words that annoy

reconnoiter

honky tonk

comptroller

"impact" as a verb

I personally love "comptroller" and am considering using it in a verbal form.

Perusing the deep thoughts in this thread it would seem that the most annoying words for most people are either recent coinages or else older words forced to do work they were not trained for.

One of these for me is: curate. Lately it has become fashionable to misuse this word. Presumably it sounds far more impressive than such mundane verbs as collect, edit, or present.

coital/coitus

not annoy so much skeeve out a bit. it sounds like how bugs do it or something brrr

I hate the word "tough", as in the sense "if they don't like it, tough". Because it seems to be used by people who want an excuse to be mean and/or act like hardmen.

"spendy" and "unpack"

"unpack"

You mean this in the English lit grad sense, yes? Or does it hurt you to hear tales of people moving?

"extant"

If you guys had yr way with English, the only words left would be "and" and "what".

"shit" - so overused.

Elmo, were you the one getting on me about "extant" recently? I always sort of misuse it when trying to stress that something exists, like "there are actual extant people in the world who do that!"

My annoyances are always more like business jargon, the usual offenders -- "spend" as a noun, for instance

Victorian pornography to thread.

The word "abrogate" is really annoying me right now because I'm reviewing a constitutional law topic where it's used a lot. But it's actually a perfectly good, useful word that means something very precise.

verbified nouns: task being the most recent popular one.

vibrant used in something like the following: "has a vibrant art scene," "located in a vibrant neighborhood" - where it seems like a euphymism for "involves low-income people and people of color"

premier: such-and-such is the premier blah-blah-blah (most of these assertions are either false or highly debatable)

cheers: (as mentioned in the first post) used by Americans (also see "shite" used by Americans)

I hate "unpack" in the grad school way.

Oh, man, I have to admit to liking that "unpack" -- totally overused, sure, but the metaphor seems really useful to me.

First time I heard that was in a PhD class, used by a student. It's almost all I remember about the guy - he once said 'unpack'.

You people are OK with 'cheers' used by Australians right? I say it all the time, inclujding signing off my emails. Now you're making me feel self-conscious.

I actually like "unpack," and will use it instead of "deconstruct," because deconstruct seems to cause more eye-rolling and memories of unpleasant Derrida associations.

people using "begs the question" incorrectly. When someone uses it correctly it really makes me want to weep for joy.
― teeny

OTM

"Deconstruct" has a pretty different spin, too, doesn't it? Or have I been totally missing some of the connotations of "unpack?" It seems like the general use is just to ... take a claim or idea that seems to bundle together or contain lots of internal ideas/assumptions and ... unpack the contents for individual examination.

Australians, Irish, other Europeans - I have no problem with using cheers ... or shite. It's the Americans (excluding Brit/Aussie expats) that do it that bug me, because it's an affectation, the purpose of which, eludes me.

I know a Canadian who says 'cheers'. Is that acceptable? I find it charming, like a Swede saying 'ho'. One that isn't Santa Claus, of course.

It's almost all I remember about the guy - he once said 'unpack'.

Remember the Anglo-Indian T.A. I had who referred to himself as "black" (as mentioned on some race clusterfuck thread)? That's one of two things I remember about him. The other is that he constantly used the phrase "part and parcel."

Also, no discussion of "unpack" and "deconstruct" would be complete without a reference to that old grad-school standby: "problematize."

"Deconstruct" has a pretty different spin, too, doesn't it? Or have I been totally missing some of the connotations of "unpack?" It seems like the general use is just to ... take a claim or idea that seems to bundle together or contain lots of internal ideas/assumptions and ... unpack the contents for individual examination.

That's how I use both deconstruct and unpack. Though deconstruct does carry all the baggage of Derridean deconstruction, that involves abstruse language games, and has connotations of taking apart that claim or idea in a rarefied academic manner. This is why, outside of discussions with people that have a similar background to mine, I will use unpack instead of deconstruct.

Problematize ... that was used in almost every writing assignment in my major (er, concentration ... to use the institution's term) when I was an undergrad.

No wonder you smoke so much.

^^ ha ha ha! Yes, I simultaneously smoke and problematize my smoking. American Spirits allow for five minutes of deconstruction time.

yea "problematize" is great, haha. i have trouble using it seriously anymore after so many undergrad theory papers

"i'm going to problematize the vagina" my college housemate once said, for a paper in feminist phil

yea "problematize" is great, haha. i have trouble using it seriously anymore after so many undergrad theory papers

I actually have this trouble as well. However, "problematic" is one of those words that I can't stop using. It comes in handy in professional communications, and is my diplomatic version of "wrong," "stupid," and or "likely to be fucked up."

I love both problematize and problematic, especially the latter.

I had a lecturer who'd correct anyone who said 'problematic'. He would admonish them that the correct word was 'problemic'. Also: many people say 'methodology' when they mean 'method'.

I had a lecturer who'd correct anyone who said 'problematic'. He would admonish them that the correct word was 'problemic'

Is it, or is it not? Now I'm confused and worried haha!

I use cheers a lot in email sign offs as well. I'm terrible for it.

there ain't no 'problemic' in the o e d.

my mother and my brother both use 'cheers' for signoffs in conversation and email (& brother's girlfriend has started doing it too): i dislike it cos 'cheers', to me, has always meant 'thank you' (or the sound of making a toast), so i immediately think 'wait wait for what am i being thanked?'.

i dislike the word 'brutalised' when it is used to mean 'drunk' e.g. 'oh man i got totally brutalised last night' - I have heard it a few times now, I guess a more extreme version of your usual 'bladdered' or 'wrecked' or and etc, but it always gets me stuck on this loop of 'wait what does 'to brutalize' mean again?'

I know a Canadian who says 'cheers'. Is that acceptable?

as a canadian, without equivocation: no.

ok some equivocation: ive actually started to get used to it, as it's almost the default sign-off where i live now, but it really jarred for a while because it just seemed so forced as some affected demonstration of pretentious faux-british civility. i actually like the word, so it's prob more down to specific people ive met, who i suspect have adopted it recently and who deploy it with a certain sense of self-satisfaction, tho maybe im imagining that. but for a long time it was almost like:

"ok, talk to you later"

"ok, cheers"

"yup...wait what?"

"anyhoo" ... I don't know where it came from. It obviously came from somewhere and trickled down to the general populace. I don't understand why people say this. Maybe this is why I find it annoying.

Sometimes, when someone signs off on an email with "cheers," it looks to me like some kind of stage direction, and I'm like ... it wasn't that great of an email, man

irregardless

(the word, not in reference to xpost)

"anyhoo" ... I don't know where it came from.

I sort of see it as the language equivalent of wearing ties with cartoon characters on. Not saying that the two overlap, just that it seems to be trying to imbue the mundane with gruelling, bleak cheeriness.

Lots of candidates for me - although for the moment all I can think of are the review cliches 'tour de force' (not a single word I know, but the particles don't irritate) and 'magisterial'.

It just annoys the fuck out of me.

The word "blog" to mean "blog post," as in "In my last blog, I mentioned..." or "I'm going to go home and write a blog about it!"

cheers meaning thanks is fine by me because when I'm signing an email/letter, thats what I want it to mean!

ladder of email formality:
cheers/thanks
regards
kind regards

I dont think Ive ever written "yours sincerely" in an email but possibly in a job app one.

This:

"ok, talk to you later"

"ok, cheers"

"yup...wait what?"

Is completely wrong. I'd say "cheers" to the guy at the bottle shop after he hands me my change and drinks, but not as a "goodbye" to someone wtf?

well you could if you considered it a contraction of 'cheerio'