Jonathan Swift hated the word bowels. Gloria Swanson, the faded silent movie star in Sunset Boulevard, hated the word glamor, while the character she played, Norma Desmond, hated comeback. Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko hated the word relationship ("the kind of sterile word used by lawyers and sociologists and other menaces"). Carson McCullers hated the words prose and poetry, though she wrote both.
British novelist V.S. Naipaul hates the word novel, documentary filmmaker Irving Saraf hates documentary, and news anchor Katie Couric hates the word panties ("a cheesy word for underpants"). Of course, many of us claim to hate the word hate.
People have various reasons for disliking (or downright loathing) certain words. It may be a buzzword that has worn out its welcome (such as paradigm or proactive). Or an overly familiar redundancy (added bonus, future plans), mispronunciation ("nuc-u-lar" for nuclear), or usage error ("between you and I").
Some of us have "zero tolerance" for elision (definally for definitely), malapropisms (mitigate for militate), blends (bromance), or verbing (to effort or incent). All of us have words that make us want to bang our heads on the desk.
I decided to collect my verbal peeves for a couple of months. These come from many sources - newspapers, web pages, sports broadcasts and even weather reports on the radio. There are many, many more where these came from!
Awesome, isn't it?
actual
agree to disagree
Aim high.
a.m. in the morning
And you are?
anomalous
anywho
Are you serious?
ASAP
as everyone knows
at the end of the day (It gets DARK!)
axe (instead of "ask")
back at you
basic fundamentals
beside her/himself
big society
body of work (as used by sportscasters)
bored of (instead of "bored with")
buy-in (management-speak for "agree")
card (used as a verb)
chillax
co-branded
cold slaw (instead of "cole slaw")
come on board (instead of "join")
completely forget
continue on (instead of simply "continue")
conversate (instead of "converse")
de-thaw
dialogue (used as a verb)
die for (as in "a dessert to die for")
Do the math! (I was an English major - YOU do the math!)
drug (instead of "dragged")
empower and empowered
epicenter (misused as a synonym for "center")
even (as in "I don't even know what to think")
exscape (instead of "escape")
face time
for all intensive purposes (instead of "for all intents and purposes")
free gift
FYI
ghetto (used as an adjective)
ginormous
gots (as in "I gots no)
ground-breaking
grow (as a transitive verb for anything in the business or financial world, as in "grow our audience")
have a dialogue
I heart (anything)
I said to her I said
I thought to myself
ice tea (instead of "iced tea")
iconic
if I would have (instead of "if I had")
if you will
illegal alien (instead of "illegal immigrant")
I'm good
in actual fact
in a sec
invite (as a noun instead of "invitation")
It goes without saying.
It's all good.
just so you know
kumbayah moment
last (instead of "most recent")
long story short
of a certain age
partner (as a verb)
personally (as in, "I personally . . .")
price point (instead of "price")
refudiate
seriously
should of and would of (instead of "should have" and "would have")
Shut up! (in response to an interesting bit of information)
small little
solution (in a business context)
so over it
speak to (an issue)
teachable moment
that being said
there you go (instead of "thank you")
the thing is is
throw (somebody) under the bus
a time when and a time where
try and (instead of "try to")
undoubtably (instead of "undoubtedly")
up (used as a verb, as in "You should up your efforts.")
veggies
verse (instead of versus)
vice a versa (instead of "vice versa")
wanna (instead of "want to")
wax paper (instead of "waxed paper")
way more (and any other use of "way" as an adverb)
We're done here.
Where are you at?
whether or not
white stuff (instead of "snow")
whole 'nuther
win-win for everyone
with regard to and with respect to (instead of "about")
with that being said
xerox (instead of "copy" or "photocopy")
You can't be serious!
you guys
British novelist V.S. Naipaul hates the word novel, documentary filmmaker Irving Saraf hates documentary, and news anchor Katie Couric hates the word panties ("a cheesy word for underpants"). Of course, many of us claim to hate the word hate.
People have various reasons for disliking (or downright loathing) certain words. It may be a buzzword that has worn out its welcome (such as paradigm or proactive). Or an overly familiar redundancy (added bonus, future plans), mispronunciation ("nuc-u-lar" for nuclear), or usage error ("between you and I").
Some of us have "zero tolerance" for elision (definally for definitely), malapropisms (mitigate for militate), blends (bromance), or verbing (to effort or incent). All of us have words that make us want to bang our heads on the desk.
I decided to collect my verbal peeves for a couple of months. These come from many sources - newspapers, web pages, sports broadcasts and even weather reports on the radio. There are many, many more where these came from!
Awesome, isn't it?
actual
agree to disagree
Aim high.
a.m. in the morning
And you are?
anomalous
anywho
Are you serious?
ASAP
as everyone knows
at the end of the day (It gets DARK!)
axe (instead of "ask")
back at you
basic fundamentals
beside her/himself
big society
body of work (as used by sportscasters)
bored of (instead of "bored with")
buy-in (management-speak for "agree")
card (used as a verb)
chillax
co-branded
cold slaw (instead of "cole slaw")
come on board (instead of "join")
completely forget
continue on (instead of simply "continue")
conversate (instead of "converse")
de-thaw
dialogue (used as a verb)
die for (as in "a dessert to die for")
Do the math! (I was an English major - YOU do the math!)
drug (instead of "dragged")
empower and empowered
epicenter (misused as a synonym for "center")
even (as in "I don't even know what to think")
exscape (instead of "escape")
face time
for all intensive purposes (instead of "for all intents and purposes")
free gift
FYI
ghetto (used as an adjective)
ginormous
gots (as in "I gots no)
ground-breaking
grow (as a transitive verb for anything in the business or financial world, as in "grow our audience")
have a dialogue
I heart (anything)
I said to her I said
I thought to myself
ice tea (instead of "iced tea")
iconic
if I would have (instead of "if I had")
if you will
illegal alien (instead of "illegal immigrant")
I'm good
in actual fact
in a sec
invite (as a noun instead of "invitation")
It goes without saying.
It's all good.
just so you know
kumbayah moment
last (instead of "most recent")
long story short
of a certain age
partner (as a verb)
personally (as in, "I personally . . .")
price point (instead of "price")
refudiate
seriously
should of and would of (instead of "should have" and "would have")
Shut up! (in response to an interesting bit of information)
small little
solution (in a business context)
so over it
speak to (an issue)
teachable moment
that being said
there you go (instead of "thank you")
the thing is is
throw (somebody) under the bus
a time when and a time where
try and (instead of "try to")
undoubtably (instead of "undoubtedly")
up (used as a verb, as in "You should up your efforts.")
veggies
verse (instead of versus)
vice a versa (instead of "vice versa")
wanna (instead of "want to")
wax paper (instead of "waxed paper")
way more (and any other use of "way" as an adverb)
We're done here.
Where are you at?
whether or not
white stuff (instead of "snow")
whole 'nuther
win-win for everyone
with regard to and with respect to (instead of "about")
with that being said
xerox (instead of "copy" or "photocopy")
You can't be serious!
you guys
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