The "hated words" thread

[Mr. Bloom]

We live in an area where I'm convinced that no one was taught proper english:

"We have went to the mall" Huh????????

"We have did our job" GEEZZZZZZ!

"we done done it now"

I knew I grew up in Alabama, but I assure you that the grammar is not nearly as bad there as it is in the Midwest!!!

[Jolt]

One mispronunciation that bugs me: when people say "defribulator" when they mean "defibrillator". As for words I just plain dislike, I'd have to say the "f-bomb" tops my list.

[salsabike]

Hey, that's one of our big favorites too!!

Also:

Disirregardless
Utilize--why is that better than "use"?
flustrated

Phoebe Dinsmore: [giving Lina diction lessons] Repeat after me - Tah, Tey, Tee, Toe, Too.
Lina Lamont: Tah, Tey, Tye, Tow, Tyo.
Phoebe Dinsmore: No, no, no Miss Lamont, Round tones, round tones. Now, let me hear you read your line.
Lina Lamont: And I cayn't stand'im.
Phoebe Dinsmore: And I can't stand him.
Lina Lamont: And I cayn't stand'im.
Phoebe Dinsmore: Can't.
Lina Lamont: Cayn't.
Phoebe Dinsmore: Caaaan't
Lina Lamont: Cayyyyn't

Jean Hagen was so good in this role. "I cayn't stand'it" has become a standard joke line in our family.

[SadieKate]

Ooh, ooh. You made me remember prostate vs prostrate.

[yellow]

I hear ya. I just wish people would say negative effect, instead of impact.

A related one...in my line of work, we discuss project-related effects. Some people that I work with actually use "impacted" as a verb, as in "the wetland would be impacted by..." Arg! The only thing that can be impacted is a wisdom tooth. I'm with you, Wahine. I prefer to use the word "effect" instead of "impact" (but I seem to be alone on this most of the time with my coworkers, which begs the question: is it me or are they all uncouth?).

And as SK knows, I say "very unique" all the time. Why? I have no idea. Where did I learn that one? I'm trying to overcome this shortfall in my life. Sometimes I even say "very super unique". I tend to overuse the word "super" for emphasis. Super fun, super cute, super whatever...

My most hated words are irregardless, orientated, and potable. Regarding the last one, I hate it because most people mispronounce it and that hurts my ears. And we all know by now that the first two aren't really words (though "irregardless" is now accepted as slang and does occur in some dictionaries).

[SadieKate]

The only thing that can be impacted is a wisdom tooth.

If that's the case, then your dogs must have very unique anal glands.

[Veronica]

Irregardless, the potable water can be impacted by the real unique prostrate prostate whose owner should have been orientated to properly utilize the facilities.

V.

[yellow]

If that's the case, then your dogs must have very unique anal glands.

You mean your dog has very super unique anal glands. My dogs seem to just have normal ones.

[yellow]

Irregardless, the potable water can be impacted by the real unique prostrate prostate whose owner should have been orientated to properly utilize the facilities.

V.

Did the facilities include a defribulator?

(OK, I'm just waiting from someone to bring up engrish again...it's been a while).

[kiwi girl]

how about this:


"you wouldn't believe it, she literally blew up!"
but she didn't really blow up, she just yelled.

LITERALLY is overused.

Yeah but my pet peave is a colleague who uses it differently ..

he'll say something like

'I literally just got off the phone with [so and so] about that'

when he says it, it is usally true - but I'd hope that if it wasn't true he wouldn't say it, so why does he need to add the literally

[Lifesgreat]

A word: "Network" used as a verb.

A phrase: "Think out of the box". How did I get in the box? Why am I in the box and you aren't? Is it bad to be in the box? Maybe the box is a nice place

Another word: "like" as in "I was like, going to call you, like, but I was, like, hungry and I, like, had to go get some lunch before I, like, starved to death.

Mispronounced: "specific", pronounced "pacific". As in "I didn't want to get too pacific about the plan."

[whippetgirl]

What a great thread...

I hate when people say "I'll try" when they really won't.

[bmccasland]

Pet peeve - when some one starts with - Can I ask you a question?
Isn't that a question? What if I say "No"? Why don't you just ask the question????

And local vernicular - instead of Ask, it's AX. "Let me ax you a question." This mispronnouncation is out of the mouths of well educated people too. Although I have to admit they received all their education in Orleans Parish, which has the full range from failing public schools to very well respected Universities.

I have an ax in my garage, I've used it to chop firewood.

Synergy. A project has synergy with another one. The project synergizes...
EXSQUEEZE me?

[snapdragen]

More from people is work with, mammyogram instead of mammogram.

We have a form used to followup MediCal claims, called a Claims Information Form or CIF. One woman calls it a sniff (the same one that is constantly turning around...)

[sgtiger]

Hilacious. I'm not sure if I hate this word for itself or because my friend's obnoxious ex used it all the time and the word became associated with him.

Also, I hate these lead-in phrases and any variation of:

It's none of my business, but...
I shouldn't be saying this...
I'm not racist or anything, but...
I know this will sound racist...

I don't know why people think by saying these types of phrases that they're are excused from what comes out of their mouths after.