Just for Fun. Phrases or words that annoy you deeply...

[Eeep!]

Feisty.

It's just so patronising. A man is never "feisty". He's bold, decisive, formidable.

"Feisty" is just a word we use so that we don't have to use truly powerful words to describe a woman.

So true! I never thought about that before. My goal this week will be to describe at least two male humans as "feisty" in conversation. What does a feisty male look like? I'll think about that today. 

I mostly use feisty for little girls - the idea that their vim and vigor is larger than their size.  So I can see that used for a woman it is a bit condescending.
I do like that phrase - again I mostly use it for girls - "She may be small but she is fierce". It's kind of that feeling that I have when I use the term feisty.

So maybe I could use it for small men. 

[Hurricane Marathon]

"Good girl." 
My dog is a "good girl."  I'm a grown woman.

"Everybody stay off the sidewalks!"
- when you're learning how to drive.  Thanks for the vote of confidence. 

"Case the joint."

"Que sera, sera."

When you're a kid and you say "It's not fair!" and someone says "LIFE'S not fair."

[gingerzing]

Two phrases and one word will make me go a bit mad. 

The word was one that got used on me quite a bit at the insurance company that I use to work at (LONG before common use of the internet).  The agents that would call late and ask for materials to be sent to them.  And they needed it "EXPEDITED".  I think I had three guys who did this on a regular basis. And no, they didn't want extras sent to have on hand.  And yes, they would almost always call when they needed it the next day.  One famously said to me, "Get that form expedited to me now, Girl!"       I told my boss that if they would just plan a little bit or actually order two or three forms every time they used one, I could save the company money. 

A former VP at my current office.  Oh, we could play Meeting Bingo with his monologues.  But my "favorites" were the two that he used most often.
*My Point Being Is.....  (I think someone had something similar above with the word Reason)  A sub-note with this would be My Main Point Being Is... which he would use for several points.
*And What I Like To Call...  This doesn't sound so bad, but he used it often.  And it was really amusing when he would use the phrase for common names for things.  Like the day that our staff was meeting to figure out the details of a committee meeting and he said "We should get the day set up for What I Like To Call .... July."  Three of us looked at him  What else would that month after June be called? 

From Hurricane Marathon

When you're a kid and you say "It's not fair!" and someone says "LIFE'S not fair."

I usually tell kids that "life's not fair for puppy dogs and small children."  Not sure why, probably had one of my uncles tell me that when I was little.

[Vall]

I agree with the phrase "Good Girl".  I hate that.

Last year I called to make an appointment with a hair stylist that I had only seen once before.  It had been a month since my last appointment so I called to make another for a trim.  He said "Good Girl" to me on the phone for making an appointment.  Ugh.  He knew that I was a mature woman with graying hair.  I am not a "Good Girl".  He was probably around my age so he should have known better.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

When you're a kid and you say "It's not fair!" and someone says "LIFE'S not fair."

My mom always said "Did I say it was?" or "Lots of things aren't fair, you'll get used to it", my mom, never one to beat around the bush.

[cutejellybeen]

"You People"

There is nothing I hate more than when someone calls my place of employment, and they tell me that they were told to call "You People" and that "You people" will help them out.

It just feels so derogatory to me.

[Mikayla]

"We'll see"

My mom used to say that when I'd ask permission to do something.  It irritated me to no end - just say "YES" or "NO"!

My own irritants:

Shortened words "vacay", "delish", etc.
Touch base.
When people who do many different jobs say they "wear many hats".
Persons - I thought "people" was the plural of "person".
Peoples - "People" is already plural!

Rachel Ray has a line of pet products called "Nutrish". Makes me roll my eyes every time I see them in the store or an ad for them in a magazine.

I thought of her, too, because back when I watched her cooking show very briefly, one of her key phrases was "delish".   It drove me nuts.

The other one that works my nerves is "raising awareness".  I can't articulate why, except that it almost always comes across as annoying and/or condescending, especially when it involves fundraising.   

[Hmmmmm]

Anytime "Me & ?" is used as the subject of a sentence I quit reading or listening to what is being said.

[Paper Roses]

Anytime "Me & ?" is used as the subject of a sentence I quit reading or listening to what is being said.

Oh yeah.  Even better when it's followed by "him" or "her." 

[Hurricane Marathon]

"Lovingkindness".   Usually seen in church. To me it should be two words: loving kindness.

"Preparedness".  As in, Emergency Preparedness Kit.  That word just looks weird.

[magicdomino]

Can someone tell me what FROW means? I have seen it lately in connection with people who attend fashion shows, and it is irritating me, as I don't know what it means.

Front Row. So, the Anna Wintours and Kate Mosses of this world.

So it isn't a shortened version of "frowsy," meaning "untidy"?  As in "Gawd, she's so frow in that old sweatshirt."   

Have to agree that "feels" sounds a little creepy.

[violinp]

"He was shot in the fracas." The fracas is not a body part! The sentence should read "He was shot while in the midst of the fracas."

[Delia DeLyons]

My boss will comment at the end of others' stories with "No kiddin'"... All. The. Time. While lookin down or past the speaker. It's so disingenuine to me..

[jmarvellous]

I actually like when people make an unusual choice of substituting a sound-alike word or almost-word (see above, "disingenuine for disingenuous). Unless people do it all the time or insist they're right, it seems like an opportunity to think about why we use the words we do and where they come from.

[Paper Roses]

I've seen the expression "in lieu of" used in place of "in view of."  Folks, you don't sound smart if you don't use the expression correctly. 

A word that makes me cringe:  "yummy."  Can't stand it being used by anyone over the age of about 4.