# Phrases you hate **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 16, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990 "2010-09-16T18:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/161 "2010-09-21T15:05:08Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I can’t stand the use of the word “community”. > > As in, “the Catholic community”, “the Asian community”, “black community leaders”, and so on. > > It’s lazy journalistic shorthand - what’s wrong with just saying “Catholic people” or whatever? “Community” makes it sound like they all live in blissful harmony in a fucking teepee or something. Cut it out. Er… they’re using the word in pretty much the way it’s defined in the dictionary. A group of people who either live in the same area, or share cultural/historical ties. And what about the word “Community” makes you think of teepees or whatever have you, out of curiosity? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/162 "2010-09-21T15:13:42Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I can’t stand the use of the word “community”. This reminds me of another one - “Red Sox Nation”. Blech. I even remember some of the Boston stations referring to “Yankee Nation”. Um, there’s no such term. I think I read one reference, once, to “Indians Nation” in Cleveland - otherwise, it’s only Red Sox fans who equate themselves to a country. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/163 "2010-09-21T15:21:19Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Er… they’re using the word in pretty much the way it’s defined in the dictionary. A group of people who either live in the same area, or share cultural/historical ties. And what about the word “Community” makes you think of teepees or whatever have you, out of curiosity? “Black community”, “gay community” etc are used to mean “all black/gay people in the country”, as if they were some homogenous mass that can be lumped together, which is ridiculous. It’s just lazy stereotyping and it gets my goat. “Community”, to my mind, means people that live closely together. Lumping together a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant in East London and a third-generation doctor in the Midlands as part of “the black community” is totally bogus. “Community” just sounds so happy-clappy and tribal - it’s patronising. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/164 "2010-09-21T15:32:13Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > > [@Colophon](#): > > > > I can’t stand the use of the word “community”. > > This reminds me of another one - “Red Sox Nation”. Blech. > I even remember some of the Boston stations referring to “Yankee Nation”. Um, there’s no such term. I think I read one reference, once, to “Indians Nation” in Cleveland - otherwise, it’s only Red Sox fans who equate themselves to a country. There’s the Colbert Nation, the fandom for the Colbert Report. But as with everything regarding that show, it’s intentionally overblown. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/165 "2010-09-21T19:55:22Z")
“high rate of speed” instead of “fast” (already mentioned) “\_\_\_\_\_ in color” for example, “red in color” as if red would be anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/166 "2010-09-21T22:17:27Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > “high rate of speed” instead of “fast” (already mentioned) > “\_\_\_\_\_ in color” for example, “red in color” as if red would be anything else. It could be red in a newspaper. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Luggage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@The\_Luggage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Luggage)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/167 "2010-09-21T22:29:39Z")
My pet peeve is the “I love that…” An Americanism, I think, but it’s still grammatically horrific, though without a doubt it is gaining in popularity over here (UK). But really. You can “love it that”. You can “love the fact that”. You cannot “love that” unless that is a specific object, and that’s not how it’s meant, usually. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/168 "2010-09-22T01:01:53Z")
Actually, “that ” is sufficient as a noun phrase, at least in my grammar. Consider: That you’re going to the store is good. That you would even think to use that logical fallacy shows how feeble your argument is. It’s just omitting the superfluous phrase “the fact,” so “I love [the fact] that you’re going to the store.” Heck, while “I love you’re going to the store” sounds a little weird, it’s not wrong to me either. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/169 "2010-09-22T09:38:09Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > This reminds me of another one - “Red Sox Nation”. Blech. > I even remember some of the Boston stations referring to “Yankee Nation”. Um, there’s no such term. I think I read one reference, once, to “Indians Nation” in Cleveland - otherwise, it’s only Red Sox fans who equate themselves to a country. I’ve often wondered why some of the Indian tribes call themselves a “Nation”, despite the fact they really don’t have many of the things that one thinks of in association with being a “Nation”. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/170 "2010-09-22T11:40:56Z")
The one that I find hugely annoying is “Passive Aggressive”. I’m not even sure what it means (seeing as it makes no sense), but from what I can work out from people who use it, is seems to mean “a person was acting perfectly politely, but I know they are secretly out to get me, so its perfectly fine for me to be obnoxious back to them” ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/171 "2010-09-22T11:51:08Z")
> [@Bakhesh](#): > > The one that I find hugely annoying is “Passive Aggressive”. > I’m not even sure what it means (seeing as it makes no sense), but from what I can work out from people who use it, is seems to mean “a person was acting perfectly politely, but I know they are secretly out to get me, so its perfectly fine for me to be obnoxious back to them” You obviously haven’t worked for Government. 😛 Passive Agressive: New Manager Out to Change Government: “Now that I’m here, we’re going to run this place like a well oiled machine!” Passive Aggressive Career State Employee: Folds Arms “Awesome! Lets see how well that works!” Passive Aggressive Career State Employee waits for New Manager to either get ground down by the unending inertia of the government system, or piss off someone in power enough that they’re escorted out. PACSE returns to status quo. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/172 "2010-09-22T12:00:07Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > > [@Kal](#): > > > > A phrase I really hate is “could care less”. Couldn’t! > > I’ve always interpreted it as a form of irony or sarcasm. Alternately, “I could care less… but I’d have to try really hard.” Or “I care so little that I’m not even gonna bother to get this phrase right by saying ‘couldn’t care less.’” Sounding so punctilious as to correct a common phrase makes you seem more engaged with the matter that you ostensibly couldn’t care less about. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/173 "2010-09-22T12:31:57Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > It’s not new anymore, but I still hear it all the time. > > It is what it is. > > Of course it is what it is! What would it be if it wasn’t what it was?!? It makes no sense and is a waste of words. > > I know I know, it really means to convey “It is what it appears to be”. But, if that what you mean to say, say it. Otherwise, just say “it is”. Because finishing the phrase is redundant. By “it” existing, it can’t be anything but what it is. > > Gah! I dont’ even know if that’s intelligible! This is the one I hate, not only for itself but because my previous supervisor used to use it to say “I am going to screw you and your colleagues any way I can and any way I want to, and there is not a damn thing you can do about it, and you and I both know it.” “It is what it is.” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/174 "2010-09-22T12:37:13Z")
“Literally” is bad, but I’ve managed to neutralize the annoyance of the phrase by imagining what it would mean to do this or that “literally” when I hear it used for something figurative. “Essentially” or “basically” - I can forgive these because they seem to be used as space-fillers, a pause in speech to gather one’s thoughts, and I’d rather hear a real word used in such a way than “um” and similar hemming and hawing. Phrases drawn from pop culture are more often than not annoying - the previous Monty Python examples and _Princess Bride_…and actually, seeing the phrase “precious snowflake” deployed with sincerity irritates me more than any of the other phrases in this thread. I _feel_ like that one in particular tends to be wielded as some guarantee of diamond-hard certainty up against the wishy-washy subjectivities and ill-defined yearnings of the masses. Criticisms disguised as compliments are always a delight - a superior at work saying “Well, that’s _one_ way we could do it…” This kind of thing always reminds me of a great scene in Woody Allen’s _Husbands and Wives_ where Judy David returns from a date with Liam Neeson and proceeds to backhandedly tear apart the entire experience: “I do love Mahler, though the conductor fought his way out of the last movement…Dinner was nice, though I should teach the chef how to make a real alfredo…Your driving was fine, for the most part…” ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/175 "2010-09-22T12:53:09Z")
"It behooves us … " Hello, the black death’s calling and wants its verb back. In fact, pretty much any use of passive voice demands the services of your tactical assault team. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/176 "2010-09-22T12:58:41Z")
On general principles it would be my bad if I don’t man up and go girl and throw down a shout out to all my homies in SDMB Nation with regards to all the phrases that are soooooo not appealing. There’s gotta be, like, a bazillion infinity plus one of those puppies and bad boys coming out of the woodwork and ripping through the seams. To the contrary, Girlfriend!, all indications are I just had a brain fart. I mean, Hell-oooOW!!! Peace out! ---
**Author:** ![pyromyte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@pyromyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pyromyte)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/177 "2010-09-22T14:35:27Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > > [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > > > This reminds me of another one - “Red Sox Nation”. Blech. > > I even remember some of the Boston stations referring to “Yankee Nation”. Um, there’s no such term. I think I read one reference, once, to “Indians Nation” in Cleveland - otherwise, it’s only Red Sox fans who equate themselves to a country. > > I’ve often wondered why some of the Indian tribes call themselves a “Nation”, despite the fact they really don’t have many of the things that one thinks of in association with being a “Nation”. I can understand that it you find the usage of “nation” annoying and pisses you off (because sports casters certainly overuse the term), but it’s not improper, is it? Or are you objecting to the capitalization? I personally consider myself a member of the Big Blue Nation (U of Kentucky sports fans) and think it has more of a positive connotation that Big Blue Mob or even the word fanatic. World English Dictionary: > [@](#): > > nation -n – 2. a community of persons not constituting a state but bound by common descent, language, history, etc I’m sure someone already mentioned “to drink the Kool-aid” to “throw [someone] under the bus.” That term needs to be thrown under the bus. “I beg to differ!” When someone says this to you in an argument, it sounds a lot like “Well, F\*\*\* YOU!” ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/178 "2010-09-22T15:35:31Z")
Also: I just hate when women (it’s always women) use words that make them sound so _daring_. We have an office assistant who will ask, “Are you going to _venture out_ to the farmer’s market today?” Yeah, because I’m so _adventurous_. Once she asked me if I was going to venture down to the cafeteria. I read women’s magazines all the time where they’ll have some woman “confess” something. “The original walls were blue, but Jennifer confesses she just couldn’t resist painting them a dusty rose.” “Confessing to a love for carrots, Sarah planted an extra three rows this year.” My god, I want to BE these women! ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/179 "2010-09-22T15:40:35Z")
Larry David pointed this one in last season of CYE and it’s typical Larry with his passive-aggressive bullshit and his self-centered sense of humor that so bothers me sometimes as he can be such an arse. Having said all that, episode featuring phrase “Having said all that” is pretty funny. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990/180 "2010-09-22T22:39:53Z")
“It’s literally like \” This always bugs me. I had someone say something like ‘finding what a particular gene does is literally like finding a needle in a haystack’. NO IT’S NOT YOU IDIOT. “I could care less” No, you mean _I couldn’t care less_. If you could care less, then you’re not at your most apathetic, are you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-you-hate/553990.md?page=10)