stupid or annoying expressions

[Totenkopf]

Was just reading an article and came across the phrase "speaking truth to power". Regardless of where you fall on any issue, this expression is grating. Anyone else with pet peeves of this type? I could think of more, but am just too tired right now.

 

@ED--Seven cats at once?!? Are you sure you're a guy? But seriously, I drove for an access company a number of years ago and one of the people I had to pick up was a woman with a houseful of cats, not sure how many exactly. Felt like you needed an oxygen tank to enter the house though. I'm guessing that several of your seven were new kittens?

[Emperor Devon]

Anyone else with pet peeves of this type?

 

Mainly vague, generic statements with no real meaning that try and sound like they do. I can't think of any specifics right now.

 

A lot of the speeches politicians give, really.

 

@ED--Seven cats at once?!? Are you sure you're a guy?

 

Clearly it's late, or you'd have posted that in the kittens thread.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm a guy. My family just loves cats.

 

Nope, they were all adult cats at one point. But the cats were actually in two fairly large and seperate houses.

[Achilles]

I know that "speak to that slide" (re: a presentation) or "talk about it offline" (meaning outside of the meeting) tend to drive my counterparts nuts. It doesn't bother me that much. Perhaps because I secretly enjoy how much pain it causes them.

 

Here's one that does get me: When I'm listening to the financials on the way home from work (Marketplace on NPR) and they say the market was up/down a fraction...

 

For christ's sake, you can represent any gain or loss as a fraction! Drives me nuts.

[Fuu]

<3 NPR. Makes me feel educated when I listen. Anyhoos, I personally hate it when someone asks me: "Got an extra cigarette?" There are a set number in a pack, how can you get extra? As if any smoker would tell you they have "extra" cigs just laying around.

 

I'm not condoning smoking here (Yes, I'm aware I look hypocritical.) in fact it’s the worst thing you can do to your body. "Hey, got any extra death you can spare?"

 

Speaking of spare, another of my pet peeves is when I get asked for "spare" change (damn spangers!). I work really hard for the money I have, so when I see a person who could work sitting there begging it really cheeses me.

[Jae Onasi]

1.Using 's for plurals. For instance: "It comes in many color's." The only time the apostrophe gets used is to denote possession, e.g. "We went to Fred's house," or for a contraction, such as changing "we are" to "we're" So, the sentence above should read "It comes in many colors," with no apostrophe.

I've seen this simple mistake done on some very professional materials and billboards and it makes me nuts (not nut's!).

 

2. Using the word 'impact' as a verb instead of a noun. You 'have an impact on something'. You don't 'impact it'. When something is impacted in the medical sense, it means something is stuck and it can't move. Anytime somebody says "We're going to impact the industry," I get a very unpleasant image of the entire industry needing an enema.

 

3. Using 'myself' or 'I' in place of 'me' when used as an object. We don't say "He gave the ball to myself," or "He gave it to I." It's supposed to be "He gave the ball to me. 'I' is used in the subject, 'me' is used as an object, and 'myself' is almost never used except to emphasize that I in particular did something, e.g. "I did it myself." Don't be afraid to use the word 'me'!

[igyman]

Hmmm, I hate when I hear nuclear pronounced nucelar (guess who I'm referring to with this one) and it really annoys me to see ''you're'' where ''your'' should be. People, you're is short from you are and your is a possessive adjective, if I'm not mistaken. Also similar small and stupid mistakes like confusing it's (short from it is) and its (possessive pronoun) can really cause disappointment in some (otherwise nice and cool) people.

[ChAiNz.2da]

1.Using 's for plurals. For instance: "It comes in many color's." The only time the apostrophe gets used is to denote possession, e.g. "We went to Fred's house," or for a contraction, such as changing "we are" to "we're"

I've seen this simple mistake done on some very professional materials and billboards and it makes me nuts (not nut's!).

* Quickly goes through all of his posts and readies himself for Jae's wrath* Erp.. yah, guilty as charged

 

I'm apostrophe happy... I like'm almost as much as comma's commas.. hehehe

[RC-1162]

well, with indians, pronunciation mistakes are very common. out maths sir has a wierd way of saying 'q' which is both funny and annoying. it comes out something like "kyaaw" . and his 'please': "plizz"

i could just go on and on.

[Totenkopf]

Hmmm, I hate when I hear nuclear pronounced nucelar (guess who I'm referring to with this one) and it really annoys me to see ''you're'' where ''your'' should be. People, you're is short from you are and your is a possessive adjective, if I'm not mistaken. Also similar small and stupid mistakes like confusing it's (short from it is) and its (possessive pronoun) can really cause disappointment in some (otherwise nice and cool) people.

 

 

Actually, Igy, this is a lot more prevalent than you may think. Jimmy Carter could never pronounce nuclear properly either. I've heard scores of people maul its pronunciation. Another one that gets on my nerves is the way that the words further and farther are used almost interchangeably. That and that stupid expression....talk to the hand. One other that gets irritating is when people say things like.....It needs cleaned, rather than ...It needs to be cleaned, or just ...It needs cleaning.

 

Don't be afraid to use 'me'[/Quote]

 

Ooooookay, Ive got a basement and garage that need cleaning. When can you be available?

[Darth InSidious]

1. Use of 'pacific' instead of 'specific'. Particularly by English people. Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the choirs of angels, it's your own ****ing language, why can't you even approach being able to speak it correctly?

 

2. The increasing substitution of US spelling in the UK. Don't know why, it just does annoy me.

 

3. Use of ANY phrase akin to 'touch base', or 'rain check' or any other business jargon.

 

4. Use of a possessive and 'like' instead of 'said'.

 

5. The general English inability to use their own language correctly.

[HerbieZ]

Id consider an expression and a damn good one too. Id bung it in the Oxford if i was the Queen.

[RC-1162]

you're a female?

[mur'phon]

People that use: duh, whatever, jaa, like and ya know in every single sentence is my only problem. 'Course it may have something to do with me being a non english teenager, and doing a lot of mistakes myself.

[JediMaster12]

Darth Insidious you just reminded me of a comparison I made at class a few days ago. I have a professor, anthropology, who is a stickler for proper grammar and spelling. He docks points from papers for that. I guess it helps that he's from Britain. On the other hand, I have had to read forms that the English department sent and they are terrible. The ENGLISH department can put proper punctuation!

[The Doctor]

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

 

This means nothing to me.

[HerbieZ]

I agree. Much like "a Stitch in time saves nine". I understand the context of which it's used but not what the bloody hell it means.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

The phrase "pet peeve". Its sound strikes my ear drum like the dull thud of a cudgel to an infant's skull.

[milo]

There are an infinite amount of dumb phrases from Utah, but the one that takes the cake has to be "oh my heck". I swear to god, I just want to strangle people when they say that. A close runner-up would be the exclamation "goll".

 

Dumb ****.

[St. Jimmy]

I HATE when people can't speak half-decent english. "Look! I catched the ball!" "Did you see what I brung?" Things like that. Also, I hate the phrase "Catch 22" I know how to use it in conext but I've no idea what it actually means.

[SithRevan]

I HATE the phrase "Oh my GOSH"! Who in started that one up? I think if I anybody finds the person who started that phrase they need to take off the person's shoe and beat them with it! Man that is a stupid phrase!

 

@St. Jimmy:I see you got your new avatar, looks great man. It also isn't making me want to gouge out my own eyes. Anyway nice one man!

[Darth InSidious]

Darth Insidious you just reminded me of a comparison I made at class a few days ago. I have a professor, anthropology, who is a stickler for proper grammar and spelling. He docks points from papers for that. I guess it helps that he's from Britain. On the other hand, I have had to read forms that the English department sent and they are terrible. The ENGLISH department can put proper punctuation!

 

Heheheh. They're probably following the current trends in England...

 

The most confusing one is new meanings for words. When you see teenagers on the tube using combinations of words that mean absolutely nothing to you..."I is well raw, innit?!", for example. WTF?

[RC-1162]

well, i got a new one now:

yesterday while i was at school, i sneezed in class (due to allergic reactions) and didn't say 'excuse me'. the teacher swooped down on me and gave me a harsh lecture for about half a minute on the importance of politeness. at the end of the period though, she sneezed (cold), and she just walked out of the class without a word. i swear that pissed me off like hell.

[ET Warrior]

I hate the phrase "Catch 22" I know how to use it in conext but I've no idea what it actually means.

It means any pair of situations one is put in where both actions are dependent on the other one being completed first.

It comes from the Joseph Heller novel of the same name.

[Pho3nix]

I guess "Where's the beef? takes the jackpot.

 

I mean wtf is up with that?

[HerbieZ]

It's on the cow!