters)
19) gobsmacked
20) paradigm change
21) post-modern
22) militants (for terrorists)
23) fighters (for terrorists)
24) the noble Koran
25) PBUH (guess who)

These are only a few which immediately come to mind. Why does the media inflict so many of these barbarities upon us?
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"Restored to it's former glory" - used in relation to property renovation. It's not used incorrectly, just too often - it makes me cringe. Any suggestions for alternative phrases?
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My absolute #1 peeve

The phrase 'you know' in the middle of every sentence and then at the end as well...!
And then the word basically - usually used in the same way as the phrase 'you know'
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[Fivetoes]

I will add a couple:

Pull the trigger on-Meaning to purchase and used on tool forums it seems.

Thingy-Kind of cute when a woman uses it but come on men, learn the nomenclature.

[Jered]

When liberals refer to themselves as progressives it amuses me because progressives were the inspiration for Mussolini.

[workinwifdakids]

The word "HAD" as a helping verb. No one knows how to use it. Never say it.

Ignant: "I had gone to the store, and..."
Better: "I went to the store, and..."

[drice]

The word "like",
Like when, you know...you want to, like...pull the trigger on like...you know, like that big ammo purchase you were, you know, like talking about yesterday?

It's bad enough listening to that crap from teenagers, but they've been growing up for the last 10 years talking this way, and now there are waaaaay too many 20-somethings speaking this foreign language.

The other one is "xxx unique". They had a couple examples in the original article, but any adjective/modifier in front of the word "unique" is bad English.

[Jered]

The word "like",
Like when, you know...you want to, like...pull the trigger on like...you know, like that big ammo purchase you were, you know, like talking about yesterday?

It's bad enough listening to that crap from teenagers, but they've been growing up for the last 10 years talking this way, and now there are waaaaay too many 20-somethings speaking this foreign language.

The other one is "xxx unique". They had a couple examples in the original article, but any adjective/modifier in front of the word "unique" is bad English.

Because like you know i like totally like to like use the work like you know.

[rightisright]

I'd add any of the insidious "business" phrases, such as:

Touch base
Reach out
Mission critical
Actionable
Operationalize

I could go on... but I won't

[308Mike]

When people use "ideal" instead of "idea", or "axe" instead of "ask".

[Weetabix]

The word "HAD" as a helping verb. No one knows how to use it. Never say it.

Ignant: "I had gone to the store, and..."
Better: "I went to the store, and..."

I had thought that past perfect formations were incorrect before I studied that verb tense.

But now I use it to discuss an action that occurred before another action in the past or before a specific time in the past.

[SeekHer]

Idear instead of idea...

Foiyour in stead of foyer...

ruff instead on roof...

Listen to Paul Sr. of American Chopper to hear poor English spoken well!