Little Pet Peeves

[Brentwood]

I agree on the office nail clipping, one of my coworkers clips his nails WHILE on the phone with our suppliers...

Also, one of the accountants in our office walks by my group every morning, and says "Good Morning, Retail Division" (we supply stores with perishable products, don't actually work in the stores).  This drives me crazy!! Does that mean he doesn't want Sales to have a good morning?  What about Bookkeeping and Data Entry?  He never says anything to them.  Why doesn't he just say a general good morning to everyone? Some morning I'm going to get everyone in my group to say "Good morning, Accounting!" and see how he likes it.

I had a radio co-worker who would do generalized greetings on the air, and it drove me crazy.

"Good morning, Central Wisconsin!" he'd say. And I'd say, "There's no one out there named 'Central Wisconsin.'"

I was taught to speak to the listeners as if speaking to just one. No one wants to feel like just a number in a big crowd.

[kingsrings]

I hate being stiffed by friends on money owed, even if it's just a piddly amount, such as $5-$10. It's not the money I get upset about, just the idea that they wouldn't pay back what they owe.

[nicetooths]

Getting stuck behind a slow walker ANYWHERE. Double the peeve if they give me dirty looks when I politely excuse myself to get by.

Yes! I also get annoyed when people hog the escalator. They should stand on one side to let the people who want to walk up go by. It's not a ride!

[nicetooths]

Ooooooooooooooooh, possesive apostrophes used wrongly!  My mother always used this example;

1.  The boy's bike.  One boy, one bike.
2.  The boys' bike.  Plural boys, one bike.
3.  The boy's bikes.  One boy, plural bikes.
4.  The boys' bikes.  Plural boys, plural bikes.

I remember explaining this to my year 9 English class. One boy actually argued with me about the plural boys' structure! He said he had never seen that before. I suggested he read a bit more. 

[CynthiaBelle]

Goodness, I have so many pet peeves, like to the point where people think I'm OCD.

• repeating sounds (i.e. tapping a pen, clicking something, tapping toes, patting, etc.)
• when people say nothing's on their mind..absolutley impossible...
• un organized areas, not being organized, messy, etc.
• 'smacking' your food (as my mother calls it) (chomping, sounding like a cow chewing, whatever you want to call it.)
• disrespect
• coughing with your mouth open, or barely covering your mouth.
• kids who aren't being taught any etiquette what-so-ever
• un sanitized areas (I'm a big person on santitaion. I use hand sanitizer by the gallons, all the time, constantly, every where and every time I can.)

Oh, I could SO go on....

[Gigi]

I hate it when sales clerks give me change with the coins on top of the bills. Invariably the coins slide off.  I'm always asking for coins first so I can hang onto them when I get the bills.  They look at me like I'm nuts.

I don't like american cheese which is what most restaurants use on burgers.  I always phrase my order as "a single with mustard, pickle and tomato only, emphasizing the *only*.  Invariably they come back with "You want cheese on that?" 

[Groundsgirl]

I used to be terribly anal retentive about grammar and proper sentence structure. Then I got married and it all changed...

I now catch myself saying things like, "It makes no nevermind." (translation: "I don't care one way or the other.")and "Six of one, half dozen of another." (translation: "There is no discernible difference between option 1 and option 2.")

Drives me bonkers. But as it is myself driving me bonkers, I can live with it.

However, I want to shoot spitwads at anyone I hear saying, "I axed youse a quexton."

It also drives me bonkers when I read about people naming their children horrid and ridiculous names.

But my biggest pet peeve is when my mother in law is telling other people about me; she always tells them that I work with "******* kids."

I HATE HATE HATE that term. I teach children with autism. I resent anyone (ignorant though they may be) calling my children retarded. Some may have degrees of mental retardation (note: that particular term is not offensive to me as it is a clinical diagnosis and not a derogatory slang term) but they are still not "retards". I know she means no harm with it but it just grates on my nerves.

[kckgirl]

Okay, I may have already posted in this column but I've been reading a lot this morning and don't have more time to scan. My pet peeves (well, a few of them):

People writing there (a place) when they mean their (belongs to them) or they're (they are).

OR

People writing your (belongs to you) when they mean you're (you are).

OR

Last, but not least...people writing could of or would of (neither makes sense, they're just how the spoken words sound when the contraction could've or would've is used) when could have or would have is the proper expression, also contracted could've or would've.

I read message boards almost every day and they are very, very common mistakes. It drives me crazy. Crazy, I say! 

[jibby]

My list:

Strategery!  My apologies to non-Saturday Night Live fans.  Actually, this term does make me laugh more than anything else.

Double-dippers...ew.  I'm fine if it's DH and me.  It is really disgusting when co-workers do that, or just reach and eat off of each other's plates.  This is one of the main reasons I stopped going to happy hour. 

Loud talkers.  Indoor voices, please!  There is a guy at work who is not only loud in normal conversation, he walks through the office making jibberish high-pitch noises (PEEEEYYYYYY-IIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!   EEEEEEEEEYYOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!).  One morning (pre-coffee), I finally lost it and told him, in the calmest voice I could muster, "You must stop making that noise.  It.is.too.early." 

[kingsrings]

Maybe this has already been covered on here as I haven't read every post yet, but I hate the inappropriate use of the apostrophe. It's very basic, elementary-school english level to know that it is only used in a possessive sense. I hate it when businesses advertise on signs and make that error.

[Buffy2424]

As long as we're on the subject of grammatical pet peeves, I cannot STAND the expression "24/7"!!! To me it's a reminder that our modern culture is just overkill and "go-go-go."

I don't like the way everyone refers to September 11 as "9/11."  I guess I just feel like it doesn't need a catchphrase.  On the bottom of the screen on CNN, okay.  But in speeches?  Serious conversation?  I recently watched An Inconvenient Truth and even Al Gore said it.  Cringe. 

[jibby]

Ooh, may I go again?  Please?

Cell phones left unattended, whether it is in someone's office, gym locker, etc.  The first rule of cell phones is that it will ring as soon as you walk away.  Please get to know your "ringer off" button.  And, no, your ringtone isn't cute...it is obnoxious.

As I sit here, someone's phone is ringing, and ringing, and...

[goblue2539]

This is kind of specific to my everyday life, but it's at the top of my list.  People banging their chairs into the table.  My sister does it because she cannot stop spinning, and it just gets to the point where it's the only thing I can hear. 

Oh, and people who think they're funny by insulting my desire and drive to go back to school at the ripe old age of 27.  I'd love to smack them with my bookbag filled with all of my textbooks. 

[NYGirl100]

I hate being stiffed by friends on money owed, even if it's just a piddly amount, such as $5-$10. It's not the money I get upset about, just the idea that they wouldn't pay back what they owe.

Ooooh...this is me, too!  I am always scrupulous if I owe anyone anything, even it's just 5 cents.  So I really hate it when people don't accord me the same courtesy.  Like you said, it's not the money, just the principle of it. 

[Emmy]

I hate being stiffed by friends on money owed, even if it's just a piddly amount, such as $5-$10. It's not the money I get upset about, just the idea that they wouldn't pay back what they owe.

Ooooh...this is me, too!  I am always scrupulous if I owe anyone anything, even it's just 5 cents.  So I really hate it when people don't accord me the same courtesy.  Like you said, it's not the money, just the principle of it. 

Yes, I hate that as well.  Along the same lines, I hate when people 'borrow' something and never give it back.  Often when you approach them about it later, they misplaced it (not that I should even have to track down people to get my stuff back in the first place).

Some other pet peeves:
*when somebody calls your home and says 'is so and so there?' without even a simple 'hello'
*kiosks in the mall that have sales people who will stand in front of you to try to get you to buy something.  If I am interested in buying what you have to sell, I will come to you.
*people who talk about attributes of the opposite sex in mixed company.  An example is when I was dining out in a group (mostly girls) and one girl goes on about 'hot' guys.  I could tell one guy there who didn't know most of us very well and wasn't your typical 'hot' guy was uncomfortable.  Guys are known to do this too.
*people who leave heavy weights on the machines at the gym
*being called ma'am.  I'm 30 and often get asked if I'm still in school so I assume I look fairly young.  I've always assiciated ma'am with meaning 'older woman'
*really casual clothes worn in any type of sit down restaurant.  Yes, the woman in the Olive garden with shorts over a bathing suit, I'm refering to you.
*seeing litter because it is lazy and rude to everyone to litter