Jonathan Swift hated the word bowels. Gloria Swanson, star of the movie Sunset Boulevard, hated the word glamor, while the character she played, Norma Desmond, hated comeback. Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko hated the word relationship ("the kind of sterile word used by lawyers and sociologists and other menaces"). Carson McCullers hated the words prose and poetry, though she wrote both.
British novelist V.S. Naipaul hates the word novel, documentary filmmaker Irving Saraf hates documentary, and news anchor Katie Couric hates the word panties ("a cheesy word for underpants"). Of course, many of us claim to hate the word hate.
As shown in our article 200 Words and Expressions That Tick You Off, people have various reasons for disliking (or downright loathing) certain words. It may be a buzzword that has worn out its welcome (such as paradigm or proactive). Or an overly familiar redundancy (added bonus, future plans), mispronunciation ("nuc-u-lar" for nuclear), or usage error ("between you and I").
Some of us have "zero tolerance" for elision (definally for definitely), malapropisms (mitigate for militate), minced oaths (frak), blends (bromance), or verbing (to effort or incent). Sometimes the hostility gets personal--as with expressions favored by an ex-spouse (couch potato) or a dimwitted boss (bottom line).
Since posting the original 200 Words and Expressions, we've continued to collect your verbal peeves (also known as logomisia or word aversion). And here are the results: 200 words and phrases that ticked you off in 2010.
Awesome, isn't it?
To add an expression that ticks you off, visit 100 Words and Phrases That Ticked You Off in 2012 and click on "comments" at the end of the post.
- absolutely
- access (as a verb)
- actual
- agree to disagree
- Aim high.
- all the sudden (instead of "all of a sudden")
- amazing
- a.m. in the morning
- American consumer
- And you are?
- anomalous
- anyways and anyways to change the subject
- anywho
- Are you serious?
- ASAP
- as everyone knows
- as per
- at my earliest convenience
- awesome possum!
- axe (instead of "ask")
- back at you
- basic fundamentals
- batter (instead of "batsman" in cricket)
- beside her/himself
- big society
- birfday (instead of "birthday")
- bla bla bla
- blowback
- body of work (as used by sportscasters)
- bored of (instead of "bored with")
- brain fart
- bromance
- but (at the end of a sentence)
- buy-in (management-speak for "agree")
- card (used as a verb)
- cheers (when used by waiters)
- chillax
- co-branded
- cold slaw (instead of "cole slaw")
- come on board (instead of "join")
- completely forget
- congressman or congresswoman (instead of "representative")
- continue on (instead of simply "continue")
- conversate (instead of "converse")
- cool beans
- coronate (instead of the verb "crown")
- data is (instead of "data are")
- de-thaw
- dialogue (used as a verb)
- die for (as in "a dessert to die for")
- Do the math!
- drug (instead of "dragged")
- empower and empowered
- epicenter (misused as a synonym for "center")
- even (as in "I don't even know what to think")
- exscape (instead of "escape")
- fabulous
- face time
- fakeaway
- flustrated
- folks
- for all intensive purposes (instead of "for all intents and purposes")
- free gift
- friend (as a verb)
- friggin
- FYI
- get our arms around (a project)
- ghetto (used as an adjective)
- ginormous
- give a shout
- glam cam
- gobsmacked
- gone missing
- gonna (instead of "going to")
- gots (as in "I gots to go now")
- ground-breaking
- grow (as a transitive verb for anything in the business or financial world, as in "grow our audience")
- Hasta la vista (if you're not a Spanish speaker)
- have a dialogue
- I heart (anything)
- I said to her I said
- I thought to myself
- ice tea (instead of "iced tea")
- iconic
- if I would have (instead of "if I had")
- if you will
- illegal alien (instead of "illegal immigrant")
- I'm good
- in actual fact
- in a sec
- innovative
- interesting
- invite (as a noun instead of "invitation")
- It goes without saying.
- It's all good.
- its (for "it's"--and vice versa)
- just so you know
- kumbayah moment
- last (instead of "most recent")
- lay (instead of "lie")
- level the playing field
- leverage
- liaise
- long story short
- loose (instead of "lose")
- marriage and marry (when not in reference to "wedlock," as in "marry our concepts and his products")
- mind-blowing
- might could
- mission critical
- more better
- mute point (instead of "moot point")
- myself (instead of "me," as in "They gave the package to myself")
- next generation
- no brainer
- no offense
- not for nothing
- not gonna lie
- Nothing is impossible.
- Obamacare
- of a certain age
- off of (instead of "off")
- oftentimes (instead of "often")
- oh (instead of "zero")
- on the ground (as in "We have to get more soldiers on the ground in Iraq.")
- on the year (instead of "this year")
- on tomorrow (as in "We'll meet on tomorrow.")
- onboarding
- orientate (instead of "orient")
- outpouring
- parenting
- partner (as a verb)
- peeps
- perfect storm
- personally (as in, "I personally . . .")
- pimping
- place where
- preorder
- preplan
- price point (instead of "price")
- problematic
- problem is . . .
- public option
- quote unquote
- reality (when it's not)
- refudiate
- retard (as an adjective or noun)
- robust (in reference to banks, businesses, and other things)
- scoot over and scootch over
- seen (as the simple past form of "saw")
- seriously
- sex (when "gender" would be more appropriate)
- sex it up
- should of and would of (instead of "should have" and "would have")
- Shut up! (in response to an interesting bit of information)
- small little
- solution (in a business context)
- somethink (instead of "something")
- so over it
- speak to (an issue)
- stakeholder
- state of the art
- step foot (as in "I never stepped foot in that shop before")
- surreal
- sushi (instead of "sashimi" for "raw fish"; "sushi" is rice)
- sustainable
- synergy
- tad bit
- take it for granite (instead of "take it for granted")
- take point on (instead of "lead")
- teachable moment
- that being said
- there you go (instead of "thank you")
- the thing is is
- throw (somebody) under the bus
- a time when and a time where
- top 10 most . . .
- to tell the truth
- touch base and touch basis
- touch wood
- transparency
- try and (instead of "try to")
- undoubtably (instead of "undoubtedly")
- unfriended
- up (used as a verb, as in "You should up your efforts.")
- veggies
- vice a versa (instead of "vice versa")
- wanna (instead of "want to")
- wax paper (instead of "waxed paper")
- way more (and any other use of "way" as an adverb)
- We're done here.
- Where are you at?
- whether or not
- white stuff (instead of "snow")
- whole 'nuther
- win-win for everyone
- with regard to and with respect to (instead of "about")
- with that being said
- xerox (instead of "copy" or "photocopy")
- You can't be serious!
- you guys
