Speech pepperisms that bug you

[tothemax6]

Hi All,

Every now and again I hear some statements that really bug me for all the redundant words they contain, i.e. words used to 'pepper' the sentence but which do not actually increase the information contained therein. These include the typical political phrases like '... moving forward.', and also general phrases used by business like 'investing for the future'. What kind of investing is 'for the past', or 'for the present'? The correct phrase is 'investing', and that's it!

Post them in...

 

[springhill]

Sometimes, not even a whole word, it can be as simple as a letter.
Isn't that right Jul'I'a G'I'llard?

 

[trainspotter]

I've told this one before in a previous thread. AC/DC concert 8th March in Perth. Inside a sponsors box and a bank manager came across to talk to me and started sprouting "PROJECT SPECIFITY" in regards to "VALUE MANAGEMENT" ...... my eyes glazed over.

A spade is a spade is a spade. Unless it is a shovel.

 

[nulla nulla]

The one that really bugs me is "Mother Nature". Since when did nature become sexist? Another Americanism creeping into Australian (and probably the western world) everyday language. Why can't they just say "nature" ?

 

[Wysiwyg]

The one that really bugs me is "Mother Nature". Since when did nature become sexist? Another Americanism creeping into Australian (and probably the western world) everyday language. Why can't they just say "nature" ?

Maybe because life comes from and is supported mainly by a female. The mother. The fertiliser takes a more secondary role. I say nature by the way.

 

[gordon2007]

'think outside the square'. I can't stand it. I cringe whenever I hear it. When I hear it i tell people that I learned shapes when I was three years old.

 

[Wysiwyg]

How about "you know" or "you know what I'm saying" or "you know what I mean".

 

[trainspotter]

"Toolbox meeting" is another that irks the crap out of me. Nope ... we is just having a meeting. You tell me what you want and I will tell you what you are gonna get. No "toolbox" involved.

* Foster identity and clarity of direction for the work team;

Yep ....... I am the boss. I will tell you what I want and you do it. End of discussion.

 

[tothemax6]

"Toolbox meeting" is another that irks the crap out of me. Nope ... we is just having a meeting. You tell me what you want and I will tell you what you are gonna get. No "toolbox" involved.

+1, and I'll add to that list (although not a pepperism) 'smoko' being used to refer to 'lunch'.

 

[Julia]

'think outside the square'. I can't stand it. I cringe whenever I hear it. When I hear it i tell people that I learned shapes when I was three years old.

How about "you know" or "you know what I'm saying" or "you know what I mean".

Yep, I hate both of these too.

Another peculiar and horribly common uttering is, in answer to a question:
"yeah, no, yeah.........."
What on earth is that about? Why not eliminate that meaningless phrase and just answer the bloody question?

Another habit I dislike is the constant falling back into cliches by journalists:

In this summer of multiple disasters, I think I will scream if I hear the phrase "loved ones" just once more.

Can't they find some alternative now and again?

And then there are celebrities who eventually "lose their battle with cancer".
Can't you just tell us they have died, if indeed we need to know at all?

And then after an accident, someone is "fighting for his life" in hospital.
If they are that ill, they are probably quite unable to be fighting for anything, their lives included.

Ah, and then there are all those celebrities who receive an award, and politicians who are finally elected to some office: They accept, barely able to contain their utter jubilation and say "I am truly humbled by this award/position."

Utter rubbish. They are thrilled to bits, delighted, glad they wiped the opposition, but they are absolutely not humbled!

One more (for now: I can probably come up with many more):
"At this point in time". Whatever is wrong with 'Now"?

And

"In no way, shape or form......."

Grrr!!

 

[Ruby]

The one that really bugs me is "Mother Nature". Since when did nature become sexist? Another Americanism creeping into Australian (and probably the western world) everyday language. Why can't they just say "nature" ?

Although this cliche can be annoying, I agree, it probably derives from ancient Greek creation mythology. Gaia was the earth goddess, mother of creation. She was the earth, who gave birth to all things, etc, etc.

To the above list I would add the word "like" which is inserted superflously into almost every sentence of some people's conversation. Why say "I was just like going out the door when she like rang me to like say she wasn't like coming."? (Yes, I have heard as many as 6 "likes" in one sentence.) It adds not one bit of meaning to the sentence, and irritates me enormously.

Another one I loathe is "I'll go green", when what the speaker really means is "I'll choose green."

 

[Chris45]

Business Weekly 04 Mar 11: Sewage, Bankruptcy and Strikes:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/bizweekly/bizweekly_20110304-1750a.mp3

Lucy Kellaway's commentary (starting at the 22:30 minute mark) on pernicious management jargon is excellent.

 

[nioka]

'think outside the square'. I can't stand it. I cringe whenever I hear it. When I hear it i tell people that I learned shapes when I was three years old.

Don't cringe. Try it. It helps make money.

 

[wayneL]

Don't cringe. Try it. It helps make money.

Really? Or just Fooled by Randomness?

Define this square.

 

[Sdajii]

Define this square.

Convention, basic intuitive thought, orthodox method, etc.

I like, totally, hate the misuse of the word like. It's like, so annoying.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Let's workshop pepperisms.

gg

 

[karmatik]

To the above list I would add the word "like" which is inserted superflously into almost every sentence of some people's conversation. Why say "I was just like going out the door when she like rang me to like say she wasn't like coming."? (Yes, I have heard as many as 6 "likes" in one sentence.) It adds not one bit of meaning to the sentence, and irritates me enormously.

I loathe this peppering of 'like' even more when it is written rather than spoken

I also hate when people start a sentence with 'okay...'

The latest buzzword paradigm does my nut too

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Ok, like, you know, let's workshop Phil's idea of project specificity, of using convention and basic intuitive thought, nonetheless within an orthodox method, like, at this point in time, we need more than ever a toolbox meeting to, like, achieve realistic outcomes.

gg

 

[wayneL]

Convention, basic intuitive thought, orthodox method, etc.

But what was once outside the square is now inside the square. CDIs for eg

 

[trainspotter]

Ok, like, you know, let's workshop Phil's idea of project specificity, of using convention and basic intuitive thought, nonetheless within an orthodox method, like, at this point in time, we need more than ever a toolbox meeting to, like, achieve realistic outcomes.

gg

LOLOL .......... My kinda guy !