Strange things that give you a kind of "ick" in everyday life

[CariahMary]

I don't mean getting the "ick" about a sexual or romantic partner. And I don't mean being put-off by things that are actually pretty grim. I mean random things that you inexplicably find a bit off-putting in everyday life.

For me, I get a kind of "ick" when I read other people talking about food on forums MN I honestly had no idea why. It's so odd, I really like reading food descriptions in books but in forums I find it really off-putting.

In the real-world, I also really hate opening other people's fridges. They always smell weird (different from my own). I have to hold my breath.

Grown men biting their nails.

Anyone who describes something as “Heaven!”. Along the lines of “Well, WE always go wild swimming on a Sunday - it’s Heaven!” where “Heaven!” is said in a weirdly accusatory way.

Saw an advert on an estate agent recently where a house had a "HEAVENLY EXTENSION". No idea who approved the usage of that, it was a very average 3 bed semi with an extension of 8 ft added to the living room.

I have three men in my house that never change a hand towel. When I go away, all the hand towels will be sodden by the time I come home. Eeeyuk

Yep, definitely don’t approve.

Are these the ones were the author is telling the story.? As in..." I walked through the wood"
I hate them too.
Me and dsis call the ' I books '

Not necessarily 'I' (which is first person narration). Present tense would be 'I walk through the woods and hear twigs snap under my feet' or 'the traffic is passing the cathedral' i.e. it's as if things are happening NOW. I find that very annoying when it's a story obviously set in the past: 'Thomas Cromwell sits down to eat. He wipes his mouth and stares at the fire, which spits and smokes fitfully...' (Use of the present tense is why I couldn't read Wolf Hall.)

Threads like this . “ick”!!

Agree so hard with this. Present tense narration is terrible - like a bottom set GCSE creative writing project. I always read the first few lines of a book before I commit and this is one of the main things I check for!

Using a poo bag to carry food. DH sometimes uses them to bring back blackberries or sloes or veg from his allotment. I know they are probably clean inside and everything can be washed, but it turns my stomach.

People who use their fingers to take the teabag out of the tea. Please just use a spoon - I don't know where your finger's been (or want to know).

Not sure if I mentioned this one before, but football players spitting on the pitch - and shown in HD on the TV. Again stomach does a flip, I don't want to be seeing that and I'd hate the thought of running around on spittle.

People repeating a line or slogan from a children’s telly programme - particularly when done in front of someone who is too young to have watched the programme (or is foreign). Then the other person is bemused because they have no idea why this person keeps singing nonsense at them.

Curious about this one. Im in a competitive rowing squad, we have a coach, she ex GB, knows her shit, and we call her 'coach' as that is what she is insofar as setting out the training programme, providing individual tuition etc.

People oversharing on social media (including slagging off their partner or ex partner). I don’t need to have the blow by blow account of why your day out to a National Trust property didn’t go very well.

I get irrationally annoyed when a newsreader makes a mistake/stumble when reading a news report on the radio.

Also, when radio advertisements feature a Brit impersonating a foreigner - I heard one yesterday which was supposed to be an Italian but he clearly wasn't.

I find people who say ‘laying in bed’ icky. Also hate tattoos in general but especially on hands or fingers, fat feet squashed into shoes where you can see a small roll of flesh at the edge of the shoe, men sitting with their legs wide apart on public transport (especially in shorts) and (worst of all) dunking biscuits. I cannot be in the same room as biscuit dunking as I start to retch.

Some new ones.

The way Americans say Craig, Americans saying Apple Sauce when they mean puree, like “you can wean your baby using apple sauce”. Just reminds me of the jar of apple sauce you have with your roast. American Sign Language, it seems very one handed. My sister is deaf and I’m used to BSL.

People putting food on my plate when I’m eating. Like extra potatoes or gravy. Puts me off.

Can't stand when women sit with legs spread apart as well as men. I knew one who loved doing this and almost put me off going to my hobby.
She'd have coloured leggings on and the outline of her vagina would be visible.

People who lick their fingers when say, they get sauce on it. I want to scream, use a napkin!!

Slurpers.

People who walk slowly in crowded places.

Service people who chat to their colleagues as if they can't see you're waiting.

Yes!!! I think it’s the pronunciation - Apple Sorrrssss makes it worse.

I have an American relative who goes on about “Your English tea”, “Your King”, “Your Prince George”, “Your crumpets”, and I know he’s being nice but gives me the Ick with “You rock!”. Cringe!

@FThoseB

People putting food on my plate when I’m eating. Like extra potatoes or gravy. Puts me off.

Not so much an 'ick' as incredibly irritating, if people add food to my plate from the serving dishes (usually at the beginning of the meal). I realise they think they are being helpful, but I would like to put the food I'm about to eat on my own plate (I'm not a child). Been with DH for decades but he will still help himself and then offer to put some potatoes/carrots/whatever on mine too - just hand me the bowl or serving sppon. I know I'm not being enirely rational but I'm very picky about it

Inspired by @Flowersforyourchocolateprettyplease (most of who's icks I heartily agree with!) : people making it obvious they are trying to dodge past you in busy pedestrianised places or barging past. Especially when everyone is in the same boat and being held up by the crowds and you are hemmed in. Same type of people probably hop one car space at a time, pushing in and often taking risks, in a long line of cars travelling together (generally on single country roads) - usually with a slow car at the head - we're all being held up here mate, you're not special because you think you're in more of a rush.

Brilliant thread idea, OP.

Mine are: anything at all to do with teeth and dentistry.
Any chewing noises at all, but especially gum / open mouth chewing. Just, why??!
Slurping (soup, ramen, tea, anything).
Mayo. Anywhere. In anything.
Bad vocal fry. Medium I'm ok with.
Instances of "I should have went" or "should of / could of " etc aaaaaaaaa i can only just about bear to type it.
TVs on in otherwise nice venues. The sound of advertisements, in particular.
Hand dryers instead of towels.
Cockroaches (fortunately I'm in a location without many of them but yikes they are creepy, when I'm in the tropics!)

@cordeliavorkosigan

Hand dryers instead of towels.
Cockroaches (fortunately I'm in a location without many of them but yikes they are creepy, when I'm in the tropics!)

Also hate hand dryers.

Once in a shop in Gibraltar, I was trying on a pair of shorts and a cockroach fell off the light and landed on my head. I shot out of the changing cubicle and pranced around the shop in my pants with the shorts around my ankles panicking and trying to get the bloody thing out of my hair, whilst my BF (now DH) howled with laughter and was no help at all. Fortunately this was way before mobile phones and so no video was taken to immortalise the event.

People who when asked what job they do, say retired.

Retired from what!!!

It's usually on tv and the host then needs to ask what job they retired from.

You're a grown man/woman just say I'm a retired lawyer/policeman or whatever.

Irrationally can't stand it so much so that when the question comes up, I tense up.

Nope. I dodge past when I am walking because I can't physically walk slowly, it gives me hip and backache. If people want to walk slowly they can let faster people get by.

But in the car I stay in the queue - I have a healthy self-preservation instinct.

Yes ! This makes me think of them constantly transferring germs into their mouths.

Ex nail biter here - a few months living on the cheap in India really stopped me nibbling on my fingernails