Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases
A top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford University.


By Charlotte Bailey
Last Updated: 3:18PM GMT 08 Nov 2008

Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.

The tautological statement "I personally" made third place – an expression that BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys has described as "the linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice."

Also making the top 10 is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".

The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework.

The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.

The database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused.

As well as the above expressions, the book's author Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".

Other phrases to irritate people are "literally" and "ironically", when they are used out of context.

Mr Butterfield said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often – an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism – and the same seems to happen with some language."

The top ten most irritating phrases:

1 - At the end of the day

2 - Fairly unique

3 - I personally

4 - At this moment in time

5 - With all due respect

6 - Absolutely

7 - It's a nightmare

8 - Shouldn't of

9 - 24/7

10 - It's not rocket science

With all due respect, I personally and absolutely feel at the end of the day, that this situation is fairly unique and at this point in time, people shouldn't of been harping on it 24/7 like it's a nightmare.

It's not rocket science.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

You don't say?

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This leaves me besides myself.

I'm of two minds about it as well.

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11. Awesome

12. Virtually (I'll bet that more than 1/2 the writers don't even know the definition)

It's defined by its use.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I'll be honest with you.
You're correct..

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That being said, let's move on.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Have a good one.

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"Fairly Unique' my ass, it's 'Very Unique" that drives me crazy.

I forgot this one, the British habit of double negation, such as ' Not Dissimilar'.

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

God is great!!! (allahu akbar)

~~~ Mohammad al-Shopliftah

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

That's not an entirely mistaken observation.

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"may god bless you" - "god bless you" - "bless you"

(Whenever someone says that to me, I ask them which god they are referring to. Stupidly they usually answer that there is only one. I tell them that they obviously haven't studied religion, because there are really over five thousand different ones to choose from.)

"No problem."

As in this exchange:

"Thank you."

"No problem".