Random thread - words/phrases that annoy (abbreviation, popular, city)

[Wynternight]

Two of my biggest are:

"It is what it is." Is there a more meaningless, empty phrase? I find it hard to think of a phrase so devoid of meaning that uses so many words.

"Just sayin." I know you said it. I heard you say it. I'm not so stupid as to need you telling me you just said it!

[AADAD]

Can you come into the office for a few minutes?

[RedJacket]

Not now, I've got a headache.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by AADAD

Can you come into the office for a few minutes?

Yeah, you nailed it! I hate that, it almost always is something bad. Like when my boss was reading all my City Data posts....

[Tundra Boy]

For me the one that drives me nuts is the overused and misused phrase "et al" by people that force it into posts to appear more intelligent than they really are.


From:
Commonly Confused Latin Abbreviations in English - Guidelines for Using Latin Abbreviations Correctly

These days, a sound rule for using Latin abbreviations (such as e.g., etc., et al., and i.e.) is not to use them at all.
Such abbreviations were popular when Latin was the universal academic language in Europe and America. That's no longer the case. Because so few people study Latin anymore, expressions that once were common have fallen into disuse or misuse.

et al (and others)
How et al. is used: in bibliographic citations or in informal or technical writing to suggest the logical continuation of a list of people (not things)
How et al. should not be used: (1) after and; (2) as a synonym for e.g. or etc.; (3) in reference to things; (4) vaguely to refer to "others" that are not at all clear to the reader.
How et al. can be avoided: specify all of the items in a list or use "and so on."


Regards,
Tb

[gobrien]

I don't think any other phrase annoys me as much as commonly misspelled words like to and too, lose and loose and of course your, you're, there and their. Weren't those words pounded in our heads over and over every year?

[warptman]

"Mountain bike for sale, 17" frame with disc breaks..." is what bugs me.

[Moose Whisperer]

You betcha

[melbern]

Originally Posted by gobrien

I don't think any other phrase annoys me as much as commonly misspelled words like to and too, lose and loose and of course your, you're, there and their. Weren't those words pounded in our heads over and over every year?

Oooh, me to. (j/k). And now it seems people can't spell "ridiculous".

Wynternight, "it is what it is" sometimes escapes my lips. I actually think it can be quite a handy phrase when people come and gripe to me about work and such. To me it is the same as saying "suck it up and deal with it, the situation isn't going to change" - though I say that too!

[Jimothea]

My two cents: talking in text.

"BRB"
"OMG"
"LOFLMAO"--yes, I heard someone utter this in the grocery store line *shudder*
and etc.

I could get on quite a large soapbox but I'm really just procrastinating and better not...