# Words you hate people using **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 28, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990 "2012-01-28T14:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/141 "2012-01-31T21:41:43Z")
… snip stuff about impact instead of affect/effect … > [@drewtwo99](#): > > This is a perfectly acceptible use of the of the word. Also read [here](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impact). I completely agree with you that it’s a valid definition of the word. But the OP asked what words we hate people using and this is one of mine. Maybe I should have put this in the thread about being snap judgements. When I hear this I reflexively question the speaker’s intelligence. Doing so may be completely unfair; but, there it is. And of course my initial post followed the internet rule that all grammer flames must contain at least one misspelling. I wrote break when of course I meant brake. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/142 "2012-01-31T21:41:44Z")
My own name, when somebody is talking to me and they keep inserting my name as if I’m going to forget they’re talking to _me_. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/143 "2012-01-31T21:43:19Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > **Foot** - How long is that 2X4? It’s about 3 foot. No, it’s 3 _feet_. I know, it’s a common convention. It still sounds wrong to me. [**Foot are good (sometimes)**](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/foot). > [@](#): > > usage In front of another noun, the plural for the unit of length is foot: a 20-foot putt; his 70-foot ketch. Foot can also be used instead of feet when mentioning a quantity and in front of words like tall: four foot of snow; he is at least six foot tall > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I dislike **orientated** instead of **oriented**. And preventative instead of preventive. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/144 "2012-01-31T21:53:59Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > My own name, when somebody is talking to me and they keep inserting my name as if I’m going to forget they’re talking to _me_. According to science, [people like hearing their own name](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/). Do a search for any sort of “how to have a conversation for dummies”-type advice article, and it will often mention inserting the person’s name from time to time as a tip to build rapport. If someone’s doing this with you they are trying to ingratiate themselves with you - obviously it’s possible that they may be overdoing it. But if you don’t like hearing your name _at all_ then you’re probably quite unlike 99+% of other humans (assuming you are human). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/145 "2012-01-31T22:09:42Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > According to science, [people like hearing their own name](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/). Do a search for any sort of “how to have a conversation for dummies”-type advice article, and it will often mention inserting the person’s name from time to time as a tip to build rapport. If someone’s doing this with you they are trying to ingratiate themselves with you - obviously it’s possible that they may be overdoing it. But if you don’t like hearing your name _at all_ then you’re probably quite unlike 99+% of other humans (assuming you are human). It’s possible it annoys me because I’m _aware_ of that kind of advice — I read _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ years ago. One of my roommates is a guy who used to be a psychologist/counselor, and a large portion of his reading material is self-help books, including subjects like “How to have a conversation”. So when people keep repeating my name, I end up feeling like they’re using a “technique” on me, especially when they overdo it. It reminds me of those sweepstakes form letters where your name is repeatedly inserted in a typeface that doesn’t match the rest of the letter. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/146 "2012-01-31T22:29:54Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > This is a perfectly acceptible use of the of the word. Also read [here](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impact). MW is at the vanguard of descriptivism, though - they include words as soon as they become current among a handful of cretins. As an illustration, their approval extends to [“impactful”](http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impactful), a word which only serves to identify the guy at the meeting who you should do your best to ignore unless you want another migraine. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/147 "2012-01-31T22:31:40Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > According to science, [people like hearing their own name](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/). Science is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/148 "2012-01-31T22:54:24Z")
I hate it when people who are apparently old and mature enough to know better pronounce words as though they were toddlers. One that seems to come up far more often than it should is “sandwich” being replaced by “samich” or (even worse) “sammy”. Why would anyone use either of those? Another that is, I suppose, connected is when people try to refer to a word by its first letter, saying “the P-word” or “the F-word”, as though they were children trying to avoid being punished for swearing. Unless you’re in a situation where you actually can’t say the word in question for whatever reason, trying to tiptoe around it in that way just sounds silly and often makes the conversation ambiguous as people try to figure out which “P-word” you’re talking about. I used to be irritated when people spelled “a lot” as “alot” but now I just amuse myself with thoughts of [this](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html). ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/149 "2012-01-31T23:32:11Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > According to science, [people like hearing their own name](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/). That’s not what that article says at all. It says that when people hear their own name, it activates particular areas of the brain that aren’t activated when they hear other names. It doesn’t say anything at all about _liking_ it. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/150 "2012-01-31T23:43:01Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > That’s not what that article says at all. It says that when people hear their own name, it activates particular areas of the brain that aren’t activated when they hear other names. It doesn’t say anything at all about _liking_ it. So you’re saying _you_ don’t like it when you get your middle frontal cortex, middle and superior temporal cortex, and cuneus activated? Because I sure do. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/151 "2012-02-01T00:32:31Z")
At some point in the recent past, newscasters, pundits and politicians all decided to talk about “bravery”. It’s a legitimate word, I guess, but it just clangs off my ear like it’s some made-up back-formation. Whatever happened to “courage”? ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/152 "2012-02-01T02:32:54Z")
Hate when newspeople say “Take a listen”…Don’t know why this bothers me but it does ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/153 "2012-02-01T02:37:56Z")
> [@67java89](#): > > Hate when newspeople say “Take a listen”…Don’t know why this bothers me but it does What the…?! Darn whippersnappers! I remember when it was “_give_ a listen”! Selfishness, that’s what it is today. Take, take take. Harrumph! ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/154 "2012-02-01T03:09:06Z")
Gone missing. > [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > “Delish” - short for “delicious” > > “Vacay” - short for “vacation” > > “za” - short for “pizza” > > “Vajayjay” - we all know what that’s short for. My mother uses “Hamburg” for “Hamburger”. I don’t like that either. > [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > It’s possible it annoys me because I’m _aware_ of that kind of advice — I read _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ years ago. One of my roommates is a guy who used to be a psychologist/counselor, and a large portion of his reading material is self-help books, including subjects like “How to have a conversation”. So when people keep repeating my name, I end up feeling like they’re using a “technique” on me, especially when they overdo it. It reminds me of those sweepstakes form letters where your name is repeatedly inserted in a typeface that doesn’t match the rest of the letter. This really annoys me too. I was on jury duty once, and one of the lawyers questioning the potential jurors kept referring to us by name several times. I had the urge to tell him that it made me think everything he says is a game and not to be trusted, and really hurt his case. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/155 "2012-02-01T03:46:09Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > “Use” works just as well in both senses above, and the distinction is so small that **employing** a different word adds nothing and clarifies nothing. > [@Balthisar](#): > > Emphasis mine. There’s no irony smiley. I make a point of avoiding smilies, as in I _use_ them in about one post per 1,000 going back 10,000-plus posts since I got into the chat room racket years ago. This time, however, I think a :dubious: would be appropriate in response to Mr. Balthisar’s silly little snark. No irony exists in my choice of words. I _used_ the word “employed” instead of the word “used” only to avoid repetition. I see now that a better construction might have been: \*…the distinction is so small that the substandard alternative word adds nothing \* _and clarifies nothing._ Is that better? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/156 "2012-02-01T05:00:56Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Ill, when referring to traumatic injury: “She was badly injured in a car crash last week, and is still gravely ill.” > No, she is badly injured! Illness only refers to organic sickness, such as an infection or malignancy! Argh! You and some others are talking about misusing (aka misutilizing) a word. I read the OP as asking about words that are used properly, but still disliked. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/157 "2012-02-01T05:22:11Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > I’m not seeing the distinction at all. “Attributable to circumstances beyond our control, we are announcing a 2% price increase to all products, effective immediately.” It’s clunky, to be sure, but is it grammatically incorrect? Yes, because “attributable” is an adjective, and needs a noun to modify. The argument was that “due” is also an adjective, rather than being an adverb or conjunction, like “because.” (As I said, “due” is debatable here. “Attributable” isn’t really.) So, according to the (debatable) rule, you could say “the disaster was due to human error” (“due” modifying “disaster”) or “a disaster due to human error,” but not “Due to track work, all trains will be delayed.” ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/158 "2012-02-01T05:59:35Z")
I hate the word “copacetic”. I hadn’t heard it in the first quarter century of my life, and was annoyed when I first heard it from my wife. It has no confirmed origin, which makes it even more annoying. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/159 "2012-02-01T07:08:47Z")
Ok, where do I start? “Pundint.” What’s with that second “n”? I think Michelle Obama started this. “I seen.” A woman was being interviewed on TV, because she had had a near-death experience. Every other thing out of her mouth began with “And then I seen . . . .” I had to change the channel. “Transition.” This is a noun, folks, not a verb. “Begs the question.” What was wrong with “raises the question”? At first it seemed that “begs” was being used as more forceful than “raises,” but now it’s all but totally replaced it. “The wife.” No, your wife is not a possession, like the house, the car or the dog. “Preggers.” How old are you, five? “I mean.” Ever since Caroline Kennedy’s famous “you know” speech, “I mean” has taken its place. “Waiting on.” No, if you are waiting on me, you’re a salesperson or waiter. You are waiting FOR me. (I understand this is often a regionalism. That doesn’t make me hate it less.) “Tempa-chure.” Even weather people are doing this. And finally my favorite: “nup-choo-ul.” Nobody says “par-choo-ul” for “partial” or “mar-choo-ul” for martial. I don’t care that the dictionaries now say it’s ok. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990/160 "2012-02-01T07:20:26Z")
“Ranga” short for orangutan or red headed person. It is never meant in a nice way. A bit like “ginger” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-you-hate-people-using/610990.md?page=9)