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......

"I cried ugly tears". Yes, we understand you were upset and crying is never a pretty look 🙄

'I earn well'

Surely it should be 'I'm a high earner' or 'i have a good salary.'

Also turning statements into questions- see this in written form and verbally.
Eg - 'you already bought new clothes last month?'

Or 'I'm a vegetarian?'

Hubs or Hubby!!! Majorly. Guys. Overly. Wait staff. Hun. Furbaby. Girl for a bitch puppy. Horse riding, even worse horseback riding! It is riding or hacking. Unique improperly used!! Like.

‘Lived experience ‘ gives me the rage .

I get so irritated every time I read NHS literature that refers to "tummies." I know it has to be written for the lowest common denominator but it's so ridiculous for adults to talk about tummies.

“And just like that…” usually an Instagram caption for things like “and just like that… my baby turned 1!” or “and just like that…we got married!”

"Can I ask you a question"? Does anyone ever say No! By the time you have asked if you can ask me a question you could have asked the actual question!

“I was today years old when..”

It makes no grammatical sense whatsoever.

Girlies' din dins (apostrophe indicates more than one girly)

Although I’m not keen on “paired” as in I wore my new jumper paired with a black trouser - also note trouser singular 🤢 !

So glad to know I'm not the only deeply intolerant person. I agree with all these examples.

There's a fashion in my office for saying 'infer' when they mean 'imply'. Aaargh.

The overuse of the word 'space' as a synonym for room irritates me. I understand when it's used by an architect to describe something that isn't really a room... but when it's used for a knocked through kitchen diner in an ordinary house it's hard to forgive.

I heard an actual politician on the radio this morning use the phrase, 'That's not the 'gotcha' question you think it is,' to the presenter. Someone whose job involves the need to win hearts and change minds trotting out a stock phrase of Twitterese. Ugh.

I have a personal aversion to the phrase 'all the trimmings' when it comes to Christmas dinner.

Final submission: carpet picnic. Makes me think there will be dog hairs on the food.

I can’t stand Fur baby. I’m usually a tolerant person but this phrase is just wrong. Eurgh.

I mean, what the FUCK is this? I've heard it in dramas, but presumed it was London based pronunciation, but it's beginning to appear here in Glasgow! I corrected a 12 year old the other day (I'm an English teacher. It's my day off MN, don't freak that I'm messaging whilst the pupils wrestle with sentences on their own), & he looked at me as if I had horns.

See also 'Oh my days'.

Any parent who refers to children as 'kiddo/s', as in, 'When my kiddo comes home from school they only have organic fruit or home-made treats' (aye, right).

And what is this fresh hell that is 'spoons'? I've seen online, 'I don't have the spoons to reply/ 'Only use this method if you have the spoons for it that day'. What the hell is it really meaning? Energy? Mental capacity?

'Source', meaning 'buy from a shop or online'

My bad - cannot stand it

God yes. Or 'are we speaking frankly?'

As a precursor to someone saying something unpleasant..

I don’t know why but my skin crawls when I hear a person say, ‘in no way, shape, fashion or form….’ It’s just TOO MANY words!

'Passed' instead of died/dead. Obviously, people should use whatever word feels right to them when they're grieving, but I find it so grating. One of my parents died when I was a child, and I HATED people saying that they had 'passed.' It felt mimsy and patronising. I would sometimes correct them and say no, they died/they're dead.

Also:

Picky bits/tea
Brew (for tea)
Bits and pits (just awful)
Eats and spends (as in just need money for...)
Love the bones of X
Methinks (dreadful)
Ye Gods! (even more dreadful)
Any cliche phrases: 'I'm a voracious reader' etc.

The phrase put up and shut up really annoys me. I know that i cannot change everything but i hate bottling things up. I dislike it when my mum says predominately because.

"And so it begins".

Arrrrghhh drives me mad!

All of the above, obviously, but my number one hate is "train station".... just no! Trains don't have stations - railways do. When even Radio 4 get it wrong, I despair.

I hate with a passion when people say “go figure”

Yes, spoons basically means energy (physical or mental). It comes from some stupid analogy about able-bodied people having more spoons than disabled... not sure on what planet that is easier to understand than energy, but people seem to like it.

triggered
game changer
curated
self-care
my/our/your little family (barf)

Pieces to refer to clothes. What's wrong with things, items or garments.

Pieces makes it sound the the clothes are on display in a museum.