10 of the Most Irritating Phrases in the English Language

On reality show competions, the following need to be banned:  I’m not here to make friends; I have to bring my “A” game; I have to step up my game; I’m in it to win it; Any mistake can send you home; etc.

“It is what it is.”  I can’t stand that.  Think up something original people.

No Problem.

I hate the expression “heads up” as in “I thought I would give you the heads up.”  I envision lots of gophers poking their heads up from their burrows.

“Not so much”.

I feel like those who think these are annoying are probably just as inarticulate and unoriginal as they think the expression-speaker is.  Who the **** cares?

How about.  “Give me all your money or I’ll poke you with this thumb tack”.

“Have a nice day.” “Keep it real.” “My homies.” “She’s all that.” “Dude!” “Let’s bounce.” “I feel your pain.” “What would _____ do?” “Does this ____ make me look fat?” “We the People!” “Fight the Power!” “We’re number one!” “What’s your sign?” “Go for it!” “Like, I totally know!”

No problem!

“It’s neither here nor there.” Well, where the hell is then?

Hey, this stuff has cracked me up. Keep it up.

Hey, this stuff has cracked me up. Keep it up.

This list is USELESS without “like” and “you know” at the top.

It’s a “no brainer”. That is the most insulting phrase used anymore. I refuse to look at, let alone buy books with names like _______ for dummies. Who do these people think they are; Al Gore?

“Just touching base”

hate hate hate hate hate

“man up” ,” lawyer up”, “saddle up” = upchuck

“six of one, half dozen of another”, “to tell you the truth” Were you were lying otherwise?

“six of one, half dozen of another”, “to tell you the truth” Were you were lying otherwise?

“six of one, half dozen of another”, “to tell you the truth” Were you were lying otherwise?

To tell the truth …..   As opposed to everything else I have ever told you which was all lies.

You know what’s more annoying? Whining about phrases you find annoying. LOL Geez..grow up. 

It’s nice that various slang words that describe the wonder that is the female body didn’t make the list.

To Be Honest.  I HATE that phrase.  So before you said this, you weren’t being honest with me?  Also the phrase “Be that is it may”.  I mean, what is that?  Okay, and one more.  Someone who says something, then ends it with “I know, right?”

Whazzz up?  I CAN NOT STAND THAT PHRASE!

But what’s wrong with ‘Shouldn’t've?’

“Like” – I was like doing this. He was like on top of the hill.  I like hate that word! (love your bet with your kids, Jemish)

“Awesome” – hated it then, hate it now
“110%” – “epic”  – “Cowboy  up” And all the ones below!

“Really?”

“the end all be all” , “keeping it real” “first thing in the morning”, “a breath of fresh air”, “the world is your oyster”, “you can be/do anything if you put your mind to it”, “I’m not racist but…”, “doesn’t matter if their black, white, purple, or green”, “unfortunately…”.”I’m sorry you feel that way”, “we apologize for the inconvenience”, “take care”, “wish you the best”, “if I had a dollar for every time…”, “you can’t win em all”, “good luck”, “greatest of all time”, “I don’t have time”, “I can’t wait to…”, “I’ll do my best”, “giving a 110%”, “bend over backward”, “wtf”, “by far the best…”, “always had a smile on his/her face”, “at some point you have to…”, “find your inner self”, “it was just sex”, “back in the day”, “no one feels worse about this than I do”, “that’s the last thing I would expect”, “forget about it”, “agree to disagree”, and my #1 most hated phrase is “THAT’S YOUR OPINION”

“merry christmas”

Every year has its’ most overworked word.  This year it is “literally”, a word that rarely needs to be used, and when it is used is almost always repetitively redundant over and over again once more!!!

Oh My God if I hear Oh My God one more time I’m going to go
nuts because Oh My God it is such a teenage girl irritating expression.  By the way, even though it originated from those trying not to swear using God or Jesus name they still are.

“To tell you the truth”.
No dont…..i would rather you lie to me.

Up close and personal .

could care less

“Gone Missing” should go missing.

“Is that what she said?”

this is dumb

I like how idiotic posts like this one get more attention then real news articles. Everybody just loves talking about what they hate about others.

You left out, “I know, right?”  I can’t wait til the next new catchphrase comes to take that one’s place, it has to be less annoying no matter what it is.  A close second is “Really?”

Do you really get annoyed by these phrases?  Meditation and exercise can both be helpful.

” The whole nine yards” Unless there is another sport that this came from, should it be 10 yards?
 

With all due respect, its not rocket science, I personally
believe that it’s fairly unique at this moment in time, but at the end of the
day it’s a 24-7 nightmare that absolutely shouldn’t have happen, irregardless!  

I don’t know how it started and it is probably too all encompassing to be stopped but I nominate YOU GUYS to be banned totally starting right now.  Is that OK with you….you…you guys and gals!

I hate the word issues, when did people start saying  “I have  issues with that”   just say i have a problem with that .. also surreal      yuck…….

Amazing.  The most annoying and overused word in the English language. It apparently means I don’t have enough knowledge of English to come up with anything better.

OMG….

I posted these on Facebook, but I will repeat them here.  It’s all good…you know…(Insert noun of you choice) on steroids…OMG!   No, the last one I meant.

How about the author of this article using the word “conservations”  when they mean “conversations” in the statement:  “Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future conservations.”

I just love Type A people that make lists like this. They make the rest of us look so relaxed!

Don’t go there.     Girlfriend.     Not for nothing.     At any rate.     Know what I’m sayin’.

“Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future conservations.”

And no one mentions the glaring problem there??

Why not try to “REACH OUT to so-and-so and get some closure.”

‘A level playing field”

‘A level playing field”

I would to add:
1) I mean
2) You know
3) Any phrase with the word “awesome” or “phenomenal”

There is one irritating phrase that is missing and needs to be added.  How about, when making a request to a server or salesperson person they reply “No problem” .  Like it would be a problem because you make a request. 

“Seriously!” and “First of all”, should have been on that list.

When someone answers a question with the word “look”. It sounds defensive

  10 BS comments, used by most grade school droputs , followed by more comments from other drop outs.

I hate “speak to” and “performant”; as in when your boss says “I would like to speak to the task of making the data server more performant”. 

You speak to a listener, not a topic.
Performant is not a word.

The use of the word ‘journey’…….I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.
And other overuse or the word in sentences. The word ‘amazing’.No matter where you put the emphasis in the word..it’s still the same overused word….That was amAAAAzing…… He looks ah-ma-zing!!….The food was amazzzing….. The word surreal needs to retire too.And here’s the worst for me……’I know,RIGHT ?’  …….aahhhh,hate that one

Whatever.

“yeah…whatever”

After all of the words are banned, we are back to grabbing and grunts, my territory!

“Thet is sooo…….like…….growwwwsssssss.

Literally.
Irregardless.
Could care less (instead of the correct couldn’t care less).
Whatever.
Ending sentences on a high note / verbal question mark.
Free gift.
Extra bonus.
Using quote marks for emphasis.

“Most definitely.”  You can’t get any more definite than “definite.”

should not HAVE Shouldn’t have would HAVE could HAVE should not HAVE.

For some reason “baby bump” annoys me.  It just sounds “dumb.”

Think outside of the box.

I’m with RT in the sense that I want to know how much ‘so bad’, ‘so much’, etc, really is! Come on… 1-10 what is it?

Going Forward
Final Four
Any phrase that includes “Ever”, as greatest ever, best ever,

Those are all my Go-to expressions! 

With all due respect, I personally feel at this moment in time that I absolutely shouldn’t of written this fairly unique comment.  At the end of the day it’s not rocket science, it’s a 24-7 nightmare!

may I add:  “A whole ‘nother”  What the hell is a “nother?”

Bottom line, this is a non-starter. The dogs won’t eat this dog food, nor will that dog hunt. It may go to hell in a handbasket, but at least it will die with its boots on, the boots that made the footprints in the sand that the tide washed away. .

“To be honest with you…” So there are times you aren’t?

“The fact of the matter is …..” usually precedes a statement that is opinion, not fact.

Athletes who say, “One game at a time” or those who say, “I am taking it, one day at a time”.

Here’s some I can’t stand:

1. Quality time.This is for pussywhipped men.
2. Male bonding. What a sissy boy !!  Grow up…
3. Significant other. Just shows how co-dependent you are on someone else.
4. I just tune them out. The 60s and LSD are over.
5. So and so is a douche. Men don’t douche, you fool.
6. She’s a Cougar aka old broad after young guys.
7. Big Beautiful Woman (BBW) aka a female fat slob who claims to be pretty.
8. I’m kinda thick. You’re fat and don’t try to cover for it.

I hate “Exactly right” I never heard this until 1996 and it set me back on my heels when I heard it and now you can’t escape it on any day. Please either say Exactly or Right but not both together. I cringe every time I hear “Exactly right”.

Also Hate “Come together” what the heck is that exactly supposed to mean? OK so now we are together so what are we supposed to do? How about using “Work together”, or Cooperate or something meaningful?

Matbe the absolute worst is “My bad”. I’m getting queasy just thinking I had to type it.

Also “Shouldn’t of” is incorrect… I am aware that most people think “Should not of” makes sense, but it’s properly spelled “Shouldn’t have.” As in, “Should not have done that!”

And “Myriad” can be used as a noun or an adjective: “There is a myriad of options” or “There are myriad options,” depending on the context and intention. 

“Let me pick your brain”.  No thank you.

The bottom line …

Irregardless

No offense, but …

Repeated again and again in a conversation:
“You know”.

With all due respect, I personally, absolutely, believe that, at this moment in time, a columnist shouldn’t of addressed these issues which are fairly unique to people who talk 24-7. I mean, it’s not rocket science.

I absolutely hate it when people use “naturally” as a substitute for “of course” or “obviously”.

NO! It’s not necessarily “natural”! Also, it sounds more condescending somehow than the other two.

Consulting Speak- The Great Re-Staters

That being saidTo your pointAt the end of the dayThat issue is still in flightWe need to land this issueDatapointsUnintended consequence

George Carlin actually did a good bit on these kind of throw-away words/statements.

“moving forward”
“move(s) the ball down the field”

“A whole nother story” or “a whole nother” anything.  What does that even mean? Nother is not a word? Use ‘entirely different’

“8. Shouldn’t of”  doesn’t even make sense!  They SHOULDN’T HAVE made #8 “Shouldn’t of”, unless the point was to highlight the incorrect word being used, i.e., a case of vernacular writing such that what’s written is the way one mispronounces a word (“of” sometimes being a lazy “have”).

I would add to the most irritating words and terms we use:
It’s a no brainer
A win win situation
I’m like, use of like to replace said
putting laundry in front of list.
in other words
morphed replacing changed
albeit replacing but……….
genre replacing of the same type
pi….. off replacing getting angry
zip, zero, nadda…just say nothing.
Where’s it, he, she AT? Why At?
Football boring terms:
picked for interception
the big dance for a champion ship game
to the house scoring a long touchdown
smash moth for defensive struggle
trash talk for stupid verbal exchanges

With all due respect, at this moment in time I personally find all these phrases fairly unique. 

With all due respect, I personally think that at the end of the day they shouldn’t of published something that wasn’t absolutely fairly unique. 

Whatever!

Touch base was the buzz phrase starting in the 1980′s, but I still hear people from time to time using that annoying phrase.

I find this most amusing… has no one seen the “typo” …”Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future…. CONSERVATIONS…. ah… you mean conversations.  With all due respect, I personally think that editing is absolutely not rocket science and this mistake shouldn’t of occurred.   

I find this most amusing… has no one seen the “typo” …”Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future…. CONSERVATIONS…. ah… you mean conversations.  With all due respect, I personally think that editing is absolutely not rocket science and this mistake shouldn’t of occurred.   

Closure

Really the most irritating phrase is “no problem.”  A reply of “no problem” from a waiter asked to provide missing silverware, for example, implies that the “problem” had been the diner’s — not the waiter’s and restaurant’s — unfulfilled obligation.Even more irritating, it suggests that water doesn’t mind the “interruption.”

’nuff said!

Absolutely amazing!

Probably my biggest irritation is when people use the word ‘like’ every other word. “Like, I was talking to my friend and I was, like, so mad at her. I was like, whatever…” 

Another peeve is when people use the word feel instead of think or believe such as; ” I FEEL that gas prices are too high.” Really? You feel that?

Most irritating to me: “Press One for English …”

I hate when people say “ATM machine”.

Just thought of another one: the non-apology apology.

When you begin your mea culpa with the qualification, “If I offended anyone…” you’re not apologizing; you’re weaseling. 

I need to add
“It is what it is”
and
“basically”
 

Add “from the get-go” and  ”moving forward”

Annoying…”You see what I’m, saying.” this is a stupid one.

Sorry, but I have bigger challenges to be concerned with at the moment. Word or phrases go with the wind rather quickly.

Or “To Tell you the truth” like you were always lying before?

With all due respect, I personally thought that this fairly unique article was absolutely unnecessary. At the end of the day, it’s not rocket sicence that, at this moment in time, we worry about this 24/7.

Just saying. (Ohhh another bad phrase!)

Basically….
It’s are’s……
Irregardless….
You hear what I am saying….

“It is what it is”  AAARRRGGHHH!!!!

Any heart idiom. For those who ignored the emails, the heart is a muscle, not your brain.

Speaking from the heart.

Wearing your heart on your sleeve.

At the end of the day, I personally feel that you are fairly unique and at this moment in time, with all due respect, I absolutely feel its a nightmare that shoudnt of ended up being 24/7, its not rocket science. LMAO!

“it is what it is”

GIVE US A BREAK!!!!! LET US SPEAK FREELY!!!!

I hate….”Its a no brainer”  & ” I know, right?” & “do you know what I’m saying?” 

You ask for something, the waitress says ” No Problem”.

Well…it better not be or you’re not getting a tip.

Please add “Benchmark” and “Watershed” to your list….almost always used incorrectly !!!!

I find it amusing that this article is about the use of the English Language and yet, there is an obvious misspelling in the subtitle.

Nice spelling error Readers Digest, maybe. We should avoid these in our conversations as well?

Conservations ?

I have read three months of comments. I am surprised at how many people care about English usage. My own offerings:
1) Light at the end of the tunnel, to which the even worse response is “Hope it’s not an express train!”. When these expressions become whole conversations we are indeed lost.
2) “Experience” – be it my dining experience, my food shopping experience, my television viewing experience or my flying in a balloon experience, there is always someone out there trying to improve it. Can we please just ban the word from the English language for about a hundred years ? It will certainly improve the listening experience.

Television shows such as Dance Moms. Abby Lee has a deep seeded childhood issue that causes her to resent others.

The word “awesome” should also be eliminated… its use is so widespread and most times in the wrong context…

Absolutely is a word, not a phrase.

Beginning a sentence with “For me,” or “I mean,”.

the very worst is “I mean” if you have to explain yourself you need a better choice of words to begine with.

YA KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!

People who write articles like this are stuck up, sad little people who have nothing better to do than insult someone else’s phrases. The word “absolutely” bothers you? Seriously? So without any sort of explanation, everyone everywhere should stop using it because it bothers you?

Get over yourself.

“conservations” ? I guess it’s not Writer’s Digest.

“at the end of the day” is the worst – it is an uneducated, dumbed-down, arrogant way of an idiot trying to conclude a conversation, argument, disagreement etc… when would that exactly be? it really varies when someone’s “end of the day” would occur…  

It, they, he, she, etc. “went missing” – I guess they all just “disappeared” When found, did they “return found” or “came found’?

I’m very tired of “paradigm shift.”

Not just annoying, but illiterate:
“apropos” for appropriate (means concerning or related to),
“beg the question” for “inspire the question” (“beg the question” means to evade it),
“with au jus” (and while we’re at it, some pie “with a la mode”),
“Sierra Nevada Mountains” (popular with pilots – Sierra means mountain range),

Pop singer Sheryl Crow is one of the very few people to have used “apropos” correctly. In “Santa Monica Boulevard” she says someone uttered a remark “apropos of nothing,” that is, out of the blue.

What about “yes we can”  “Obama 2012″  “Pro-Abortion”  these are also ignorant statements we are all tired of.  

At this moment in time and with all due respect I personally agree that this fairly unique situation is not rocket science.  But at the end of the day it’s a nightmare that absolutely shouldn’t of possessed us 24/7.  And that’s all I’ve got to say on this one.

Well, “It is what it is…” “No question”        

As a 35-year-old college student studying amongst the younger set, I wish we could ban “based off of” and “due to” from spoken and written English.

10 of the Most Irritating Phrases in the English Language

” Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future conservations.”
Not to be judgmental and all, but shouldn’t the word be “conversations” and not ‘conservations’?

I think these choices are wrong, there are far more irritating things people say, for example

“my bad” would have to rank # 1

Le me be clear….

How about “went missing”

“To Be Honest With You…”   Overused and drives me nutz! 

It is what it is.

Far be it for me to judge…

 With all due respect, I personally find fairly unique ways of incorporating annoying phrases 24/7, and at the end of the day I absolutely shouldn’t of claimed it was not rocket science at this moment in time, frankly it’s a nightmare.

quote unquote — it is actually quote – end quote — once you quote something you cannot unquote it

Okay, here’s one: Home remodeling shows in which the designers/owners “bring the outside in.” ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

People who say “take and do anything” as in “I’m going to take and go to the store”.

How about “It is what it is?”

Come again?
Low hanging fruit
Stay the course
My…how you’ve grown
All sports analogies
You made good time
YOU smoke!?!?!!

Whatever

I HATE HATE HATE when people use ‘basically’ ad nauseum.  It is a mean nothing word.  It either is or it isn’t.  And the other is ‘to be honest with you’. 

The phrase that always irritated me is “the rich get rich and poor get poorer”. I don’t why it does, but it always has

Let the games begin with Reader’s Digest with their sub headline, ” Find out what phrases you should omit from using in future “conservations.”

BAN > it is what it is

basically
you know … you know … you know
tuh – instead of ‘to’

“This is a teachable moment”,You’re not teaching when you learn something,you’re “learning”.

Baby bump.  Haters. 

Here are some more:

“It is what it is” (God I hate that one)

“Bling”

“Delish”

“We’re going to have to take it to the next level”

What’s with the urge to BAN anything you don’t like?  Is everyone here a flaming liberal?   BAN, BAN, BAN.  Ever hear of this little thing called the First Amendment?

Suck it up.  If you don’t like a phrase, don’t use it.  But let’s stop trying to tell everyone else how to speak.

NOOOOOOO….!!!

The most annoying phrase in modern American English is:

“It is what it is…”

How on earth could you leave out “Having said that”? Does anyone remember the perfectly good English word “nevertheless”? If anyone did, its use would obviate any urge ever to utter this self-importantly verbose surrogate phrase.

“Close personal friend.” If they’re a friend, it’s personal, right? Another one is “Enjoy.”  Enjoy what?

‘Omit from using’ is not good usage.  Either ‘you should omit’ or’ you should avoid using’.
People seem to want to add more words rhan are needed,

whatever…….

These cliches function as “filled silence.” (spare time to think what to say while saying these phrases)

Someone beat me, but, in a conversation, “Having said that” at the beginning of a sentence is such a drag and even worse when a writer starts a paragraph with such nonsense!
I also have noticed on “Peoples Court” et al, people, when recanting their stories, almost always use the word “basically”. For once I wish a person could say “complexly” just to be different! 
I had an employer who, in sales meetings, always said “Step up to the plate”- ARGGGGG, what a stupid motivation, as I can’t stand baseball. And one final beef- had a (now deceased) friend, who, GOD bless her, almost always ended a bum story with “It’s all good”. Hated that, but I miss her so much that I would be willing to listen to her say it again. :(

“It is what it is”

 *____*

Really? You think so?

The phrase that makes me want to SCREAM at WHOEVER says it, ESPECIALLY someone with an EDUCATION, is “My bad”!!!!

It is what it is.  People who say “I’m done” instead of “I’m finished” or I’m through”.  Cakes are done; people are finished or through.  If you are done, watch it, I’ll stick a fork in your backside and see!

English is my second language. Had I ever used the phrase “Free Gift” my English teacher would have flunked me BIG TIME!

Also, I’m like…and she’s like….and he’s like…

One word…..bling.

My bad and Stay the course.

The phrase “Flexibility is the Key to Air Power” is used by the Air Force way too much.  It’s one of the default responses to questioning why you have to come in at 4 AM to have somebody watch you pee in a cup or pick up sticks at 6 PM the day before a General arrives on base.

I thought the phrases are all cursing and swearing *&@##

‘Duly Noted’
In the military that single phrase pisses off more people both senior and subordinate than any other. It means that you acknowledged what the person has said, but retaining or acting on said information is an exertion of yourself that would be better used polishing your boots or going to the bathroom. Either way, it is the end of a conversation and the person needs to go away now. Usually it is used ‘impolitely’ when someone is asking you to do something and irregardless (nice how I snuck that in huh Jirala1) of what they want you to do, you will not be doing it and they need to stop asking about it.

You know! Well, maybe I do, and maybe I don’t: but you telling me I do, and then to continue on and tell me anyway – is real idiotic. There just has to be an English for the dumb, attached to all sporting teams, and individual event personnel, where they stop and say “you know” 50 times a minute.

athleticism – not a word, should say athletic ability

And how about “keep on keeping on”? KEEP ON WHAT? I hate this phrase…

To tell you the truth, I thought that “To tell you the truth” would be at the top of the list.

I hate when people say 360 when they really mean 180…really hate it.

“Just so you know…..”

I can’t stand ‘business talk’… When I read a CV saying ‘work well under pressure’, I am so tempted to offer them a job as human tarmac…