Popular phrases / sayings you find inaccurate or just don't like

[SlowlyLosingWeight]

For me there are two main ones:

“There’s always somebody worse off than yourself”. Yes that may well be true Linda, but excuse me for not skipping joyfully from here to San Francisco because so and so’s Auntie’s, Sister’s, Godmother’s Cousin has got problems more depressing than mine. Don’t get me wrong I’m sorry for them but it doesn’t make me feel any better about my own shit. It isn’t a fucking competition.

“Money doesn’t make you happy”. There are absolutely things more important than money. Loved ones and health of course. But let’s be honest... I’d rather cry in a Lamborghini.

“No one said it would be easy”. And that’s supposed to make me feel better? Fuck off.

I cannot stand, and have been known to embarrass everyone by pointing out that “Home-made” in a cafe makes no sense. Did the chef make it in their kitchen and bring it in on the bus? That seems weird, what’s wrong with the kitchen here? Does the chef have cats? How was it refrigerated on the journey? Whenever DH stops it on a menu he starts eye rolling.
I also have strong feelings about the Oxford comma but I accept no one else ought to care. A vital mark in Higher English rested on it, but whatever I’m over it now.

'Blood is thicker than water'

The full saying is `the blood of the convant is thicker than the water of the womb'

The full quote literally means the opposite of how it's normally used. So does -

'curiosity killed the cat... but satisfaction brought it back

Also, new and improved

If it's new, how has it been improved upon , shouldn't it be newly improved? Or just improved?

I hate when people start a sentence with "at the end of the day..." or "basically"
Normally people on Jeremy Kyle !

I've only seen this in America, but they'll say something will be served "with au jus". Au jus = with gravy.... so it's being served with 'with gravy'.

I hate how it's deferring to French to add pretence whilst giving no deference to the meaning or context of the language through correct usage.

Ditto for other redundancies like chai tea, rice pilaf etc.

Enjoyed reading the whole thread while up feeding baby but bewildered that no one has mentioned "going forward". I think it means soon or in the future but it always seems to be in the wrong part of the sentence. I have noticed an increase in the last 10 years or so and it seems to be common place by now.

As for "it is what it is" a friend used this when I asked her about an exhibition she'd been to and I was considering. Grr...

'Melts my heart' makes me want to be sick in my own mouth

Melts my heart' makes me want to be sick in my own mouth Have you yet to have you heart melted then.

I’m always banging on about this but I can’t bear to see
Could of
Should of
Would of

It’s HAVE
HAVE
HAVE

@cariadlet yes I've noticed this and it's very annoying.

"take a photo" meaning someone taking a photo OF YOU.

Look, this is how it works:

the person with a camera TAKES a photo OF the person who will eventually be IN the photo.

The only legit grammatically equivalent phrase that comes to mind for this right now is "pose for a photo" and I can't see why JUST EXACTLY WHEN posing has become apparently utterly socially legitimised, the word has been replaced with an expression that means SOMETHING ELSE

I was once served in a shop by someone whose sentences all ended in a dangling "or...?"
Are you paying by card, or...?
Would you like a receipt, or...?
The first couple of times I waited for the options but then I realised that was just how her sentences ended

@Flashingbeacon
Which side are you on in the Oxford comma debate? I tend to use it automatically (I think it often adds clarity) but try to remember to remove it as it's usually frowned on in British English.

@Evvvve

Thanks for the info. 2 new things that I've learned all the day.

Although maybe I shouldn't really be thanking you because now I've yet more things that will irritate me.

today - not all the day

" 'Melts my heart' makes me want to be sick in my own mouth "

I am sorry but on a thread about sloppy use of English, this is hilarious. Is there somebody else's mouth you might be sick into? is there another part of your own body you might be sick into?

@cariadlet I use it too and have to stop myself adding it to other people’s work. My higher English teacher had an irrational (in my opinion) hatred of it. I never entirely forgave her.
For years everything I wrote was formed of small weird sentences to avoid the comma entirely. Yes, I do know how weird that is.
Then the song came out I played it on repeat until I hated it.
Ah youth, when I had energy for such things.

Someone (usually DH) using meal times instead of the clock. Eg something is happening at "dinner time". When's that then? Doesn't help that he thinks dinner is lunch and I think it's an evening meal. And also people have meals at varying times, dinner time could be anywhere between 12 and 2 (to him) or 5 and 8 (to me).

He also once said "at the back of dinner time" ! Wtf?

'Thank you for reaching out to us'
I didn't reach out, I contacted you.

'I am what I am'

'Dirty burger' or dirty anything to do with food.
If it is dirty you wash it or throw it away, you don't eat it.

The new verb "to be like", as in "I was like", "we were like". WTF is wrong with "I said", "We said"?

I also hate Dirty food went to a burger place with my Dds and everything was dirty ! wtf is DIRTY FRIES did me in I just wanted a cheese burger &chips fgs

I've never understood 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth' or something like that