Words and phrases that drive you insane...

[Ducksbehindthesofa]

Certain words (usually nonsense or pseudowords) and phrases really grate on me, sometimes to the extent I don't bother reading the rest of a narrative if I stumble across a word or phrase on my hit list, halfway through something.

There are plenty, but a few to kick off:

Holibobs. It's not even an abbreviation for goodness sake.

Chillax. Just why?

"You do you" - this seems to be the in phrase at the moment, especially with the younger generation. It always sounds vaguely condescending to me

Chrimbo. Please, no

Nom nom nom. This one is right up there with holibobs!

Your turn......

@SchnizelVonKrumm , i agree. It's tedious. I try to include the IPA spelling.
Posts that give a spelling without showing the stressed syllable are frustrating too.

It is part of her natural accent though. It isn’t affected-casual.

I didn't include the stressed syllable as the point I was making was that it's the extra ee sound that annoys me, making it a 4 syllable word instead of 3.

@RaraRachael , it's exactly what I find frustrating. mis-chie-vous doesn't really tell you how to say the word.

mis·chief is ˈmɪstʃɪf, not mis-chief.

That's not really a phrase as such, it is mangling of the English language and poor grammar.

‘Passed’, ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’.
Yes, I know I’m probably being VVU…

"Our NHS", "mumpreneur", "girl boss"

‘Super’ as in super excited. Stupid phrase. And also “I’m shook”. WTAF. usually by very annoying instagrammers

It's pronounced MISS-ch-vuhss.

I was one of those posters. And I absolutely knew why the ‘r’ was included. But I thought that particular poster was a bit patronising with their emphatic correction. So I suppose I was being ‘faux innocent’ as you say. And it was deliberate. God, I need to get off the internet🤣

Not a word, but the moronic trend of assigning a female pronoun to clothes, furniture, handbags and the like.

I see it on social media and it makes me want to murder.

Oh me too. Makes me squirm.

@Bleachedjeans - I think co-parenting is acceptable when it refers to parents who are separated - but that’s the only time.

I’ve been on MN a while and, as someone with a rhotic accent, understand well now what non-rhotic speakers mean when they write ‘er’ or ‘ar’. The first couple of times I saw it I was utterly confused though!

Not the situation on this thread I agree, but just so you know that the bewilderment isn’t always ‘faux’ and the meaning isn’t always ‘perfectly clear’ to posters😅

@Breadcrumbtrail , same here. It only matters IME if the word is one where eliding Rs get inserted (e.g. drawring, Laura Norder, Zara(r) Anne) or if it's a name like Lorna or Carwyn (where the rhotic versions sound quite different).

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER , passed away is fine IMO, passed isn't because the word's meaning depends on context.

@dailyconniptions, not according to the IPA. The middle syllable IMO is short.
MISS-ch-vuhs would be difficult to say without at least inserting a short schwa.

Medicine said as medsin works but mischvuhs wouldn't.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius ,I agree. Co-parenting is fine if two parents share the parenting but aren't a couple.

@Breadcrumbtrail , I used to work in hospitality and staff members would write lager as larger. The local accent was rhotic, they said it as lar-ger.

I thought that's what it meant? Is it ever used in any other situation?

I've thought of another one - sneak peek (or even worse, where it's misspelt as sneak peak). If you must, the expression is "sneaky peek"!

Well I, (and google) disagree with you.

Sneaky peek just sounds all sorts of wrong.

But you're being sneaky, having an advance peek, surely? Sneak is a noun, not an adjective.

Hopefully we are agreed on sneak peak, though?

I hate therapy talk. People use it to sound insightful and clever but it's been so over used and in contexts that don't apply that the words have lost their meaning.
Also HTH - if you use it you're a twat.

Well, that is interesting because I’ve just realised I’d say it as lar-ger too! I’ve a rhotic (Irish) accent so would pronounce both r’s.
I’d spell it lager, though it’s not I word I think I’ve ever had to spell before 😁

I wonder where that extra r comes from…it’s not usually a feature of Irish accents.

@Breadcrumbtrail , not Irish but in the local accent 'lager' would have been 'lagger'. I'd have to go back there to see if they write latte as Larte.

Something that annoys me is someone saying ex-wife for the wife of a widower.

Oh, yes, yes, yes, the expression is 'late wife'.

I'm from the SE and pronounce it 'Lahger' ('cos I'm posh 😉😂) I also call the place or bathroom furniture 'Bahth'.