Words we detest: A community’s response
After I wrote about words and phrases that annoyed me, I got plenty of response from the community. Most people made fun of me by using all the words and phrases I hated TOGETHER in the same sentence and emailing those to me. I got dozens of those. And as you can imagine
I’ve gotten hundreds of invites to LUNCHEONS, one of the words I said I hated the most.
But I also got a ton of response from people who seemed to be glad I had opened a window of sorts through which they too could throw out all the words and phrases THEY detested or were annoyed by.
I’m going to include some of those responses in this column because I want the community to know I’m not the only person who’s annoyed when certain words are used.
Now some of your emails ain’t fit for public consumption, but I collected the ones I COULD print and here they are...
Elizabeth Busby — Like, um, you know, right? Like that um could be, you know, thought provoking, right? ARGH, just say it!
Larry Brown — The phrases that really annoy me, even at a close distance, are those that are contradictory. To say that the girl is “pretty ugly,” or that the man was “terribly nice,” or that the athlete was “awfully good” can only leave people clearly confused. An escaped prisoner is no longer a prisoner any more than something that is found missing is in any sense found. Good grief! Are there really such things as “jumbo shrimp” or a “civil war”?
Krissy Shanahan — “No filter” is the phrase that I have recently come to detest. I am certain that I have been guilty of saying it at some point along the way, and for this. I apologize. My annoyance is with the “I can’t help it, I have no filter” (usage). As if we are all magically born with a “filter,” but a select few were shorted that piece, so they are therefore not accountable or responsible for their words. The absurdity! I’m fairly certain that the filter is called a brain, and it is standard on all models. Instead of the “I have no filter” defect cop out, let’s just agree to be honest and call it what it is. “I am rude. I am unprofessional. I am hateful. I am unconcerned with people around me. I am a toddler trapped in an adult body.” Wow! I know why you write these great pieces. So therapeutic.
Steve Safigan — New Normal: This phrase was so overused at the beginning of the covid crisis that I literally heard or read the phrase every day for weeks. Speaking of which… Literally: People often use this word when they mean to say “figuratively” which is literally the opposite of literally.
Outrage: This is so overused in the media that every time my wife and I watch the evening news and hear the word, we both yell it out together. “OUTRAGE!” Then we fast forward to the next news story.
Jesse Demonbreaun-Chapman — Libation to describe alcohol — you’re not pouring drinks out to the gods (if you are, more power to you and carry on using the work libation). But for everyone else, it’s not cute, it’s not funny, and it’s also not descriptive at all. Beer, wine, and liquor work fine for me.
At the end of the day — What does this mean? Why is this truth not the truth at the beginning of the day? I hate this phrase.
Bill Byington — I am particularly annoyed by how people can’t decide between Me or I and use myself. Which is incorrect 95% of the time. As in Severo gave $100 to Janet and myself. Or Janet and myself went to the beach.
One of my best buddies, who I will not name, is driven crazy when people don’t understand the definition of “humbled,” as opposed to “honored.” It drives him nuts when some public figure gets an award for some achievement or a person is elected and they are not honored but humbled.
( Someone) in my office has his pet peeve when someone says he may have done something after they “graduated college”, as opposed to graduated from college. He has been known to ask How do you graduate a college, I thought the college graduated you?
An anonymous faithful reader — Your article immediately made all your readers begin to think of and list things that people say that is like a fingernail on a blackboard.
1. “Irregardless”- no such word. regardless is and irregardless is not. It’s a double negative. Cringe!
2. Per se -- used all the time as a bridge from nowhere to nowhere.
3. Physicality — Never heard of the word until one ESPN broadcaster used it and it was like instant infection of all bobble heads. Count the next times the college commentators use the word. It has taken over the sports world like the phrase dichotomy in the academic world did previously.
4. I’ll be honest with you — thanks for that, does that mean you were before or not or were you considering not to be this time?
5. “let’s grab lunch” — vision of a sneak attack running through the deli, snatching a screaming sandwich and heading out the door before you are caught.
7. “For all intensive purposes” — Correct use is for all intents and purposes.