The "Annoying Phrase" Thread

[Diamondback]

Ah yes... the kind that I usually snark at with "Y'know, if I thought you'd actually use it I'd gladly donate my frontal lobe so you could say you had part of a brain in your head..."

 

[Brummagem Joe]

I had a coworker who would say, "Hows come?" (That's not a typo.)

Also, she'd call our Houston office and say (every time, I think), "Houston, we have a problem. Hahahahahaha!"

Then there's "nother." As in, "a whole nother ballgame." The word is other as in an other.

......Is that the same as "Thanksmuch".......the Coen Brothers movies are an inexhaustible supply of verbal tics........Fargo being at the front of the line but most of them have some great examples.......Lebowski is full of bowling beauties......their latest is set in the Jewish community in Minneapolis in the early sixties which is where they grew up so I'm expecting a goldmine

 

[MsStabby]

American hipsters (and others not Antipodean) who say "no worries."

I also dislike "no worries" as a substitute for "you're welcome." If I thank someone, I do not want to be told not to worry about the inconvenience I put the other person through. Same with "no problem." Why would I assume that I was being a problem? Why does the giver assume that the requester is causing a problem with the request.

Civil exchange:

"Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome."

 

[MsStabby]

Very interesting thread. One particular phrase or set of words I can recall that annoy me ever so slightly are "so I says...". Originally I thought it was a regional thing, as the only person I'd heard it from was a coworker from Wisconsin. But over the years, I've caught it in conversations with folk from all over the place. At times, I've found it annoying simply because whoever says it uses it a lot. But most of the time I shrug it off...and just take it as casual American English, kind of like saying "ain't" or "y'know".

I've only heard this on The Simpsons. There's a cut to Bart and Lisa sitting at the kitchen table and Marge walks in on them mid-sentence. Bart is sharing an anecdote with Lisa and what we hear is "...so I says to Mabel I says..." at which point Marge interrupts and the plot (such as it is) continues.

Hilarity ensues.

 

[C-dot]

Same with "no problem." Why would I assume that I was being a problem? Why does the giver assume that the requester is causing a problem with the request.

Civil exchange:

"Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome."

I will say "no problem" to someone if they thank me multiple times. I suppose I see it this way: They want to be absolutely sure I understand how appreciative they are, because it's a big deal. If I tell them it's not a problem, they can relax a bit

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.



Everything that comes out of this guy's mouth:

 

[Diamondback]

As I understand it, "no problem" originated as a response to someone you're not exactly on favorable terms with, and have no desire to be, thanking you after you've done something.

Usually, when I use it, someone's apologizing to me for something I don't believe warrants apologizing for.

 

[guellimus]

.



Everything that comes out of this guy's mouth:

... Beer me, Blazer.

Now that I got a little Andy Bernard out of my system, I have a fraternity brother who has taken to saying some phrase that's like "All t no shade" or something of the like. I have no idea what it means although he's tried explaining it on multiple occasions. Regardless of its definition, it drives me up the wall.

 

[jwalls]

Wore my new derby yesterday. http://www.xoopit.com/s/20um7cjq58ene24e1u4k A female at the supermarket ask "Did you wear that hat on purpose?". Quote I; "No ,Madam, it jumped from the hat rack to my head as I left home." :eusa_doh:

 

[Paisley]

^lol

 

[C-dot]

Quote I; "No ,Madam, it jumped from the hat rack to my head as I left home." :eusa_doh:

What did she say? lol What could she say?

 

[jamespowers]

Wore my new derby yesterday. http://www.xoopit.com/s/20um7cjq58ene24e1u4k A female at the supermarket ask "Did you wear that hat on purpose?". Quote I; "No ,Madam, it jumped from the hat rack to my head as I left home." :eusa_doh:

The Hat from Morrow Island.
You need to add this one to the Dumbest Comment I ever heard thread.

 

[Dewhurst]

I find it extremely annoying when I hear people say:

"I could care less!"

You could? So you do a little. Why does that not seem like the point you are trying to make then? lol

 

[jamespowers]

I find it extremely annoying when I hear people say:

"I could care less!"

You could? So you do a little. Why does that not seem like the point you are trying to make then? lol

You could care less? Well then care less then.

 

[C-dot]

You could care less? Well then care less then.

Exactly! If you could care less, and you aren't, why are you mentioning it?!

Now, if you couldn't care less...

 

[jamespowers]

Exactly! If you could care less, and you aren't, why are you mentioning it?!

Now, if you couldn't care less...

This is starting to sound like Abbott and Costello. "Who's on first?"

 

[Lamplight]

When someone can't quite hear what you just said:

"Do what?"

What happened to "Excuse me?" "Pardon me?" or simply, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear what you said."

Using the words "wander" and "wonder" interchangeably:

"I guess he was just wondering around the mall all afternoon."

And there is an oddity I've noticed in many children these days, and it's not a phrase (I've mostly heard girls do this). I've noticed that, when they're attempting to stress a certain sentence, they'll add an extra syllable to the final word of the sentence, and that syllable is always "uh". And the final word will be drawn out considerably when spoken. Example:

"Yes you aaaare-uh!"

"That's the way you're supposed to do it daaad-uh!"

"We'll be there as soon as we caaaan-uh!"

It's hard to describe in text, but I find it pretty annoying, and I'm not sure where it came from.

Also, living in the South, I daily hear things that make me cringe. Mind you, I'm far from being some sort of magnificent orator (VERY far!), but I often hear things that simply boggle the mind. These are the most common (words in bold):

"I seen him yesterday."
"I knowed him forever."
"Have you eat?"
"Yeah, I done eat."
"Ever who called XXXX, he's on the phone"
"We was gonna go, but we didn't."
"I use-to-could."

I hear variations of those at least weekly, and sometimes daily.

I should add that most of these things don't really bother me very much, but I do notice them. And sometimes it's so bad that I wonder how a person can speak in such a way without doing it purposely.

 

[C-dot]

And there is an oddity I've noticed in many children these days, and it's not a phrase (I've mostly heard girls do this). I've noticed that, when they're attempting to stress a certain sentence, they'll add an extra syllable to the final word of the sentence, and that syllable is always "uh". And the final word will be drawn out considerably when spoken.

This I hear from teenagers and twenty-somethings alike. I've heard it on British TV, in New England, and in my city. It seems to be universal!

The other examples you give are new to me. Are they a Southern thing? Or have you heard them other places, too?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

"I use-to-could."

Guilty as charged! Also guilty of:
Friend: "Hey, Tom, could you look at my carburetor, my car aint running good."
Tom: "I Might Could, just lemmie get done with this here thing first."

But that's mostly talk between friends, I have a much more formal vocabulary while I'm at work.

 

[Lamplight]

The other examples you give are new to me. Are they a Southern thing? Or have you heard them other places, too?

They may be southern things. Unfortunately it's been a long time since I've had a chance to get out of the south for any length of time.