Common sayings that we hate!

[gymell]

"Socialize" used incorrectly as a transitive verb. As in: "let's socialize this idea to the team". Used by corporate business types who like to take existing words, and needlessly invent new meanings for them. As if "share", "discuss", "distribute", "send", or any other appropriate term wasn't good enough.

IT. DRIVES. ME. CRAZY!!

[katscratch]

"awesome" is absolutely my most overused word!!!

We just had a talk by someone who used the word "utilize" instead of "use" 28 times.

One of my coworkers does this every single time he speaks at a staff meeting. It cracks me up.

Saying "Tarjay" instead of Target.

What is this Tarjay of which you speak? We call it the hundred dollar store

Oooh and people who say "literally" all the time and inappropriately every single time. For example, once heard on The Biggest Loser, "He literally killed us" in reference to a particularly difficult workout from Bob. No, I'm pretty sure he didn't, since you're currently being interviewed on television.

YES! I have one friend whose use of "literally" goes up exponentially in relation to his alcohol consumption. To the extent that he starts sounding just like Rob Lowe's character on Parks and Recreation, haha.

Americans using british spelling (armor verses armour, color verses colour, etc.)

I used to do this accidentally all the time when I lived just south of Canada, watched Canadian TV with closed captions, and read Canadian newspapers.

[Morrigainz]

The misuse of decimate/decimated (to reduce by a tenth!)

This!

Oooh and people who say "literally" all the time and inappropriately every single time

And this!

Argh, now I'm all riled up!

[wildross]

People saying "obviously", then telling you what it is. But if it is obvious, you don't need to tell me!!

[RaeVynn]

I think it might be genetic.

I spent years trying to teach my own daughter the difference between "literally" and "practically", and she never got it. *sigh*

In written communications, I am a grammar fiend, I will admit. The misplaced and misused apostrophe drives me a little nuts. Apostrophes do NOT, ever, ever, ever denote plurals. Apostrophes do NOT go on pronouns. They are for contractions. That's all - just contractions. If you don't understand the difference, please go watch some Schoolhouse Rock videos. Thank you.

[Waldo]

I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE TYPE IN ALL CAPS

...but there are so many good ways to respond to it.

[Unda]

I work for a dyslexia charity so a lot of the emails that we get are understandably lacking in good grammar, spelling and punctuation. It's helped me relax a lot about it but there are still some things that REALLY irk me.

The "I could care less" thing that other people have said bugs me. And apparently it bugs David Mitchell and the Queen too!

My mum and dad also say "I'll see you when I see you" as a goodbye when we've not got anything arranged in the future. The statement is technically true but annoying and conveys nothing! I used to piss them off by commenting "well, unless you go blind before then". Now I just thank them for their pointless tautology.

The last one that REALLY grates on me is using the word raped in contexts where its inappropriate. For example me and most of my friends are gamers and the male ones all have a habit of saying things like "I totally raped that guy" "oh no, they're raping me in this lane over here!" and so on. This gets worse when they throw in the word literally to the mix too. It's more of a personal annoyance because rape is a horrible terrible thing and anyone who's had to help someone piece their lives back together after experiencing it knows how not cool it is to just bandy about the word. Especially considering as there are far more rape victims out there than people realise and just hearing it used like that can be triggering for some. It's not that I don't get why they use the word, someone is doing something to you that you don't like or consent to - usually kicking your ass in the game. Just... find a different word please.

[andygates]

I get particularly annoyed by young (mostly gay) folks misusing rape to mean playfully rough. Kinda missing the point - consent - for the dicks.

On the other hand, I just love verbing nouns. It's great that we have a language where you can turn any noun into a verb just by using it like one.

[Guest Gemeaux]

A lot of straight girls use it too

[Roflhouse]

I get annoyed when people use extreme language to describe banal situations/things. I blame the Internet - it seems to encourage loving or hating things and misses out all of the nuance from fondness, warmth towards to disinterest through to slightly irksome. Would I go as far to say I hate it? No. I think it affects how we think though.

I wonder what words we'll use if something genuinely incredible happens. It would be awesome, but we've spent so long using that to describe sandwiches or household furniture, it's lost it's meaning.

Which means new words - I'm going to start saying bacon instead. That refers to a pretty good thing that can be incredible but is still good when done badly. If your non-paleo, you could say pizza.

[Guest Gemeaux]

I hate " that's gay " . Grow the fuck up .

[Suominatua]

I hate " that's gay " . Grow the fuck up .

Actually, I agree with you on that one. There are plenty of non orientation-based-discriminatory phrases to show your displeasure with something.

[Atalan]

I don't even know what "kk" means. I've asked my friends who use it. They say it means OK. So I ask the difference between k and kk and they say, "IDK LOL." Help. I feel old.

There was a short-lived use of 'kaykay' as a dismissive form of 'okay' (sort of, "I heard what you said, have nothing to say in response, now leave me alone"). It started around the time of texting and in the switch from spoken to written seems to have lost the negative meaning.

[unicornassassin]

I hate " that's gay " . Grow the fuck up .

South Park did a really interesting episode about it. Basically the message was that 'gay' as an insult has nothing to do with sexuality, and that the (mostly young people) who say it aren't generally homophobic (being that the younger generation is generally more openminded than the older generation.) Also, the idea that words change meaning, and that's just the way it is. [ETA- I mean "it is what it is." Ha.] Like gay doesn't mean happy any more. So, it was very interesting.

That said, I still don't use it.

"It is what it is." Never before have so many words been regularly assembled to convey so little meaning. I'm starting to think there is a secret group of tautologists out to take over the world and this phrase was just the beginning.

I hate this phrase because I know a lot of a-holes that use it. BUT, I do think it has a crap-ton of meaning.

[GoGo]

..

[gojirama]

I don't get this one. Why does correct spelling bother you? And how do you identify the Americans versus the Canadians and British folks living in the US?

I'm an American Anglophile. I do this.

[Artinum]

As a British citizen, I find the American spellings of colour, armour, etc irritating. Why is "color" spelt one letter different to "colon" and yet pronounced so differently? I'm left with the impression that there's a widespread allergy in the US to the letter U (in which case, guys, you seriously ought to become the Federated States instead). But it's aluminium that I'm more annoyed by. What the hell is this "aloominum" stuff?

I'm also deeply offended by being referred to as "a gay". A gay what? It's an adjective, not a noun.

And I want to shoot people in the face when they use "addicting". The word is "addictive". Again, adjective. Not a verb.

And finally, though I could probably go on for pages, there's the supermarket. Eight items or less? It's eight items or FEWER. You only use "less" in relation to non-discrete amounts. Oooh! It's painful being a grammar pedant in today's world.

[Fogo]

I've got a friend who can't stand to hear the following words (there's a lot on her list, but these are at the top):

moist

lube

supple

…which of course means that we frequently try to find some way to use these words as much as possible. Then, if you really want to watch her squirm, just form the mega-zord: "lubuppleoist". (said: loo-bupple-oist).

[The Tin Man]

As a British citizen, I find the American spellings of colour, armour, etc irritating. Why is "color" spelt one letter different to "colon" and yet pronounced so differently? I'm left with the impression that there's a widespread allergy in the US to the letter U (in which case, guys, you seriously ought to become the Federated States instead). But it's aluminium that I'm more annoyed by. What the hell is this "aloominum" stuff?

You have too many i's, that's why you're saying it wrong. It's spelled aluminum But seriously I've never seen it spelled aluminium.

I'm also deeply offended by being referred to as "a gay". A gay what? It's an adjective, not a noun.

I like this quote from Markus Persson ("Notch", creator of the game Minecraft):

Being called "gay" as a straight man is a lot like being accused of wearing blue jeans when you're wearing black. Weird attempt at insult.

[Flatsnap]

I really, really hate it when people call hamstrings "hammies". Common on fitness forums, even from people you wouldn't expect cutesy-speak out of.

[Librarian of Doom]

Can't believe no one's tossed in any Bob the Angry Flower yet.

I used to have this one on my office door when I was a grad student in English:

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

[LizOh]

"Having said that..." makes me want to scream.

[LizOh]

I've found that I take anything I used to hate and currently use it just to be annoying.

ZOMG, I literally do that also!!!

[Rosie]

I've found that I take anything I used to hate and currently use it just to be annoying.

Winning!

TOTES!

Fo realz??

kthanxbai

DEWD.

Or anything else spelled atrociously.

Also, these aren't sayings but I CANNOT STAND when people use the wrong forms of words.

HorrorGeek this is for you: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally

Good grammar if the difference between knowing your sh*t and knowing you're sh*t.

[Kalileko]

You have too many i's, that's why you're saying it wrong. It's spelled aluminum But seriously I've never seen it spelled aluminium.

Well, it is in Danish. It would never occur to me to spell it with only one "i".

Edit: I just looked it up. Since British English is with the two "i"s I'll keep on spelling it that way.

I really, really hate it when people call hamstrings "hammies". Common on fitness forums, even from people you wouldn't expect cutesy-speak out of.

This annoys me as well! mostly because I often have no idea which body part they are talking about. Google is definitely my friend in these cases.

Also I kind of hate when people make me nervous about writing in English. Mostly beacuse I HATE grammar and spelling mistakes in Danish and I don't want to make them in English either.