Words, Words, Words!
The other day, I was editing something Bart was writing and I said, “I’d like to take out the phrase ‘short and sweet.’ It just bugs me.” (This might be why you don’t want me to edit things for you – my own personal quirks will start shooting out my ears).
Bart said, “You know, I don’t really like it either. Take it out.” (This is why I married him).
I have a lot of words I’m sensitive to – words that make me cringe.
Sometimes it’s only certain circumstances that I cannot tolerate a word or phrase: “Lol” in an IM conversation is fine; “Lol” in a blog post makes me want to die. Smiley faces in IMs and emails don’t bother me, but I am a cruel editor of them in any blog posts. They never ever make the cut.
The phrase “mani/pedi” makes my skin crawl, although not as much as the term “prego.” (I feel as if my blog is defiled just by writing those two things on it. Shall have to bleach my computer screen tonight). The list, my friends, is never ending.
And I know I’m not the only one. It seems to me that most people have some words or phrases that are absolutely grating to them.
My college roommate could not stand the word “mate.”
Landen wants to vomit when she hears “moist.” (I am 100% with her on this one).
What words make you cringe?
Do I dare even type it? (nipple) aagghhhh! Can't even stand to see it in print!
For me, it's "hubby" and "hubs." Ick. (Though I do still read, and love, lots of blogs that use those words regularly.)
Oh, good lord, yes. Prego is just, eww. Also, preggers.
Any acronyms in posts drive me up a wall. You have an infinite amount of space, just spell out your BTWs and IMOs. It really won't take that much more time. I promise. I will, however, have no problem with them on twitter or in text messages.
"Kreativ" spelling drives me nuts, as does random "cApItIzAtIoN". Not capitalizing anything hurts my head.
Irregardless!
"Antidote" instead of "anecdote" – how much more different can these things be?!
"Ambivalent" used as a "meh" word when it really means that someone is strongly pulled in two conflicting directions.
"Free reign/rain" instead of "rein" – it's like a horse, people!
(Okay, so maybe these are really more my pet peeves, but they make me cringe!)
I am SO with Landen on "moist." Blleeghjlakrlkscjk *shudder*
Also, "spore."
"Preggers" kills me a lot more than "prego" but I hate both.
I HATE message board lingo. Like LO (little one), DH (dear husband), DS (dear son) and DD (dear daughter), among millions of others. Freaking type it out, people. Stop being so lazy. Plus it takes me ages to decipher what you're saying.
I'm much more likely to just type out "haha" than use LOL. Because odds are good that I'm not actually laughing out loud and I think few people really are. If I really AM laughing out loud then I will use LOL.
Also, as long as I'm writing a novel of a comment about things that bug me, I cannot stand it when people use the wrong from of their/there/they're or it's/its in a blog post. When you're typing fast in gchat or whatever sometimes your fingers get ahead of your brain and it happens, but when you're writing something that you have time to think over and edit? There are no excuses.
I hate when people misspell definitely as "defiantly." Or use "viola" or "wah-la" when they mean "voila."
I also despite when people type in one really long block of text. I will very rarely take the time to actually read it. Waaay too much effort.
There are probably a lot more, but now I'm all annoyed and I need to move on.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's completely grossed out by the word "moist". Ugh.
And, ~Jennifer~, TOTALLY on the random capitalization. It's so irritating!
I hate the words "moist", "tender", and "firm". Blech.
HA, I totally have a typo in my comment. I DESPISE things, not despite.
I'm so with you and Jennifer and Kayle (on definitely).
Phrases that make me cringe (and yes, I'm having a hard time even typing these out on someone else's blog, thus the long parenthetical explanation to prolong having to do it): artsy-fartsy, easy-peasy.
I really like the word squeegee though.
I really hate prego and preggers. I don't mind moist (although I used to have a good friend who hated the word purse… kind of reminds me of that). I don't like panty or pantyhose (uh, I even hated writing them). Hello just call them underwear and nylons. I don't like the random caps or saying "heart" for love (ie. I {heart}… yuck). And I really hate LOL. Seriously. Ok that's all I can think of (although of course there's more).
I'm so glad to hear everyone else hates prego-they use it in the papers these days and it drives me crazy (and by "paper" I mean trashy tabloids at the checkout counter). My least favorite word…"nub". sick.
PS-I'm a friend of Kayla's from her early CA days. I've read your blog for awhile-I love your book reviews. Just wanted to stop lurking.
I can't think of anything I hate at this moment although my husband has some phrases I think are weird.
I agree about spelling words out-just do it, don't be lazy.
What I love is how this post made me laugh, laugh, laugh at my desk in the middle of the day!
Oh, and prego or preggers is an awful way to refer to a lovely pregnant person.
What would be twisted is to combine all these yucko word choices into one blog post.
Dude….HATE prego and preggers. And mani/pedi.
I may have occasionally let a smiley face slip into my blog posts…please don't hate me for that.
Reading these comments, I am a bit paranoid about what I might have inadvertently written in my blog posts (I am thinking about RA's comments here and the general misuse of words).
I would have to say the word baggie has always sat ill with me. I prefer just to say platic bag, or small ziplock bag, versus "baggie."
Regarding the word moist. Yes, it does give me a bit of the heebie jeebies, but when you are describing baked goods like cakes and muffins, what is the alternative? Nothing else works.
I hate prego. And preggers.
Also u and ur. Hello people, two more letters aren't going to kill you, but they will make you appear more intelligent. I can't even make myself use them when texting.
When my mom used to mend things for me or test pant size shopping, she would say "I'm not trying to be fresh". The word "fresh" in that context bugs me to no end. Ugh.
I started saying preggo as a joke because it bugged me so much and now sometimes it slips out on accident. Help!
Hahaha! You must hate my blog -lol (wink wink). But I understand – the most terrible word ever – DROWNED – but only when used in the present tense. Grrrr!
example – The water was so deep I thought I might drowned.
Hate. It.
Also, puns. I hate puns.
I hate the p word too, and also the one that ends in p-ers! I also despise hubby and hubs. I don't like panties either, I use undies! LOL bothers me too.
I'll admit that I use smilies in my blog posts…
Sorry 🙂
Not a big fan of "crusty," but I think I'm with you when I say that "Prego" makes my soul bleed.
"hubby." I hate it. It's diminutive and degrading, to me at least. And also hate "prego," as well as "preggers" and any variation thereof. I side with Jennifer as well, random capitalization or (worse) characters instead of letters (@#$ etc.) make me sad.
I agree with you and all of your readers! They've already covered the worst offenders. I also hate "probe," "cougar," and especially offensive, MILF. (Should I even have to explain that's offensive? Still, I see it in mainstream media these days.) I have made a conscious effort to eliminate LOLs with "ha-ha's," but it so concisely expresses the sentiment that it's hard to avoid. Likewise, smiley faces.
Lately I've seen "Give credit where credit is due" on a lot of blogs, regarding the ownership of their own blog material, and for some reason it drives me crazy. Just say "hey, don't steal my stuff without saying it was my idea" or something like that but "credit where credit is due" irks me.
I hate it when people totally drop all grammar and punctuation in texts. Just because you're typing it on a phone, doesn't mean I'll suddenly be able to read your mind, regardless of adherence to general rules of language.
I also hate it when people say LOL or OMG while speaking. You're not limited to 140 characters! Plus, if you're laughing out loud, you shouldn't need to tell people standing next to you. I am, however, guilty of throwing emoticons in my blog.
Here are a few others I can think of at the moment:
"Irregardless" Without being without regard…
"I could care less" should be "I couldn't care less", otherwise you're saying you do care.
What a fun topic! It brings out the neuroses in all of us.
I too despise prego & preggers. I hate the words purse (I have a "bag," thank you), panties, pantyhose, pop (it's "soda" — but balloons can pop, that's fine), and pea, (noticing a trend? they all start with p…it's just a bad letter). Oh, and fart.
And that's just off the top of my head! It's amazing I can still have a (semi-) normal conversation.
this morning i was just thinking about how much i hate the word "hubby." ewww…
and thank you for hating prego/preggers… SICK.
and my fav (or not fav)… cool beans.
I hate the phrase "Bless her heart." This just makes me cringe! I think that I started hating it when my boss used it after my mother's heart attack. Our conversation:
Me: My mom had a heart attack.
Boss: Oh bless your heart…Bless HER heart!
Unfortunately, my husband likes this phrase, so I'm doomed to hear it at least twice a week. It's a good thing I love him!
I also really dislike the word "crotch."
I'm so embarrassed to type this, but I hate the word (cringe) "flaccid."
shudder
Can't quite pin down any words I don't like, but my grandmother always hated "belly button," preferring to call it a "navel." She said "belly button" sounded dirty. (I'm smiling thinking of her, but I'll refrain from throwing in the little colon/close parenthesis character so as not to offend anyone.)
I totally agree with all you issues, except maybe "short and sweet" that doesn't really bother me. I also hate it when people say Target with a "Y" sound on the end. Like it's a french word or something. The Preggers thing drives me crazy too. I guess it's too cutesy or something.
My sister swears the worst spoken word combination is "moist tissue".
Yeah, kind of grating, huh?
My most despised word is pee. I think it both juvenile and crass. I believe I raised 5 children without ever using that word. I am amazed at how often I hear it in public. What causes people to mention that particular bodily fluid so often?
I also don't like butt — as all my children know. Too coarse.
I find it amusing that Landen's other hated word is pedestrian. I'm not sure why.
Some improper word use gets on my nerves … like when people use "your" instead of "you're". Simple, simple grammar! Argh!
I try my best to correct any spelling mistakes (even when I text people) so I expect that same and don't like it when posts or texts are riddled with spelling errors. It feels like people didn't take the time to go over what they wrote.
I hate it when grown people use baby names for body parts. My children were taught proper body part names from the get go. I hate hearing adults say "boobie", "wee-wee" or "pee-pee". Grow up people!
I also hate 'irregardless'. Not a word, not a word, not a word!! My husband watches me cringe when other people use that word. He thinks it's quite comical to watch my response … it's like I get an eye twitch in response. At least he gets some entertainment out of it.
I do admit that I do sometimes use LOL on my own blog but that's because I'm used to forum speak. I will try to reduce my use of said forum speak … since such a large number of people don't like it apparently. The people have spoken!!
I just have to say sorry because I use "pee"…I am not going to say tinkle, or widdle, or teetee or any of the fluffy stuff…and I am also not going to get all technical and say urinate or void…haha…so with potty training my little guy I just had to stick with plain old "pee"…curious as to what Carole used instead? haha…it all means the same thing right? Funny how one word meaning the exact same thing as another word can make a person cringe. (oh wait…I do use "potty" in public)
I also really dislike the phrase
"Holy_______Batman!" ugh.
haha and I also hated prego and preggers…but have found with EVERYONE and their mom using it that I have joined the ranks…doesn't mean I like it though. (I bet some hates when people say "everyone and their mom/dog is doing it"
Hey can't please 'em all!(I bet someone hates that one too!)
I used to know a guy who cringed at the word 'panties' so I made an effort to say it in front of him regularly.
I hate the term 'expecting.' It makes it sound like you're from 1950, and you're confined to wearing stretch pants and a muumuu for nine months.
P.S. I hate the phrase "touch base."
"Call me back so we can touch base…"
Ugh!
Funny! Moist has always been top of my list of words, but as for phrases, can we just please never hear "at the end of the day" ever again? Thank you!
I don't like the word belly. Or moist. And I hate the word baggie but I use it at work sometimes. Blegh.
When I see OMG I always think "oh-em-gee". :p
Most anatomical words make me cringe just because they're nasty sounding. "Spouse" also really bothers me because (kind of like mate) it sounds like this asexual thing. Ick. Prego, lol and mani/pedi bother me too.
One of my top-bugging phrases is "kicks and giggles." Oh we just did this and that for kicks and giggles. EEEEH.
My biggest editing pet peeves are mistaking "I" and "me" (as in, "they went to the mall with Jill and I") and writing "loose" for "lose." So annoying.
But all time least favorite words? Coitus is up there. Mucus. And any of the technical terms for the, um, rear anatomy. Ew.
Prego, preggers…I hate the phrase "we're trying" because eew…too much information, thanks.
Moist is awful. I also don't like panties.
I hate the phrase it is what it is. Ok, that helps how?
Most of all, though, LOL just makes me angry. Say ha ha or something.
Oh man – I know I already posted but I just had to say that the phrase I absolutely cannot stand is "It is what it is!" Duh – of course it is!
Oh wow… I have so many that I've decided to just write my own blog post about it!
I hate the word "gesture."
Also, since living in the UK I prefer the word "finge" over "bangs." "Bangs" just kind of sounds vulgar to me.
panties. blouse. ew.
elianaosborn.wordpress.com
the little wife, my bride (used any time afte the wedding day), my better half, alot, and crap.
I really don't like most words that go with any bodily function – proper or not… I really hate when people talk – out loud – in "IM lingo" especially children!!!! The word my mother used to use that would drive my sister and I right over the edge was 'brassiere' – Mother, just call it a bra – ok?!?!?! Oh, and the one that will set me right off is ex-husband or my-ex – cringe!!! And yes, I use too many … and — (sorry)
J-This is a wonderful venting session…. Thanks!
If I were to survey the blog posts on my agency's blog written by my boss, they'd most likely all contain the phrase "and what's more…"
I really, really cannot stand this phrase.
I hate arvo, preggo, preggers, hubby, all those shortened words. There is one woman that without fail says "hubby" every time she bears her testimony at church. Even though it's on my language black list, I always love it when she fulfills the expectation and says is yet again. At church. At the pulpit. In front of everyone.
"special"…I hate when things are "special", or when there is a "special" night or a "special" event….it makes me dry heave. Anyone who uses "special" as an adjective automatically goes down 10 points in my book.
xox