# Verbal crutches I hate **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151 "2003-04-25T17:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/21 "2003-04-25T19:22:43Z")
If I hear Uncle Larry say, “I swear I’m gonna kill him” one more time, I’m gonna rat him out to Tom Ridge. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/22 "2003-04-25T20:15:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smam \* > \*\*(snip) > I would taken that to mean that you really have 9 hours left to do. NOT!! \*\* Although I agree with your point, **smam** , I’m sorry to say that one of the crutches _I_ hate is this Wayne’s World-like _NOT!_. Irony should be expressed in a different way. ---
**Author:** ![Eman\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Eman\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eman_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/23 "2003-04-25T20:28:14Z")
Here’s one… “Probably”. For example, if you’re not going to make it to a party or whatever (oops, is THAT a verbal crutch, too?), some people say, “I’m probably not going to make it.” As opposed to just saying, “I’m not going to make it.” I’m guessing the “probably” is thrown for politeness…I don’t know, I guess I’m weird like that. Others I can think of: “Like…” I can’t stand this one. What sucks is, I do this al the friggin’ time. I can’t stand myself… “Actually…” Gah. This one bugs too. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s cause you don’t really need to say it. “If you could (fill in the blank), that would be great.” Again, don’t know why this bugs, it just does. ---
**Author:** ![flybynight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@flybynight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flybynight)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/24 "2003-04-25T20:44:34Z")
“Look at it this way…” Honestly verbal crutches don’t bother me unless one particular one is greatly overused by a single person. Anyone that doesn’t use _any_ of the statements mentioned so far, _ever_, sounds weird to me. And they’re trying way to hard to be correct - to the point that they would bother more than someone who, like, you know, talks like that, or something. Know what I’m saying? 😃 disclaimer: I’m only talking about conversatin here, not a presentation, official speech, or written document. Then I agree, none of these statements belong there. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/25 "2003-04-25T20:49:55Z")
One guy at work (as a sort of closing statement) says “right well” Another coleage says - “How are you?” I reply “fine, and you?” to which he replies “fine. and you?” I am tempted to say “er, still fine” by way of exposing his mistake. but I am a coward. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/26 "2003-04-25T20:54:51Z")
I grew to loath, loath, _loath_ “like” and “you know” while editing interview transcriptions for a linguistic analysis computer program. Nothing will make you realize how much stupid crap people add to their sentences like having to go through and code every single like, you know, uhhhh, hmmmm and…pause. I couldn’t get Lisa Simpson’s “Like, you know, whatever” out of my head the entire week I worked on the project. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/27 "2003-04-25T21:03:42Z")
“Not un-{fill in the blank}.” ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/28 "2003-04-25T21:10:29Z")
Well, I guess that the **take home** from this thread is that people need to **,like,** have a **paradigm** shift in the way that they **utilize** language. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MercyStreet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@MercyStreet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercyStreet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/29 "2003-04-25T22:42:29Z")
“…at any rate…” “… ramp it up…” “… raise the bar…” “Been there; done that.” “Sounds like a plan.” ---
**Author:** ![Shana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Shana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shana)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/30 "2003-04-25T22:57:30Z")
“Just wanted to give you a heads up.” Please don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/31 "2003-04-25T23:05:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UES Guy \* > \*\*I also hate it when people use _literally_ when they mean _virtually_, as in “I’m literally starving to death.” Umm, no, you’re not. \*\* I was going to say that too. Dear lord do I ever hate that. “I LITERALLY DIED LAUGHING!!!” Why are you still here bothering me then? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/32 "2003-04-25T23:07:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shana \* > \*\*“Just wanted to give you a heads up.” > > Please don’t. \*\* Oh god, that reminds me of another one I hate: “I just wanted to touch base with you.” ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/33 "2003-04-25T23:57:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\*Oh god, that reminds me of another one I hate: > > “I just wanted to touch base with you.” \*\* All your base are belong to us! (Someone had to say it) ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/34 "2003-04-26T01:50:47Z")
_Going forward_. It’s completely vacuous. Any time I’ve heard it used, it could be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence. “What should we do, going forward?” means exactly the same thing as “what should we do?” ---
**Author:** ![DougAB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@DougAB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougAB)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/35 "2003-04-26T02:09:32Z")
Without “he’s got to step it up” or “he really stepped it up” I think a large portion of call in sports radio shows would be silence. ---
**Author:** ![Mdm.President](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@Mdm.President](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdm.President)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/36 "2003-04-26T02:28:42Z")
my bad. thanks much. _accompanied by a crinkled nose_ I don’t believe those are crutches, just valley girl lingo. You folks have got to see Office Space if your really itching to get annoyed by bosses that ‘drone’. ---
**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/37 "2003-04-26T02:44:39Z")
At the end of the day this thread is _so_ not impacting on my verbalisation patterns ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/38 "2003-04-26T02:56:33Z")
Describing a conversation with a third party: "First she goes, ’ …’ " "Then I go, ’ …’ " "So she goes, ‘…’ ’ Continue for a few more lines. It always ends: "So I just sit there and I go, ’ … !!!’ " So **go, already**! (Except if you’re _sitting_ there, how can you go?) ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/39 "2003-04-26T03:04:51Z")
"I’m all about the … " Ugh. One of those new catchphrases that I’m sick of already. “Be that as it may.” I just don’t get this phrase. I understand how it’s used, but I still don’t _get_ it. I find that it’s used by people trying to look smarter than they actually are. “In and of itself.” See above. I understand how it’s used, but it doesn’t make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151/40 "2003-04-26T03:19:09Z")
“Signage.” “Sign” is already a noun, for crying out loud! If you are referring to more than one, you can say, “signs.” It seems this is used by the same crowd that says “utilize” all the time: people unsure of their verbal skills, who think that using simple, clear words will make them sound stupid. Sadly, the opposite is true. And another vote for “basically.” I believe it has featured in every single sentence my boss has spoken in my presence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/verbal-crutches-i-hate/171151.md?page=3)