what words/ phrases do you overuse...

[asicsgirl]

... even though you are already getting irritated at yourself for it?

my current one is 'get with the programme'. and 'X of two halves', as in 'game of two halves' but recently extended to 'a day of two halves' and 'he's a boy of two halves' (describing ds2's jekyll/ hyde aspect).

i am already boring myself...

[VintageGardenia]

Anyway.

I constantly say anyway. Sometimes it's an entire sentence.

What is it about me that means I am constantly brushing away whatever my previous statement was?

I drive myself berserk.

[giddykipper]

"...or something", as in "are you going out or something?" It doesn't even mean anything.

[LadyJogsAlot]

like

and

do you know what i mean?

i annoy myself...

[Ellbell]

Ostensibly (I just like the way it sounds).

Doo-dah (when I can't remember the word for something).

Sorry (even when it's not my fault, I feel compelled to apologise).

The last two drive me particularly mad. The first one just sounds pretentious - I hear it coming out of my mouth and cringe, but I can't help it.

[asicsgirl]

oh yes 'bless (him)' - and i hate that one when other people use it, but it's still found its way into my vocab

[beansmum]

'definitely'
'really'
'I suppose'
'he's cool' (when talking about ds i.e. all the time)

[asicsgirl]

lol at ostensibly ellbell. i find myself saying 'paradoxically' a lot. makes me cringe too!

[Sanguine]

I also overuse "ostensibly". Must be a pedant thing.

I use "Gordon Bennet!" as an exclamation, and "jolly good" and "splendid". I talk like a famous five book

Giddykipper - I have friends who have abbreviated the "or something" to "or...?" as in, "are we going out or...?" My DH started doing it ironically, but now he has started doing it all the time. Drives me insane.

[UnderRated]

I never finish sentences which is ironic because the one thing that irritates me more than anything else is people who don't finish sentences. It drives me insane.

[UnderRated]

Actually, I think I must use the word 'actually' quite a lot because DS begins almost every sentence with it. It sounds a bit poncey when a 2 yr old uses it, "Actually, Mummy, it's not Gordon, it's Edward. "

"Are you sure? I think it's Gordon."

"Actually, it is Edward. Actually, I'm hungry. I want some water. Actually, I want juice..."

[hellish]

Would you like a coffee or no?

or no??? what does that mean? I say it all the time.

Do you see what I mean? I hate it, but I can't stop.

[UnderRated]

"You know what?..." as in

Me: Time to go home now, DS
DS:
Me: But, you know what? If we go home now, we can come back another day.

Friend: UnderRated, what did you do today?
Me: You know what? I don't remember

Of course they don't bloody know 'what' - I haven't told them yet. Stoppit. Just stop it

Ooo, this thread is making me really annoyed with myself. Aargh

[UnderRated]

And

"That's not good"

Friend: Our window was broken last night by a stray bullet.
Me: OMG, are you ok?
Friend: Yes, the same thing happened last week too.
Me: Goodness, that's not good.

Or

Another Friend: So, MrX hit his wife over the head with a hammer
Me: Oh, that's not good

Friend: My car has been written off
Me: That's not good.

Why can't I say something just a little more meaningful?

Someone, being rather kind, told me that I have a 'wonderfully British way of understating things'.

[UnderRated]

Hellish - is the 'or no' thing because of living in Canada or did you do it before?

I have to go to bed now

[UnderRated]

I'm seething now

[ninedragons]

"Jolly good". I picked it up from my husband and I can't seem to stop. I didn't even notice I was doing it until I said it and a friend of mine roared with laughter - he said he and his girlfriend had been discussing people's verbal tics the night before and my "jolly good" came up.

I also swear WAY too much. That is going to have to change now I have DD in the house.

[hellish]

UR - I think it's a new thing.

I have realised I am getting very Canadian.,

eg.

"How are you?"
"Good thanks, and you?"

Good at what???? I do still say "fine" sometimes but I worry that they think I mean "Damn I am fine (as in 'Beyonce is one fine woman)

[asicsgirl]

i say 'rather' as in

ds1, can you move your digger? your tractor, rather

he says it too now! does sound quite odd from a 3yo

[asicsgirl]

ooh i do the 'how are you? good thanks!' thing too. but i'm ashamed to say it's because i like it, plus i have several work colleagues who get very irritated by it

i have been trying to adopt 'what's next?' a la president bartlet in 'west wing' but haven't quite cracked it yet...

[asicsgirl]

hellish lol at worrying about 'fine'

sorry must start reading posts properly

[mummypud]

to be honest! and i hear my self say it and cringe

[hellish]

yes, to be honest, i say it all the time and hate it.

[musicposy]

You know, I can't always finish a sentence when I can't remember the end and, well, you know.
The annoying thing is I hear other people do it and it drives me mad! I think "just finish the sentence properly!" But, you know, sometimes when your mind goes blank and then, well...well..you know!
Grrrr!

Sanguine, I also say "Gordon Bennett!" constantly. I picked it up from my Mum and I thought she was the only one saying it!

My Mum also constantly says "well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!", but of course, never does

[Sanguine]

Musicposy. You and I might be related, because I do the whole thing with the ... ... sentence... thing. I don't even finish it with "well, you know...", I just... I also put incredibly long pauses in setences. It drives my DH crazy. He stands there and insists that I finish what I'm saying, but I really struggle to find the..., and the more he tries to get me to finish the more I fail to get any words out. It's almost some kind of stammer, I think. It makes me sound quite dozy, or like I'm not concentrating, and I wish I could stop doing it. My dad does it too, but so much worse than me!