Are you abusing these 10 most irritating office phrases?
July 16, 2009 by StaffPosted in: Uncategorized
Everyone’s got their verbal pet peeves, but odds are good you and your co-workers have more in common than you think when it comes to phrases that should never be spoken in the office.
After performing extensive research, scholars at Oxford University and author Jeremy Butterfield have devised a list of the ten most irritating phrases uttered by humans.
This top ten list appears in Butterfield’s latest book, “Damp Squid,” which was comprised from books, papers, magazines, journals, broadcast media and other sources:
- At the end of the day
- Fairly unique
- I personally
- At this moment in time
- With all due respect
- Absolutely
- It’s a nightmare
- Shouldn’t of
- 24/7
- It’s not rocket science
In addition to these expressions, Butterfield also came up with a runners-up list of phrases. Although it’s populated by office lingo like “think-tank” and “synergy,” the words “literally” and “ironically” nabbed honorable mention for being used incorrectly, or out of context the most often.
Does one particular word or phrase automatically send you or your comapny’s employees off the deep end? Share your own pet peeves with others below.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:04 am
“Going forward” really burns me up because it is pure office speak. I used to cringe when I heard a manager use that.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:34 am
“Does that make sense?” This is the one that we use all the time. It’s as if once you say yes, you’re committed to knowing all about it. Yes, it may make sense at the time but, if it doesn’t later, the person who explained it comes back with “But, you said it made sense.”
July 17th, 2009 at 8:35 am
“That being said,…” really gets the top pet peeve for me.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:43 am
“It is what it is” is an inane expression that tends to shut down communication.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:47 am
“Just touching base”, or “Calling to touch base”. It seems as if every sales person says this at the beginning of a conversation.
July 17th, 2009 at 8:56 am
“In other words” especially from someone who has already clearly stated their point 3 different ways.
July 17th, 2009 at 9:02 am
The misused word that irritates me the most is anxious. People state the they are “anxiously awaiting” an event. Anxious implies negative nervousness, i.e. anxiety. They mean to say “eagerly awaiting.”
July 17th, 2009 at 9:02 am
“A high level overview”……drives me up the wall! That means you want to tell me something I probably don’t want to hear but aren’t willing to give me details (or at least that’s what I hear).
And “top down thinking”.
Ahhhh!
July 17th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Irregardless – should not even be a word. It is Regardless.
July 17th, 2009 at 9:04 am
“Reach out to me” meaning “call me” is over used by our sales department. Same goes for “let’s touch the wall” on this.
July 17th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Guestimate
July 17th, 2009 at 9:37 am
…. opportunities…. opportunities abound…. (usually code for work or problems)
what is the opposite of opportunities — I need a few of them to come my way
July 17th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Overuse of the phrase “per se” drives me over the edge.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:05 am
“Welcome to my world”…”Think outside the box”. Just shutup
July 17th, 2009 at 10:07 am
“Reach out” really gets me too.
What I truly detest is when people ask a question and then answer it. As if the person they are talking to had asked it, or as if they think the person should be asking them. For example:
“Do I know those reports are late? Yes. Do I think there will be repercussions? Perhaps.”
UGH. Just say the reports are late and it may cause a problem. Sheesh.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Thank you Sarah! Irregardless – who made that one up?
It gets on my last nerve, regardless of whose mouth it comes out of.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I hate when someone starts a sentence with “honestly” or “truthfully” or “to tell you the truth.” That means they were, for a split second, considering lying to you or could just as easily have told you a lie. People use these phrases all the time without realizing what they really mean.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:26 am
LOL! I love this. It cracks me up.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
“Just giving you a heads-up” Very annoying!! “Value-added” is another one.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:36 am
The one I hear over and over is “Long story short”. It always starts with a very long story and ends with “long story short” which it never was to start with.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:40 am
What really annoys me is the phrase “we need you to think outside the box”! What box – my cubicle? Does it mean I should leave? This really is and overused, abused and outdated saying. Why don’t you just ask someone to look at the problem and come up with some new ideas for solving it?
July 17th, 2009 at 10:46 am
“The fact of the matter” phrase seems to precede the “at the end of the day” phrase most often.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:47 am
How about “fair enough”, which translates into – I am pretending to acknowledge your point, but I am going to ignore it and keep on pushing my agenda.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:50 am
Deborah wrote:
The misused word that irritates me the most is anxious. People state the they are “anxiously awaiting” an event. Anxious implies negative nervousness, i.e. anxiety. They mean to say “eagerly awaiting.”
Well…not necessarily. The driving emotion may be dread, not eagerness– i.e. I can’t wait until its over and I don’t expect it will be good.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Amen Delta – that phrase is used way too much in our office. It has become a recurring joke.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:56 am
“I have a Mr. ____ on line one.” How about “Mr. ___ is on line one”. Or if you have two of him, “I have two Mr. ____ on line one.” We can only assume there is JUST ONE OF HIM!!!
It erks me.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:57 am
“On the up and up” when referring to employee’s intentions. Very commonly used by managers in stead of doing a thorough investigation. It’s usually followed with a wink and could be used in the negative sense “Not on the up and up.”
July 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Leaving phone message: “Please call me” (and NOT leaving coherent phone number/time could be reached/reason for the call)
July 17th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Instead of saying “Its a nightmare” people here have replaced it with “Its a trainwreck”. Also “heads will roll” gives me a headache.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:15 am
“having said that” duh I just heard you say it. Why can’t people just go back to saying Ahhhhhh, errrrr, or how about just pausing.
July 17th, 2009 at 11:45 am
“I could care less,” when what is meant is “I couldn’t care less.”
I could care less is an almost meaningless phrase.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
“In the future…”
July 17th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
“Perfect”. What is this about? I do not know of ANYTHING that is perfect and darn sure do not want to hear a professional respond to me with “perfect”. Seems a little elementary or maybe a “buzz word” of the current “rose colored glasses” administration in Washington, DC.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
At the end of the day, it’s not about what we say, but how we say it. I think that using appropriate language is fairly unique and I personally think that at this moment in time, with all due respect, we absolutely must strive to communicate. If we don’t it’s a nightmare! I have often told my colleagues that they shouldn’t of used certain phrases. Still, we plug along 24/7. After all, this is not rocket science.
Had to do it, guys….have a good weekend
July 17th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
“did I tell you” drives me crazy because usually the person has told me many many times already.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
It bugs me when people start something by saying “honestly,….” – does that mean you are not being honest the rest of the time?
July 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
“I don’t have the bandwidth”…that is really the most irksome phrase to come out of the .com era.
July 17th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
“Well, I don’t know why. We’ve just always done it this way”
“We’ve done this for xx years without a problem. Why do we have to change now”.
“Well, that reg’s stupid. Can’t you find a way around it?” HELLO????
July 17th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
“Actually” is one the gets me. It means that I may not be wrong, but some snot has to give me a “top-down thinking” approach to “group-think” suggestions “I could care less” about. “That being said,” “irregardless” to my original meaning, “it is what it is.” I mean “the fact of the matter” is that we have to stay on the “up and up” and “think outside of the box.” So, if some snot is going to talk down to me by using the word “actually,” “heads will roll.” “Honestly” I was just trying to provide a “high-level overview” of many “opportunities,” “per se.” “In other words,” “Welcome to my world,” listen to what I have to say and try to keep your comments to yourself until the “end of day.”
Annoyed yet? lol
July 17th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
“Actually”, especially when it is pronounced “ACK-shually” = “You are completely wrong and I am completely right.”
July 17th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
How about “As I stated before” – this one irritates me !
July 17th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Janice,
I loved it!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
My biggest verbal pet peeve is “basically.” In HR, I conduct many phone interviews and have started counting how many times a person says “basically” at the beginning and in the middle of a response. One person said it 15 times in 16 minutes.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Janice, well, your awesome!!
You made my Friday happier!
July 17th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
“out of integrity” “bring some clarity to this” but most of all “world class service” what, exactly, does that mean? First Class? Third World? And why “some” clarity….should not whatever it is one wishes made clear be made completely clear? And if you are “out of integrity” should you go buy some at the nearest integrity dealership? Language as pretense…sheesh!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Janice and HR Dude very creative and witty thanks for laughs!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
“My bad” makes me craxy!
July 17th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Let’s get on with new sayings, ya know, like, “not a problem” or “no problem”, or “you got it”. Okay it IS THE END OF THE DAY. Let’s go home…
July 17th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
“When I was a______” or “When I use too_______”
Giving me the “how to” from when they “use to”.
I’m thinking to myself “if you were so good at doing what you use to do, why arnt you still doing it”?
July 17th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I personally dont know what the fuss is about. With all due respect, this study is not rocket science but a nightmare. We worked 24/7 for the results and at this moment in time I feel that we shouldn’t of
At the end of the day we all have a fairly unique view about what is annoying or not. Absolutely!
July 17th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Once someone has said “UH” more than six times in a conversation or speech, I start counting. And I’m amazed at the number of people who are interviewed on television that don’t have a CLUE that “UH” is their favorite word. At least until they (hopefully) see the playback. I see from some of the above messages that some lucky people get to leave work early on Fridays. Wish I was one of them — I’ve been here since 9am.
July 17th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Sorry, but the catchphrase that gets on my last nerve is unique to the HR universe: “onboarding”, when referring to the process of introducing new employees into the workforce.
July 18th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Two more: “35,000 mile view,” which becomes inflated to “50,000 mile view” or, for added emphasis, “100,000 mile view.” And, the one which is everywhere: “sort of,” when one is stating a fact. (The U.S. is sort of in a budget deficit position; I’ve sort of been in an accident; I’ve sort of not shown up to work for a week and a half….)
July 18th, 2009 at 8:57 am
anything X – wise such as productionwise or hrwise (which we are) or finanical-wise. they’re not words!!!
also misuse of me, myself and i — me, myself, says… duh! vs. me someone else?
July 18th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I’m impressed. I’ve resorted to some of these cliche-like phrases and am clearly in the wrong. I admire all of you that manage to avoid the use or over-use. My frustrations are generally not with these small idiosyncracies but more with the work ethic and mis-guided comments employees use when poor performance is addressed. “I’m just a dumb flunky.” “It’s not in my job description.” “No one every told me that.” “That’s what I thought you wanted.” I can tolerate a new buzz word now and then. It can spice up a conversation … until it is overused or inappropritely used.
July 18th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
hate it when people says it’s a mute point, it’s MOOT POINT!
July 19th, 2009 at 10:01 am
“Fantastic”
July 19th, 2009 at 10:03 am
The word “fantastic” shouldn’t be used during a professional conversation.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Let’s not forget about taking a “20,000 foot view” of the matter, then later, “taking a deeper dive.”
July 20th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I despise when someone approaches me & says, ‘quick question’ or calls & opens the conversation with ‘question’. No question I’ve ever gotten has ever been quick and those words tell me it isn’t going to be that, but just the opposite.
In one interview the applicant kept saying ‘clearly’ and ‘I feel that’…over & over so that I finally started counting the number of times they said it. UGH!
Good job, everyone, identifying those pet peeves.
July 20th, 2009 at 8:45 am
Barbara nailed it: “Long story short” NEVER IS.
My other current pet peeve is “net net” a phrase one our long winded people says all the time. All I can think of is the Monty Python sketch “Knights who say Neh”, and I can’t help smirking when ever he launches in to one of his net net, long story longs!!!
July 20th, 2009 at 8:52 am
“My bad” and “that being said” really irritates me. Also when some person wants to “ax me something”. Do they want to kill me or something?
July 20th, 2009 at 8:55 am
how about “so that we are all on the same page” ….. that one irritates me almost as much as “that being said” and “ACT-ually” ….. :0
The people that forever keep repeating “that being said” always have a snobby attitude to go with it, like they are so much more intellectual than everyone else! ha ha
July 20th, 2009 at 9:51 am
The word “especially” pronounced “expecially.” Mispronounced words make the speaker seem uneducated, even though they may have been in college 8-10 years! The word “specific” pronounced “pacific,” is always difficult to hear. Or the phrase, “give it to her or myself.” The word “myself” must refer back to “I or me.” “You can give it to her or me.” Or, “I can do it myself.” The next one that grinds my nerves, when using a Vally Girl voice, “awesome.” Why is it that people who use the worst grammar usually talk the loudest?
July 20th, 2009 at 10:56 am
“On the same page.”
July 20th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Beyootiful…..this is expecially vital in importance pacifically due to the need for everyone to take the 20,000 foot view of our blueprint for growth. Communication is key to getting everybody on the same page but the point is mute. That being said, the next generation of prosees will call for virtually all of us to be onboard otherwise the bus will leave without us and then where will we be? By the same token, we must not sacrifice clarity and recognize that the driver may be steering the bus but it takes the whole team to push it up the hill to the future. Agreed? Can I hear you say it? That’s better because if you say it you will take ownership of it and I can get back to what I do best which is avoiding any possibility of any of this coming back to my desk! Thank you all for your participation..now let’s get it done right the first time!
July 20th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
“Just like this only different.” This is one we hear all of the time!!! What does that mean? It drives me crazy!!
July 20th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
You are all wonderful to share sentiments (and laughs) on such an irritating subject. I agree with every single one of you!
July 21st, 2009 at 8:47 am
Someone who says “exactly” all the time.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:21 am
“As we move forward” always makes me cringe. What, are we regularly moving backward? “At the end of the day” the last thing I’m thinking about is work. My day ends when my head hits the pillow, not when I leave the office, so this phrase is meaningless.
“The real issue here” is the use of these phrases as filler. The person saying them has nothing more meaningful to add, but feels the need to continue talking. As stated above…just shut up already!
July 21st, 2009 at 10:34 am
How about the phrase “that’s a lie.” I’m not sure that most of the people who use the phrase know what is the definition of a “lie”. It is “an intentional act meant to deceive or falsify information”. This especially is irritating if a question is asked of someone, several months or even a year later, and the person asking the question is demanding an immediate answer without giving an individual time to either research or get the information requested (asking someone to utilize memory for something that occurred in the past and may have been forgotten.).
July 21st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
My boss uses “it is what it is”. Drives me crazy. He makes it sound like we are stuck with what we have and will never be able to change it for the better. To me, it means he has given up. I don’t like that in management.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Oh my goodness, this is a FABULOUS topic.
My peeves include new business jargon which appears to be very contagious. My company had an awful case of “at the end of the day,” which thankfully seems to have subsided. Unfortunately, it has been replaced with new infections: ’strategic’ (folks, hate to tell you, but not everything is strategic…and that is OKAY), ‘runway’ (as in – John’s runway in that project will be a long one), ‘cadence’ (beautiful word, but I don’t need to hear it 40 times in each project meeting) and the overuse of the word ‘engagement’ (as in – we value our employees’ engagment).
Ahhh, I feel better already.
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 am
I can’t read through all 73 posts, but two that really bother me are “it is what it is” (which someone else already mentioned) and also “giving 110 percent” (sorry, not possible)!
July 23rd, 2009 at 11:09 am
How about “I’ll get back to you about it.” The person saying it doesn’t give you a time, date, year, or even century; hoping you’ll forget about it under your normal workload/work schedule.
This happened to me, and the person who gave me the response was not too happy about it when I followed up with them 3 days later (the timeframe I gave them). Their inital response was “You didn’t talk to me about [subject], then afterwards I provided proof of the request said I’ll have an answer in an hour (I always send a confirming e-mail about my request to the individual after a verbal request is made).
August 19th, 2009 at 9:30 am
“A whole nother thing”
August 26th, 2009 at 7:45 am
“Per” is one that is used way too much at my office…”Per the data”, “Per my message”, etc…
August 27th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Worked for a “boss” years ago who continually told us that we needed or didn’t have a “sense of urgency”. It urks me to this day.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:41 am
“Apples and oranges, folks, apples and oranges.” He wants to imply things are not similar or comparable when in reality they are. “They don’t need a raise, look at what they drive.” I guess the pay survey we waited 15 years for is meaningless and he didn’t notice my rusted ‘67 VW in the parking lot next to his company provided take home vehicle. Mine’s the one that billows smoke and leaves the big oil stain.
February 11th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Let’s collaborate,……………… I think at least half the pepole who use it don’t even know what it means……..