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Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: RAMd®d
Date: November 07, 2008 11:08AM
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science


I see a few of these here on a regular basis.

I like using #6, but I don't use any of the others.

[blog.wired.com]


There are a lot more that would made my list:

Oh, no you diint.
I'm sorry, but... [No you aren't]
I don't mean to... [Oh, yes you do]
Am I the only one... [Of course not, @#$%&. You're not that as special as you think you are.]
Listen people... [No, you really don't have anything interesting to say]

And a host of others to be named later.






I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Yoyodyne ArtWorks
Date: November 07, 2008 11:17AM
"I could care less" is one that constantly grates, and surprisingly common even among presumably educated people.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: cbelt3
Date: November 07, 2008 11:17AM
Basically
The bottom line
It's on the internet
In the tank
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: BigGuynRusty
Date: November 07, 2008 11:20AM
"Our Benevolent Sponsor"

BGnR



"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: ka jowct
Date: November 07, 2008 11:30AM
Where's "my bad"?

Some of the items are there for dumbness, and some for overuse, apparently.

"With all due respect" at least has some function as a social lubricant.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: beerman
Date: November 07, 2008 11:30AM
I'm not angry with you, I'm angry at this situation...

You threw me under the bus.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Rick-o
Date: November 07, 2008 11:30AM
I was using # 7 quite a bit last week while driving downstate almost every day to dig up my sister's yard.

A clogged main drain beyond the 100' reach of a power snake, and when I figured out the clog was under the road, I called in the pros. A massive blockage of tree roots consisting of tiny hair like fibers resembling some kind of sea monster were the cause.

The Rooter 1 guys "rodded" out the roots in 3 giant pieces and ran a camera through the pipe to make sure there was no damage.

It was indeed a nightmare. Freakin' neighbors trees for sure.



Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Filliam H. Muffman
Date: November 07, 2008 11:31AM
"We take this very seriously."



In tha 360. MRF User Map
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: N-OS X-tasy!
Date: November 07, 2008 11:48AM
Absolutely.



It is what it is.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: archipirata
Date: November 07, 2008 11:49AM
ETNTGA!



Athens, OH
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: RAMd®d
Date: November 07, 2008 11:54AM
Some of the items are there for dumbness, and some for overuse, apparently.

I'm not going to buy his book, but it would seem there's no qualification given to those solicited for an offering. (And I only assume that this list was compiled from different sources.)


"With all due respect" at least has some function as a social lubricant.

For me, that's just sand in the K-Y.

I doubt the sincerity of most whom I've ever heard use that phrase. More perfunctory than sincere.


"We take this very seriously."

Good one!






I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Frank
Date: November 07, 2008 11:54AM
"Each and every one" should have made the list
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Go To Top
Date: November 07, 2008 11:55AM
My friends.



A man who is of "sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.
(Paul Valery)
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: voodoopenguin
Date: November 07, 2008 12:00PM
"If you think about it...."

Thank you for insinuating that I hadn't!
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: RevKev
Date: November 07, 2008 12:12PM
"Let me preface this by saying .. I am not racist"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2008 12:14PM by RevKev.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: BernDog
Date: November 07, 2008 12:13PM
"This bad boy"

In the same vein as "Shouldn't of", there's also "irregardless" and "a whole nother"

I also hate politicians and talking heads using "grow" inappropriately (at least to my ears): "grow the economy", "grow our business". Yuck.

Did we all start pronouncing "harass" as "harris" after the Clarence Thomas hearings because it sounds like "her ass"?

"An historic"? Maybe if we're speaking cockney. If someone was assisting you, would they be "an helper"?

I could go on all day. Just go here: [www.wsu.edu]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2008 12:17PM by BernDog.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: karsen
Date: November 07, 2008 12:42PM
Not for nothing.



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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Blankity Blank
Date: November 07, 2008 12:43PM
1 - At the end of the day
Pass - Lends at least some context to what follows. Much better than "bottomline".

2 - Fairly unique
FAIL - Idjitspeak

3 - I personally
FAIL - Redundancy in the service of bloated self-importance

4 - At this moment in time
Pass - Perfectly good phrase for pointing out how fairly unique a situation might be. It can be overused, true, but that's the fault of the speaker. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

5 - With all due respect
Pass - Even when it's insincere, it at least acknowledges that there should be some civility in our discourse.

6 - Absolutely
Pass - As long as it doesn't become another "um", "er", or "uh" I see nothing wrong with this lovely word.

7 - It's a nightmare
FAIL - Needless hyperbole that devalues a very useful word. Not nearly as horrific as the transmogrification of "raped" into a casually used term of frustration, but bad enough.

8 - Shouldn't of
FAIL - I would have to plead "no lo contendre" on this one, but it's still dumb.

9 - 24/7
Pass - Pithy. Descriptive. Leave it be.

10 - It's not rocket science
Pass - It's annoying to be on the receiving end of it because someone is calling you a boob, but it's still a classic that deserves to live on.

RAMpeeves:
Am I the only one...
I can see how maybe ego could be read into this, but to my ear it comes across more like, 'Okay, maybe it's just me, but...' and that I don't have a problem with.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Yoyodyne ArtWorks
Date: November 07, 2008 12:55PM
Quote
BernDog
I also hate politicians and talking heads using "grow" inappropriately (at least to my ears): "grow the economy", "grow our business". Yuck.

This usage has been around since the Eighties, when support for farmers was especially high (e.g., FarmAid, etc.) and business/government wanted to humanize its cold/sterile public image. In the Seventies business started using "mission-critical" and "mission statement" as a way to hitch a ride on the good vibes NASA then enjoyed.

One instance of verbal chicanery that has always struck me is the move from "anti-abortion" and "pro-abortion" to "pro-life" and "pro-choice." Marketing people know that "anti" is too negative and that the word "abortion" makes people uncomfortable, hence the new terms. After all, who ISN'T in favor of life and choice? The fact that these terms obfuscate the issue is not a problem to the marketing mavens. It tickles me that many "pro-life" advocates favor the death penalty, and that many "pro-choice" people abhor anyone who chooses to own a firearm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2008 12:56PM by Yoyodyne ArtWorks.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: incognegro
Date: November 07, 2008 01:00PM
"reply back to this email"

"reply to myself"

"ATM machine"

"vetted" - there's not a more common synonym that people understand?



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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Jimmypoo
Date: November 07, 2008 01:03PM
I thought for certain that "Cram it where the sun don't shine you sheep-f@*king, [scat]-eating,
inbred, ignorant uneducated pr!ck!" would have made that list.

Well -- at least I can still use it with a clear conscience!! Irregardless of you who could care less, but don't!
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Lew Zealand
Date: November 07, 2008 01:37PM
JP, once again you've crystallized my thoughts eloquently.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Harbourmaster
Date: November 07, 2008 01:41PM
Most annoying to who?...or is that whom....



Aloha, Ken


“I have developed significant attachments to several members even though I wouldn't recognize them if I sat next to one on a park bench. I'm often tempted when in an airport to walk around, hollering "The Løpe", to see if anyone other than the Homeland Security people will acknowledge me. ” - The Løpe

“Human rights can only be assured among a virtuous people. The general government ... can never be in danger of degenerating into a monarchy, an oligarchy, an aristocracy, or any other despotic or oppressive form, so long as there shall remain any virtue in the body of the people.” — George Washington

“Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private virtue, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics.” — John Adams

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” — Benjamin Franklin

"Every single terrible thing you see on Facebook — be it some sort of horrible right wing nonsense or a confusing and annoying product decision — is made in pursuit of growth. Every bit of damage that Meta has caused to the world has been either an act of ignorance or deliberate harm, at many times tweaking the product to make it harder or more annoying to use so that you will log onto Facebook or Instagram multiple times a day and spend as much time on there as possible." Ed Zitron
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: lafinfil
Date: November 07, 2008 02:24PM
With all due respect, at the end of the day it's absolutely not rocket science.
I personally feel at this moment in time It's fairly unique and a 24/7 nightmare..



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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Blankity Blank
Date: November 07, 2008 02:24PM
Quote
Yoyodyne ArtWorks
One instance of verbal chicanery that has always struck me is the move from "anti-abortion" and "pro-abortion" to "pro-life" and "pro-choice." Marketing people know that "anti" is too negative and that the word "abortion" makes people uncomfortable, hence the new terms. After all, who ISN'T in favor of life and choice? The fact that these terms obfuscate the issue is not a problem to the marketing mavens. It tickles me that many "pro-life" advocates favor the death penalty, and that many "pro-choice" people abhor anyone who chooses to own a firearm.
I think it was on the Frontline episode "The Persuaders" (Watch it online.) where they did a brief profile of the guy who masterminded the move away from "global warming" to "climate change". That one looks as if it might not stick, though.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: hal
Date: November 07, 2008 02:25PM
where's "I'm on it!"?
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: freeradical
Date: November 07, 2008 02:45PM
Cliches do not bother me unless someone uses them in professional writing.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: wurm
Date: November 07, 2008 02:53PM
There's annoying, then there's unacceptable. I put #2 and #8 in the latter category, without exception.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Acer
Date: November 07, 2008 02:54PM
Quote
lafinfil
With all due respect, at the end of the day it's absolutely not rocket science.
I personally feel at this moment in time It's fairly unique and a 24/7 nightmare..

Nice work! But it is Friday. Now give your answer in the Haiku form!
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: ka jowct
Date: November 07, 2008 03:13PM
also hate politicians and talking heads using "grow" inappropriately (at least to my ears): "grow the economy", "grow our business". Yuck.

I heard that term in the business world before it crept into other areas. Business is responsible for a lot of crap English and may be responsible for use of the noun "impact" as a verb.

Advertising abuses many words. "Absorb" is one that is constantly used incorrectly in ads: for example, an ad will claim that a lotion "absorbs quickly". What are these lotions absorbing, exactly? Your skin?
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: billb
Date: November 07, 2008 03:36PM
exfoliated skin
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Article Accelerator
Date: November 07, 2008 03:49PM
Quote
BernDog
I could go on all day.
"This bad boy"

Still colorful.

"a whole nother"

I like it; it's a whole n'other smoke!

"An historic"

That's what makes English a beautiful thing. Here's a discourse on the matter:

"A" vs. "An"
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Article Accelerator
Date: November 07, 2008 03:52PM
Quote
Blankity Blank
[[b]4 - At this moment in time[/b]
Pass - Perfectly good phrase for pointing out how fairly unique a situation might be. It can be overused, true, but that's the fault of the speaker. No need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Is there something wrong with "At this moment" or "At this time" or simply "Now"?
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Blankity Blank
Date: November 07, 2008 04:02PM
Quote
Article Accelerator
Is there something wrong with "At this moment" or "At this time" or simply "Now"?
Nope. Those are just fine also.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Article Accelerator
Date: November 07, 2008 04:11PM
I'd leave out the "also" part.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: what4
Date: November 07, 2008 04:25PM
Someone here needs to learn to walk the talk, to put your money where your mouth is, to get past the meet-and-greet and get down to the nitty-gritty so we can go forward, make progress, meet our goals, do our jobs, meet our assessment criteria, and find somebody who still speaks English.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: deckeda
Date: November 07, 2008 09:06PM
Quote
archipirata
ETNTGA!

Couldn't find the link on DM, is it gone?
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Filliam H. Muffman
Date: November 08, 2008 01:14AM
ETNTGA [forums.dealmac.com]



In tha 360. MRF User Map
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: Go To Top
Date: November 08, 2008 10:52AM
Gimme a list of DM names that are now MR names.

Thank you.

No problem.



A man who is of "sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.
(Paul Valery)
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: mrlynn
Date: November 09, 2008 09:04PM
Currently overused cliches:

"It is what it is"

"Under the bus"

Etc.

/Mr Lynn



"Hillbilly at Harvard"
Honky-tonk Country and Bluegrass
Founded in 1948 by Pappy Ben Minnich
Saturdays 9am - 11am Eastern
WHRB-FM, Cambridge, MA
Streaming at [www.WHRB.org]
Be there!

The HAH weblog: [hillbillyatharvard.wordpress.com]

Topical weblog: [walkingcreekworld.wordpress.com]

On the river in Saxonville.
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Re: Oxford Researchers' list of Top Ten Most Annoying Phrases.
Posted by: ka jowct
Date: November 11, 2008 12:13AM
Someone here needs to learn to walk the talk, to put your money where your mouth is, to get past the meet-and-greet and get down to the nitty-gritty so we can go forward, make progress, meet our goals, do our jobs, meet our assessment criteria, and find somebody who still speaks English.

If you were a team player, you would step up to the plate, give it 110% and go the whole nine yards. Man up!
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