I have a pet peeve. I absolutely hate some of the phrases and words that are ubiquitous in the English language. Some are just annoying, while others really get my goat. I'm sure you have a few too, but here are mine:
You Go Girl
This saying has evolved into a moronic cliche. It's especially annoying when said to an 80 year old woman.
….NOT!
I think this originated in Southern California, home of another overused word, "Like".
Back in the day
A redundant way of saying, "Once" or "I used to". You can't go a day without hearing this on TV or reading an article.
AWESOME!
Everything is AWESOME! You're AWESOME! The movie was AWESOME. See how this can be annoying?
Rock on!
A favorite of stoners and fans of classic rock. It began to be used with a hand signal at rock concerts to encourage the band.
Baby bump
This saying was first used on a shirt, and meant that a girl was pregnant AND promiscuous. Now,this is written in every article about a pregnant woman. I even read it in an article about the Virgin Mary.
You can see why this is particularly offensive to women. A baby is not a bump.
Props!
Slang for "accolades" Props gained popularity in the 1980's with rappers. But it's an abbreviated version of "proper respect".
Just sayin'
This is tacked onto a bigoted, biased or hurtful remark, to absolve oneself for saying it. "I think she's fat, just sayin."
Seriously?
I am just as guilty about using this word too much. For those who have never seen 'Grey's Anatomy', it is a word of disbelief or incredulous. "Seriously? You've never seen Grey's Anatomy? Seriously?
I Know, right?
This just a way of saying you agree without sounding too smart. It originated in northern California, which actually surprises me.
Dude!
Just watch "Dude! Where's my Car?" and you'll understand the meaning.
OMG!
This has to be the most over-used phrase in America right now. For the uninitiated, it means "Oh My God!". Commonly used with LMAO (laughing my ass off) and ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing).
Da Bomb!
Urban slang for "the best" or "the greatest". It sounds most ridiculous when said by a 60 year old man.
Empower
Empower, empowering, empowerment. Three of the most over-used word in the nursing profession. I think they actually have a graduate course in "empowerment". I absolutely hate this word and it will stop me in my tracks if i see it in a title. It goes along with….
I hear you
If I hear this spoken by a manager, I immediately cringe. It's such an overused phrase, and generally means "I understand what you're saying, but I disagree with it."
I read an interesting quote that says that the American sentence contains just three words "OMG, awesome and shit". Pretty much sums up what I've said, doesn't it?
So, rock on, you're awesome, OMG you're great an isn't this empowering? And of course, have a nice day!
