Most Hated Words and Phrases of the English Language

“Often”

Simply because most people don’t pronounce it correctly. In an attempt to be exude properness, they actually mutilate the word. It is not o- f- t- e- n. Lis(t)en, there are some words that the “t” is silent.

“Fair and balanced”

Nothing in life is fair and few things are balanced. This saying had to be conjured up by some guy while his chef prepared his crème brulee, personal assistant dealt with life, and personal massage therapist kneaded his ego.

“Tax relief”

Yeah right…whatever genius put these two words together must have been related to Al Capone.

“Acting out”

Just call a spade a spade. If your kid is race tracking across a store, knocking clothes racks down, and then throws himself to the floor in a screaming tantrum…. don’t say “oh, he is just acting out.” That is called a tantrum.

“alot”

Again, not a word. This is one of the most commonly used words. A lot of people use it. Yet, it’s not even a word.

“Gaydar”

How did this word make it in the dictionary? A gay radar for gays. Next they will add ho’dar, bro’dar, dike’dar. Come on Webster!

“How are you?”

People that ask this question never want a detailed answer or really anything more than “fine” or “good.” People answering the question feel obligated to say “fine,” even if they just got diagnosed with cancer.

“Rationalize” or “Downsize”

Do employers really think substituting a buzzword for “you’re fired” is going to make anyone feel better about hitting the unemployment line?

“So”

I once counted the “so’s” my niece used while telling me about a typical day at school. It was a staggering 50 times. This is my oratory vice as well, though. I am so guilty of overusing this word!

“Absolutely”

Really…. how many things are you absolute about? Yet, people say it casually all the time. The word is supposed to be used to convey a strong emphasis. Strong emphasis is not needed if someone asks you if you want a hamburger.

“Beat it.”

Go away sounds less perverted and can not be confused with any illicit activities.

“Went missing”

Is “missing” a place one can go?

“No idea is a bad idea.”

The person that coined this phrase obviously never heard of war, cheating, suicide, serial killers, etc..

“Hot”

We can all thank Paris Hilton for ruining this perfectly good word. When someone says “that’s hot,” I would love to scream “don’t touch it then.”

“It is what it is.”

Yes. Of course it is what it is. What else would it be?

“PIN number”

I am too busy for redundancy. PIN number translation: Personal Identification Number number.

“ATM machine”

Automatic Teller Machine machine. Redundancy at it’s best- “put your PIN number into the ATM machine”

“Born again virgin”

This isn’t one of those things you can say oops…redo! It is impossible to be a born again anything. Everyone is born once.

“What would Jesus do?”

Only Jesus know the answer to that question, so why ask it?

“It’s not you, it’s me.”

Even a person with tree bark for brain matter is not going to believe this phrase. Somehow, it survives.

“Veep”

This is such a pathetic word to describe the vice president of the United States. It sounds like something Little Bo Peep vomited, not a descriptive term for the second most powerful man of a country.