There are just some words that make me want to slap people for saying. You know what I’m talking about.
For me, it always seems to be the oh so omnipotent bosses that use them. They have the smug grins plastered on their faces as they spout out about how magnificently they handled a situation. Then they shoot off a word like irregardless. Can people really be that clueless?
Did you know that irregardless has been misused so often that it is becoming a legitimate word? It even has an entry in your dictionary.
I work for a software company as a business analyst. I send design specs to programmers in India. When I received the most recent completed utility from them, I began to test it as always. Upon completing the update it was designed to perform, a message box popped up that said “Updation Completed”
Sometimes I feel like banging my head against the wall.
Any words that drive you totally insane when used?
Proactive. Anyone using this word in my hearing gets ignored for the remainder of their hopefully short lives. I don’t care if they were using it correctly.
i hate envelope when pronounced onvelope, due to a horrible, horrible, horrible 7th grade english teacher named Mr. Freers. did i mention he was horrible?
“Myself” used in pompous mode, the way a former boss of mine used to do it. I saw a letter he had written to a job candidate: “Myself and Eric enjoyed meeting you . . .” Ack ptui
Empowered. Its use seems to be declining, but not fast enough.
And flexibility. When administrators/management people use this term to justify something they’re doing, it generally means “we want enough freedom to screw everybody just the way we want.”
My nomination is flustrated. If it ever gets into the dictionary it should be: that split minute between when a person is flustered and then becomes frustrated.
I hate to mention this but: “If you know what I mean” used too much in conversation is also annoying.
I had a rather imperious boss-of-a-boss who was a relentless micromanager and not-invented-here zealot. While this word is supposed to mean “working in harmony” he would use it when he really meant “we’re doing things my way and I’m pleased.”
And the worst part about it is that he thought he was using it in the first meaning.
I really gets to me when people say whatever in the middle of a conversation, it’s like they don’t even care what your talking about.
When something someone doesn’t like is called gay it really gets to me too, I mean come on were not back in ye’old day here.
For real words, “empowerment,” which in my company means, “It’s your fault if something goes wrong, but you still have to do it our way.” Also “breakout session” for “let’s talk about this in little groups.”
A few things that drive me crazy:
When people use Y’all; maybe it’s just that I’m not from the south ,but geez!!! That drives me bonkers!!
When people say: “Who is you?” instead of “Who are you?”.
Something else that I read in magazines and tabloids that makes me cringe every time I see it: Nosh or Noshed
ex.( The crowd of celebrities noshed on gourmet food) or
( There was plenty of great food to nosh on)
I don’t know what it is about that word that makes me hate it so much, but I do wish they would banish it in all forms of writing. I mean, who actually SAYS that word in everyday spoken english???
What really bothers me is when someone finishes every thought with the phrase “know what I mean?” It’s like they need validation for their life from me and actually gets to sounding like they are studdering and rather than use “uhm” they use that phrase.
During a sporting event the announcers will invariably use the word “badly”. As in “he struck out badly”. Just gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Agrravated. It means to make worse, e.g., “The medication aggravated my dermatitis.” While the medication could also irritate your dermatitis, aggravate and irritate are not synonyms. When someone says “I was really aggravated” I start wondering exactly how low that person’s IQ really is.
Unfortunately, aggravated has been used synonymously with irritated so often that most dictionaries list them as meaning the same thing. Damn those spineless lexicographers!
Loose, as in “I don’t gamble because I don’t want to loose.” You are all losers. Not “loosers.” Get it right.
It’s. “It is” is contracted “it’s.” The possessive of “it” is “its.” No apostrophe. No no no.
Penultimate. Far too many people use this to mean “Ultimate.” They don’t realize that they’re off by one.
