To be confused by something, to the point of paralysis, or sidetracked by small issues or bureaucracy.
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I’d love for more posters to say what they think the alternative should be. Because for some of these I think they succinctly state a concept and there’s no as good alternative. Others like “my ask” have an equally succinct ( and better) equivalent. Like “request”.
I do like FOMO and “ghosting” because they wrap into one small word a concept that took a lot more explaining without it.
Of course for some I think we are saying it never needs to be said at all.
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Amazing
Everything good is amazing these days. How about subbing one of the following for some variety:
Stupendous
Marvelous
Outstanding
Great
Awesome
Grand
Sweet
Nice
etc.
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My pet peeve is UGH.
From the get go, I’ve hated that impact the noun became impacting, the verb, synonymous with affecting. It bothered me when I first heard it in the 80’s and it bothers me still.
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Don’t let that effect make an impact on your mood.
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“Hubbie,” and even worse “the Hubs.”
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GOAT–people use it for everything from quarterbacks and gymnasts to food.
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“Everybody take a deep breath”
Saying or typing out the word PERIOD at the end of a thought or statement. That just screams to me “ I am the only one allowed to have an opinion or speak.” PERIOD (lol)
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Not a fan of acronyms in general, including those in use on this site, because there are too many overlapping domains for any acronyms to not be confusing. But GOAT would lead the list. I prefer goats, so it can also be confusing. Is that goat milk or GOAT milk?
Recently I developed an allergy to “best life” or “living your best life”. Those moved really quickly into becoming overused cliches.
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This is an old one, but “nothing burger.”
It irritated me when I first heard it, and still does. Especially when used by adults.
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Yes. Also ‘ tell us what you really think” which means “ don’t state your opinion so strongly”. Most often said to women. It’s so rude!
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Impact as a verb
Business jargon like “reach out to”
I don’t like ‘buddy’ for one’s child
But the absolute worst is ‘kiddo’ shudder
If ‘kiddo’ is in the title of a forum post I won’t read it. Just noxious.
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Top of mind
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“To be honest…”
Does that mean everything else they’ve ever said to me is not honest?
Interesting… I always took it as “I could sugarcoat it or skirt the issue, but I think you’re asking me to be blunt”.
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I hate it when I hear that something is 3 times less (or any times less). What does that mean? I scream at the television when anyone uses the term especially in commercials.
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y = -(n-1)x
(technically)
Yes, please. After reading this thread I am reluctant to post for fear of upsetting someone.
I don’t use many of the words or phrases mentioned, but I know I’ve used a few. I have heard or read many of them and the only ones that cause a little eye twitch are the ones meant to be insulting. The use of acronyms, shorthand expressions and slang doesn’t bother me, although sometimes it can be a reminder of my age when I’m clueless about meaning.
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There are a bunch of these that I actively like or don’t bother me at all because they are the way my kids speak. “Ghosting” is a good example.
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A colleague long ago told me this was his greatest linguistic pet peeve: “That literally blows my mind.”
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