What Phrases Bandied About Really Annoy You?

[barney15c]

I think the ones that i hear time and time again and mean diddley squat because they rarely ever do are:

"Lessons will be learned" and
"We have tightened procedures so this will never happen again"

I have heard these soundbites used in so many cock ups and cases of outright deception that i wouldn't beleive any instances even if it were true.

What ones really get up your goat???

[B00]

"The customer is always right"

[beckersjay]

'I hear what you say'.......

[ferlew]

At the end of the day...

[bibblebub]

"My right honourable friend is absolutely correct."

PM's response to just about every question from members of his own party during PMQs. Translates as "well done for reading the question that the whips gave you."

[twofeathers]

Yes Sir what would you like, Im sorry a Cheeseburger and........? (Ask a question then don't actually bother to listen the answer and for the 3rd time NO just regular!) Can it really be that hard

[pixie373]

"end of play" and other pretentious office language

[andy-hughes]

My worst is 'Lessons will / have be / been learned ...' usually when a loss of life is involved.

My other one is 'With respect ...' which you know heralds a sentence concerning anything but, and the more exaggerated it is - using with word 'greatest', that means complete contempt is about to flow your way.

The other prefaces that mean the opposite are phrases like 'I'm not being funny but ...' Yes you are!, or 'I'm not racist but ...' - see previous.

In writing - and I have pointed it out on this site, the simple preface of 'So ...' often indicates that the following will be proof that the writer either didn't read what they are replying to, or if they did, they are deliberately, or out of ignorance, completely misunderstanding the sense of it.

[ferlew]

It isn't our usual practice....

[brainiac]

People who say pacifically instead of specifically; sikth instead of sixth (increasingly common); answering every question with "so......"; saying "get up your goat" instead of "get your goat" !

[barney15c]

what about people saying loose instead of lose, i mean a 4 letter word , how can that be misspelled, its not rocket science!

[FredPuli43]

"It is not acceptable". This makes me want to shout "Not acceptable to whom?". The statement is used by jobsworths for two reasons 1) it removes responsibility from them personally; it is couched in terms to avoid " It is not acceptable to me" and ascribes the judgment to something else 2) it avoids their being quizzed as to the reasons for the subject not being 'acceptable'

[jeffa]

"My bad" Ugh!

[FredPuli43]

andy, there has been at least one judge who has said to counsel "If you say 'with respect' to me one more time, I shall hold you in contempt of court"

[BlueToffee]

At this moment in time I'd like to add 'could of'

[Baby_Sham]

"Work hard, play harder".

Makes me cringe.

[horseshoes]

Sikth instead of sixth REALLY gets on my nerves.

[horseshoes]

.... oh! And "enjoy" when dining.

[zebo]

We value your custom, but we'll leave you waiting because we're too tight to employ enough people to answer the phones.
Phrases like "more fiddlier", it's either fiddlier or more fiddly but it's not both.

[twofeathers]

Its in your best interest Sir ? (What Gardening !)