Words/Phrases You're Sick Of Hearing?

[Ace-Garageguy]

PS. Every bloody thing that's not "awesome" being "amazing".

[Danno]

I agree wholeheartedly with the Bills.

 

The stupid phrase I most dislike and find ALWAYS to be the most repugnant example of dysfunctional spoken triteness is "It is what it is."  

What the H#11 does that really mean?  Can't you competently articulate anything intelligent?  You have to resort to 'It is what it is?'   I had to work with a mental midget a few years who could hardly speak beyond that degree of intellectual acuity.  Barfff.

 

A distant second is the term "meh."  Really?  Trying to speak or spell out a shrug?  Again, much like above.  Can't figure out how to express yourself?Gimmme a break.

 

[Snake45]

Oh yeah..."thanks for sharing". What, are we all in group therapy now?

I use that one a lot, sarcastically, meaning, "Thanks for wasting our time and contributing exactly nothing."

Thought of another one: "Go ballistic" or "went ballistic." That term actually has a specific meaning and I'll bet not one person in a thousand who uses it could tell you what it means or where it comes from.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Snake45

[Harry P.]

There is one phrase that definitely grinds my gears. Every time I hear it I want to strangle the speaker.

"At the end of the day..."

AAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

[Tom Geiger]

As  Judge Judy says,  "Ummm, is not a word!"   

The phrase,  "To be honest..."   AKA  "To be perfectly honest..."   is always followed by a lie.

My new irking phrase is in car ads...  "Low Mileage  Lease"...  they're hoping to make it sound nice, like "Low Mileage Car". But what it is an artificially low lease number because they know you will exceed the 8,000 miles a year and owe many thousand upon attempting to return the car.  I don't lease, but I know a few folks who got caught up in this scam!

And here's one that drives me completely nutz...  It's friggin  $5  The dollar sign goes before the digit.   I can understand someone from another country doing this since some currencies are expressed this way... but these guys are American born,  American raised,  have been in stores for most of their lives and they didn't notice  $5!

[Snake45]

There is one phrase that definitely grinds my gears. Every time I hear it I want to strangle the speaker.

"At the end of the day..."

AAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

This one appeared and wore itself out very quickly in the early '90s. Back then I didn't think George Stepalloverus, James "Serpenthead" Carville or Paul Begallofva could express one single thought or idea without using that phrase at least once.

[Rob Hall]

I listen to a lot of news radio. The word that is driving bonkers is "So.....". On the scene reporters, every time the anchor asks a question, their first paragraph spoken starts "So.....".

Apparently in the UK, 'Right' is their equivalent of 'So' in starting sentences..

On my stamp collectors board there was a whole thread on  "My Bad".   Yea, I don't like that one at all.  It's a cop out from apologizing.

 

 

First heard that one in the late 90s at my first job after grad school... another odd one I remember from then was when someone said 'Come with?'  ...as in 'can I come with you [to lunch or wherever]'...

[Rob Hall]

How about thinking "outside the box"? Very annoying!

Corporate jargon...I've heard that one for the last 20 years.... I've been a fan of the Dilbert comic strip since the 90s, and so much of what I've read in there has been reflective of my life in corporate cube land...like the movie 'Office Space'...was only slightly exaggerated. 

Other corporate jargon that I've found to be tiresome are talk of  'leveraging synergies', 'leveraging core competencies', 'pivoting','enabling teams',  'jumping the gap', and people that say 'Done' when asked to do something...it's not done until its done.

Found this page with loads of tired corporate jargon for those interested..

http://www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html

Edited February 7, 2016 by Rob Hall

[Rob Hall]

Of course, a lot of these terms and phrases are generational in nature..each generation has it's own slang and jargon....this thread can look like a bunch of grumpy old men complaining about how things today aren't the way they were 'back in the day'..    Alas, given the demographics of this hobby, that is somewhat true...

[Pete J.]

I use that one a lot, sarcastically, meaning, "Thanks for wasting our time and contributing exactly nothing."

Thought of another one: "Go ballistic" or "went ballistic." That term actually has a specific meaning and I'll bet not one person in a thousand who uses it could tell you what it means or where it comes from.

Anyone who got the pilot credentials is the 60's or 70's sure can.  It's what happens when an F-4 runs out of air!

[Mark]

I agree wholeheartedly with the Bills.

 

The stupid phrase I most dislike and find ALWAYS to be the most repugnant example of dysfunctional spoken triteness is "It is what it is."  

What the H#11 does that really mean?  Can't you competently articulate anything intelligent?  You have to resort to 'It is what it is?'   I had to work with a mental midget a few years who could hardly speak beyond that degree of intellectual acuity.  Barfff.

 

A distant second is the term "meh."  Really?  Trying to speak or spell out a shrug?  Again, much like above.  Can't figure out how to express yourself?Gimmme a break.

 

It is what it is...it just ain't what it was...

[Pete J.]

As  Judge Judy says,  "Ummm, is not a word!"   

The phrase,  "To be honest..."   AKA  "To be perfectly honest..."   is always followed by a lie.

My new irking phrase is in car ads...  "Low Mileage  Lease"...  they're hoping to make it sound nice, like "Low Mileage Car". But what it is an artificially low lease number because they know you will exceed the 8,000 miles a year and owe many thousand upon attempting to return the car.  I don't lease, but I know a few folks who got caught up in this scam!

And here's one that drives me completely nutz...  It's friggin  $5  The dollar sign goes before the digit.   I can understand someone from another country doing this since some currencies are expressed this way... but these guys are American born,  American raised,  have been in stores for most of their lives and they didn't notice  $5!

...and the cent sign goes behind the number and you don't include a decimal!

[Snake45]

Anyone who got the pilot credentials is the 60's or 70's sure can.  It's what happens when an F-4 runs out of air!

Never heard it used exactly that way, but that's very, VERY close to the original usage. And, it's actually technically accurate!

Oh, wait. I thought you said "when an F-4 runs out of fuel," which WOULD be technically accurate.

[Snake45]

I think the one that bugs the heck out of me to no end is "No problem".  What ever happen to "Your welcome".  Heck no it's not a problem.  Your a BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH waiter. It's your job!

 

Even worse than "no problem" is "You bet." I first noticed the idiot Stone Phillips doing this on TV. Now it's been picked up by at least two of America's most popular radio hosts. You bet WHAT? It sounds moronic.

[Ace-Garageguy]

...and of course, quite similar in meaning to "at the end of the day" is "the bottom line..."

Actually, I kinda like that one. Spare me the lawyer-speak boilerplate CYA meandering justifying BS, and just read me the frigging bottom line.

Yes, I know it originally meant the accounting-speak bottom line. 

Oh well...it is what it is. 

 

[Pete J.]

Never heard it used exactly that way, but that's very, VERY close to the original usage. And, it's actually technically accurate!

Oh, wait. I thought you said "when an F-4 runs out of fuel," which WOULD be technically accurate.

Technically an aircraft that runs out of fuel in not ballistic as the pilot still has control of attitude and direction.  An object that is ballistic is one that is on an uncontrolled parabolic arc determined by velocity, air resistance and gravity.  A ballistic missile is referred to as such because once the warhead separates from the booster it is on a ballistic trajectory to impact.

 I first ran into the term in pilot training.  An aircraft goes ballistic in a maneuver that at very high speed and very high altitude does as hard pull up and goes into the upper atmosphere where the air is so thin that there is insufficient air for the control surfaces to provide direct attitude control.  The pilot now has no attitude control and the aircraft is ballistic until it returns to a lower attitude and control is regained.  I believe the first aircraft capable of "going ballistic" was an F-4.  Using the term to describe a person I believe comes from the idea that they are out of control.

[SfanGoch]

how things today aren't the way they were 'back in the day'

Thanks, Rob. That annoying phrase will cost you six months on the rock pile.    

"Safe home" - Usually uttered by some stuffy, bald-headed, William Kunstler doppelganger wearing Ben Franklin specs and a sweater vest to someone exiting an "Amherst Class of '62" Alumni Association soiree

Core values - favorite of any office seeker who possesses none to begin with, which is why he's running in the first place

"Vintage ______" - Euphemism for useless dreck that was pulled out of the trash before the garbage truck makes its rounds and is sold in a "vintage boutique", another overused euphemism for junk shop, for obscenely ridiculous amounts of dough

Man up - only when stimulated

Safe space

"Houston, we have a problem" - No, man. YOU have a problem!

"____gate" - just crawl into a hole with this catchphrase and die. Equating every scandal with the break-in at the DNC offices in 1972 is beyond preposterous. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike_G]

Superlatives applied to the mundane

 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Superlatives applied to the mundane

Dude...that's amazingly awesome !!!!!!!

[SfanGoch]

I believe the first aircraft capable of "going ballistic" was an F-4.

I believe that dubious honor goes to the F-104 Starfighter, the flying brick with a 20' wingspan. It wasn't called the "Manned Missile" for nothing. In addition to a lousy glide ratio, the only gliding it would do is from the time a pilot noticed a dead engine to the time he punched out. 

[SfanGoch]

Let's not forget the latest favorite of politicians and media talking heads who want to sound like they're "hip" and "with it" - "Boots on the ground".

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

... An aircraft goes ballistic in a maneuver that at very high speed and very high altitude... and goes into the upper atmosphere where the air is so thin that there is insufficient air for the control surfaces to provide direct attitude control.  The pilot now has no attitude control and the aircraft is ballistic until it returns to a lower attitude and control is regained.  I believe the first aircraft capable of "going ballistic" was an F-4.  Using the term to describe a person I believe comes from the idea that they are out of control.

I would posit the first manned aircraft to have the honor would be one of the early X-planes. Pre-Phantom and Starfighter. I'll have to check dates and altitude records to be sure.

Bell X-2. 1956. Over 125,000 feet, aerodynamic flight controls almost useless.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[SfanGoch]

My old boss, Donald Drunk likes to throw around "amazing" and "tremendous" to describe anything and everything, including his hair.

[Snake45]

An object that is ballistic is one that is on an uncontrolled parabolic arc determined by velocity, air resistance and gravity. 

There it is! Perfect!

When you said "running out of air," I thought you meant crashing (cleverly). Didn't realize that you actually knew what you were talking about!

BTW, a ballistic path, while uncontrolled, is perfectly predictable (assuming, of course, that you have all the factors with which to calculate).

Edited February 7, 2016 by Snake45

[CometMan]

Corporate jargon...I've heard that one for the last 20 years.... I've been a fan of the Dilbert comic strip since the 90s, and so much of what I've read in there has been reflective of my life in corporate cube land...like the movie 'Office Space'...was only slightly exaggerated. 

Other corporate jargon that I've found to be tiresome are talk of  'leveraging synergies', 'leveraging core competencies', 'pivoting','enabling teams',  'jumping the gap', and people that say 'Done' when asked to do something...it's not done until its done.

Found this page with loads of tired corporate jargon for those interested..

http://www.theofficelife.com/business-jargon-dictionary-A.html

Of course most of these phrases that are in this thread were dreamed up by corporate cheerleaders/psychologists or TV news people that need to justify their enormous paychecks by sounding like they have just said something that is way above most people's level of comprehension, when in reality they have just said exactly NOTHING! For example, my earlier quote, of course we do ALL our thinking "outside the box", because if we were truly "inside the box" the ONLY thing we would be thinking is "how do I get out?"!!