Phrases that revolt you just by the reading...

It can be for any reason, or no reason at all.

I’ve complained about “speak out” on this board in the past, but I just found another: “reality TV star.”

“…it’s about respect” and really almost any time I hear the word respect in a sentence. It’s almost always used to defend some type of dumbassery.

Related:

“Don’t judge me” or “Only God can judge me” Same reason as above.

Hillary for President

“Aspiring rapper”

‘reach out’

‘sucks snot through a straw’

“You’re twisting my words against me” generally means “you have correctly restated something I was trying to obfuscate.”

“I’m just telling it like it is.” or its counterpart, “I’m just calling a spade a spade.” I’ve yet to ever hear anyone use those who weren’t unrepentant (and typically, categorically wrong) sanctimonious assholes.

“baby bump”

“lean in” (the concept doesn’t bother me, I don’t think–I’m not sure exactly what it is, to be honest, except it has something to do with empowering women in the workplace, which I’m all for. I’m just sick of the buzzwordiness of the phrase)

“circle back”

“The truth hurts” – usually a weak excuse to say something hateful.

Toss in nearly all “speaking points” slogans (also the term “speaking points” which I dislike.) “Only criminals will have guns,” “it’s not a choice, it’s a child,” “Adam and Steve,” “They don’t want equal rights, they want special rights,” “we’re not a democracy, we’re a republic,” and on and on.

The entirety of the Pledge of Allegiance, because my old schoolteachers used to punish me when I refused to recite it. (They weren’t aware of the Supreme Court decision protecting my right not to suffer such compulsion.) The very phrase “Pledge of Allegiance” makes me a little sick.

“Spare the rod and spoil the child.” Thanks, Solomon, for a childhood filled with bruises.

I collect these things. although my revulsion has faded with time. Some are sort of old:

“reach out” for contact, get in touch with (first heard by Sipowitz on that detective TV show long ago)–thanks Sahirrnee!
“pushback”
“double down”
“opine”
“kerfuffle” (an Englishism?)
“blood and treasure”
“go ahead and…”
“going forward”
“back in the day”
“here’s the thing”
“So…” (the NPR habit)
“wheelhouse” ('though I sort of like it)
“iconic”
“I get it.”
“disconnect” as a noun
“folks” for people (stop it, Obama!)
“issues” for problems (I know I’ve lost this one)

Englishisms when used by Americans:
“spot-on”
“what’s he on about?”
“mash-up” (I don’t really know where this came from)
“a one-off”

“well played” (a SDMBism, I know)

One that I learned on this website that I hated instantly: “Dog whistle.” As in, “The word ‘Thug’ is dog whistle language for people who really want to say ‘nigger’.” I hate the sound of it, the implications of it, and I hate how it’s used to dodge actual arguments by throwing them into language minefields. HATE.

“Just asking”
“Just my $.02” and “Just my two cents”
“'Merkin/'Murikin/'Merican”
“Gummit”

“Please advise” (I think because people are always asking me this in a snarky way.)
“I’m confused”

You don’t hear it much any more, but “Joe the Plumber” just about made me grind my teeth out my mouth.

Yeah, ‘reach out’ to mean ‘get in touch with’ turns my stomach a little bit. Luckily I don’t think it’s spread over here yet; I only see it from Americans. So far.

I also hate ‘Speaking as a mother’. It’s OK when it’s actually relevant (‘Speaking as a mother, I can safely claim to be an authority on Dora the Explorer’ or ‘Speaking as a mother, I try to sort out a work/family balance by doing blah blah blah’). But when it’s used as an attempt to claim some kind of authority on a completely irrelevant subject where motherhood doesn’t provide any extra insight (‘Speaking as a mother, I think same-sex marriage will destroy this country’)…yeuch.

“it just happened”

" I’m not racist but… "

Nothing good ever follows that.

“Double check.” Normally spoken by someone who hasn’t checked in the first place.

“No worries.” This is now the new “you’re welcome” and I fucking hate it. Maybe Crocodile Dundee could get away with it, but not a waitress in Ottawa.

“It begs the question,” when it’s used to mean “that suggests that the next thing we should consider is the following:” rather than what it actually means in logic, which is “this predicates two suppositions upon each other.”

First off all, the euphemistic meaning doesn’t make any sense, if you try to parse it-- you could beg of someone that a question be considered, but you cannot beg a question to answer itself. In the case of predicating two suppositions upon each other “beg” and “question” and being used in a slightly different sense. An archaic sense, to be sure, but nonetheless, one that makes sense, and means what it is supposed to mean.

I grit my teeth every time I hear “beg the question” used wrongly. Right now, the writers of Law & Order: Various Incarnations are fond of it, and you’d think that of all people, lawyers would get this one right and would correct people who consistently wrong. Lawyers have to take courses in basic logic.

“Myself” instead of “I” or “me”. Actually, any of the stupid corporate speak I’m forced to hear everyday. "Going forward, if you have any questions feel free to **utilize **any of our **network solutions **to **reach out **to Mr. Turdwell or myself. Grrrrrrrrrr

“Evergreen” is really starting to piss me off. The first time I heard it used lately was in an Ed Sheeran song and in my opinion he used it in a clunky way, but I could see its poetic potential. Now I’m hearing it used in meetings and proposals and it makes me want to lodge a pine cone up someone’s ass.

“Boom!” to show enthusiastic agreement.
“That’s above / outside of my pay grade”. Fuck off.

Embolden.