Any particular word(s), phrase(s), etc. you particularly despise?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mathnomalous
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around frustrations with certain phrases and buzzwords commonly used in professional and casual contexts. The phrase "good job" is criticized for being a euphemism for a high-paying job, while "you need to be flexible" is seen as a demand for personal sacrifice for a superior's benefit. Participants express annoyance with manager-speak such as "work smarter, not harder" and "crunch time," which often imply excessive work expectations. Misused phrases like "should of" instead of "should have" and incorrect pronunciations, such as "tempachure," also draw ire. The conversation highlights a broader disdain for jargon and linguistic errors that detract from clear communication, with many contributors sharing their personal pet peeves regarding language misuse. Overall, the thread reflects a collective frustration with the decline of language precision in both professional and everyday settings.
  • #151
DaveC426913 said:
Never heard that one...

Walla?

Is the human race regressing to oral learning? Don't people read anymore?
You hear that on Food TV all of the time. Someone on PF uses captioning on tv and she said the caption types "walla" every time it's said.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #152
DaveC426913 said:
Never heard that one...

Walla?

Is the human race regressing to oral learning? Don't people read anymore?

Maybe they think they hear "walla" before they know how to read. Then years later they read the word "voilà" and never connect the two.

This happened to me with the word "ciao". Until I was 12 or so, I thought people were saying "chow" as a way to say goodbye :redface: and I had no idea what "ciao" was, although I had read it.
 
  • #153
Evo said:
I'm French, we pronounce it zhoo.

http://www.forvo.com/word/jus/

http://www.forvo.com/word/au_jus/
OOOh, does this mean you can help me with French? I'm taking the class :D. Getting help from people is much better than getting help from a translator that constantly uses vous instead of tu *cough*Google Translate*cough*.

Back onto the topic...
I don't know if somebody has already written this(although I already read most of the posts) but, do any of you get annoyed when someone says sorry when they don't need to? It really get on my nerves.

Friend: "Oh sorry."
Me: "You know, you didn't really have to say sorry for that, it was not something to say sorry for."
Friend: "Oh, I'm sorry."

Are you serious? I really get annoyed of that!
 
  • #154
A poster's name reminded me of one thing I hear sometimes that's annoying. Not knowing what is really meant by "theory" in the context of science, and saying things like "Oh, it's just a theory" to discount it or minimize it.

But I'm probably not alone in this, I bet.
 
  • #155
Grep said:
A poster's name reminded me of one thing I hear sometimes that's annoying. Not knowing what is really meant by "theory" in the context of science, and saying things like "Oh, it's just a theory" to discount it or minimize it.

But I'm probably not alone in this, I bet.

You aren't, this is one that annoys me also. That said the general abuse of scientific words such as "quantum" and "scalar" that you constantly see in the S&D forum is a pretty annoying thing as well.
 
  • #156
MysticDude said:
OOOh, does this mean you can help me with French? I'm taking the class :D. Getting help from people is much better than getting help from a translator that constantly uses vous instead of tu *cough*Google Translate*cough*.

Back onto the topic...
I don't know if somebody has already written this(although I already read most of the posts) but, do any of you get annoyed when someone says sorry when they don't need to? It really get on my nerves.

Friend: "Oh sorry."
Me: "You know, you didn't really have to say sorry for that, it was not something to say sorry for."
Friend: "Oh, I'm sorry."

Are you serious? I really get annoyed of that!

No, you're misunderstanding. Saying "sorry" isn't necessarily apologizing. It can be used to offer sympathy. If someone says, "I'm sorry your dog died," that's not a confession that the person killed your dog.

You have to take that word in context to get its meaning.

But *overusing* "sorry" is a peeve of mine. A guy at my work does that. If I say traffic was thick on the way into work, he'll say "Oh I'm sorry." If I say it's windy..."I'm sorry." If I say some people use 'sorry' too much..."I'm sorry."
 
  • #158
MysticDude said:
OOOh, does this mean you can help me with French? I'm taking the class :D. Getting help from people is much better than getting help from a translator that constantly uses vous instead of tu *cough*Google Translate*cough*.
Oh, you do not want my help! :redface: Although I spoke French before I learned English, I am much better at reading and listening than responding. I'm afraid of not conjugating my verbs correctly and sounding like a dumb American, so when I was in France, I didn't speak much outside of the house. I do know what words should sound like though and can even tell a French Southern Accent from a Parisian one.
 
  • #159
For me it is misuse of the adverb, e.g., "You write good!" Even worse is when two errors appear in one sentence, e.g., "You write real good!".

I also dislike the word, "like" being used inappropriately. It makes you sound like so stupid.

Oh, and when people misuse who/whom. "Who are you going to give the gift to?" (This ends a sentence with a preposition too!)

:mad:
 
  • #160
Pianoman14 said:
"Who are you going to give the gift to?" (This ends a sentence with a preposition too!)

This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put. - Churchill.
 
  • #161
WWW - the only acronym to have more syllables than the words it stands for.

AC current
 
  • #162
You despise AC Current?

EDIT: Got what you're talking about. Thought you had a problem with electricity then.
 
  • #163
skeptic2 said:
WWW - the only acronym to have more syllables than the words it stands for.

What about WWF (World Wildlife Fund)?
 
  • #164
jarednjames said:
What about WWF (World Wildlife Fund)?

True, though not nearly as bad.

www outstrips its expansion by 3x; wwf doesn't even clear 2.

dictionary.com defines http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/double" as two.

Thus, syllable count:
world wide web = 3
www = 9

world wildlife fund = 4
wwf = 7
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #165
DaveC426913 said:
True, though not nearly as bad.

Of course, but it makes the statement null.
 
  • #166
skeptic2 said:
AC current
Although not a pet peeve of mine, there is a similar term that always makes me wonder: "The DC component of a signal."

"DC" is an initialization of "direct current." However, in most examples of use these days it doesn't necessarily apply to current, or even have anything to do electricity for that matter. It can apply to a digital signal (that isn't even necessarily measuring current), or things such as temperature vs. time, magnitude vs. displacement (commonly used in image processing), and a swath of other things that have nothing directly to do with current. Any time one takes a Fourier transform, there will be a "DC component" even if the original signal is completely unrelated to current.

I've come to accept the term as having developed its own, new meaning, albeit a misnomer. So I use the term myself, since there isn't a better term that I'm aware of that conveys a more concise meaning. But I privately question myself every time I use it.
 
Last edited:
  • #167
i like "DC component". the alternative would be something like "zero-frequency component".
 
  • #168
MysticDude said:
do any of you get annoyed when someone says sorry when they don't need to? It really get on my nerves.
Sorry about that; I'm afraid that it's an inbred Canuk imperative. If you hear it from a Canuk, put it down to cultural indoctrination. If you hear it from anyone else, be suspicious and prepare to run.

Evo said:
Oh, you do not want my help! :redface: Although I spoke French before I learned English, I am much better at reading and listening than responding.

That sort of reminds me of an incident that happened in the Con Suite at an SF convention about 25 years ago. This Anglophone guy that I sort of knew from a distance was talking to a very attractive young woman. When I got within earshot, I noticed that they were speaking in French. No big deal, since were are a bilingual country. I strolled closer and tried to say hello to them, and I guess that the guy thought that I was intruding upon his territory (as if he had a chance with her :rolleyes:). Anyhow, he just gave me a filthy look and said "Do you speak French?"
I had to think for a couple of seconds, and then replied, "Not verbally" and turned away with my head hung down. The guy just stood there with a totally baffled look on his face, but I got a big wink from the woman. :biggrin:
 
  • #169
Danger said:
Sorry about that; I'm afraid that it's an inbred Canuk imperative. If you hear it from a Canuk, put it down to cultural indoctrination. If you hear it from anyone else, be suspicious and prepare to run.

No, I don't know any Canuk people, but thanks for the information. My friend that I was talking about is Greek/New York so it's just a habit for them I guess.
 
  • #171
That's a great comic, Vela! I still can't imagine that even a dinosaur could believe in a supreme being, but otherwise it is a perfect example of what we are discussing here. Thanks for the link.
 
  • #172
For all in tents and porpoises. I've never heard it, but if I did, I'd laugh.
 
  • #173
lisab said:
For all in tents and porpoises. I've never heard it, but if I did, I'd laugh.

That one makes me think of a cartoon that I saw years ago (maybe Farside?). It showed a fiddle and a saxophone perched atop a television set. The drawing was, of course, in response to the right-wing protest of sex and violence on TV.
 
  • #174
"Another day, another dollar"
 
  • #175
  • #176
"thank you for asking" "high end." I hate that term, hate, hate, HATE that term.
 
  • #177
Lacy33 said:
"thank you for asking" "high end." I hate that term, hate, hate, HATE that term.

High end? A term? As in: a high-end stereo?
 
  • #178
Lacy33 said:
"thank you for asking" "high end." I hate that term, hate, hate, HATE that term.
"World class" is another bit of manager-speak that is misused and over-used.
 
  • #179
DaveC426913 said:
High end? A term? As in: a high-end stereo?

Correct! or High End store or apartment or neighborhood.
And yes, World Class is real close behind ... :redface: "high end."
 
  • #180
Lacy33 said:
Correct! or High End store or apartment or neighborhood.
And yes, World Class is real close behind ... :redface: "high end."

Wealthy people store/apartment/neighborhood sounds snobby.
 
  • #181
"Any particular word(s), phrase(s), etc. you particularly despise?"

Back to the OP's question. I will make it pithy.

"Whatever..." said with disgust by my family members does it every time for me.

Rhody...
 
  • #182
skeptic2 said:
AC current

ATM machine

Any other faves(?) from the Department of Redundancy Department?
 
  • #183
jtbell said:
ATM machine

Any other faves(?) from the Department of Redundancy Department?

PIN number?
 
  • #184
jtbell said:
ATM machine

Any other faves(?) from the Department of Redundancy Department?

I've seen soup de jour of the day, on menus before.
hot-water heater
fall down
HIV virus
 
  • #185
Do you have low water pressure? (meaning low volumetric flow rate)

Every vote counts.

Every voice should be heard.

**** speaks to ****

narrative
 
  • #186
Phrak said:
Do you have low water pressure? (meaning low volumetric flow rate)

I've heard many reports about energy usage that talk about saving $$$ per KW.

The other day a comment on TV caught my ear when it was stated that something [I think a mineral] is valuable for its mass and weight.

Einstein said that everything is relative.

Many references to "common sense" are annoying because they are meant as an alternative to an informed opinion.

New and Improved! Does anyone really believe this anymore? Does this mean that the old stuff was crappy? And what are we to think when they bring back the crappy old stuff as "Classic"?
 
  • #187
I just saw a banner ad for a solar panel that claimed it could save:

"Up to 70% or more"

of my heating fuel costs.

In a weird and unintended way, it's truth in advertising, in that the percentage saved will indeed be "some number."
 
  • #188
rhody said:
"Whatever..." said with disgust by my family members does it every time for me.

My brothers and I, we used to say "Prove it! When did I do that?!" in response to an accusation of being hypocritical when chastising the other; and the other would always retort with "I don't keep a diary!".
That was annoying, but we all used to do it, and there was always a smug joy in saying "Prove it!", because you would always recall how annoying it was when they used it on a previous occasion.
 
  • #189
"This is the (insert decade here)!"

Especially when used as justification for some behavior. The turn of the century and new millennium changed it though. Now its,

"This is two thousand and (insert year here)!"
 
  • #190
collinsmark said:
So I use the term myself, since there isn't a better term that I'm aware of that conveys a more concise meaning.
'Static component' is not uncommon in the literature.
 
  • #191
Chi Meson said:
Up to 70% or more
Free stuff that you have to buy. Like free kitten with purchase of house. How is that any different from free house with purchase of kitten? Despicable language in advertising could use a thread of its own.
 
  • #192
HeLiXe said:
"This is the (insert decade here)!"

Especially when used as justification for some behavior. The turn of the century and new millennium changed it though. Now its,

"This is two thousand and (insert year here)!"

OK, guilty. I use this one when at stores and restaurants where they don't take debit.

"Your manager does know this is the 21st century, right?"

I see it as a sign that I'm trying to give them money and they say 'no thanks'.
 
  • #193
DaveC426913 said:
OK, guilty. I use this one when at stores and restaurants where they don't take debit.

"Your manager does know this is the 21st century, right?"

I see it as a sign that I'm trying to give them money and they say 'no thanks'.

Well...this is not really annoying, in this case the time corresponds to technological advancement appropriately. It annoys me when it's used like:

"You don't want to (insert illicit behavior here)!? Come ON, it's two thousand and ten."

:confused: WTH has one got to do with the other?
 
  • #194
Another one I got yesterday. When you ask someone what time it is and they say "ten after".
What is this, Ancient Rome?
Don't make me guess, just tell me the time!
 
  • #195
Bump, for my most hated one of all.

"You're not thinking enough into it"
OR
"You're thinking too much into it"

They seem to be interchangeable.
 

Similar threads

Anyone sick and tired of all the fancy techy stuffs?
Replies
22
Views
2K
Home Repair & Maintenance Advice for Newbie?
Replies
11
Views
3K
Forum game: Finding the Golden Record
Replies
1
Views
2K
A "The 7 Strangest Coincidences in the Laws of Nature" (S. Hossenfelder)
2
Replies
62
Views
9K
Job Skills Overwhelmed by Choices: Seeking Advice on Staying Engaged with Project
Replies
21
Views
2K
The Scientist as Hero - or not
Replies
1
Views
3K
Focus all of your ire on me, if you would
Replies
4
Views
2K
Correct phrasing / use of vocabulary for SR
2
Replies
79
Views
11K
Engineering University student with no direction
Replies
11
Views
2K
News What Are Payroll Tax Supported Programs to You?
2
Replies
69
Views
10K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top