Annoying Phrases

This is for all non-EC or peripheral-EC topics. We all know how much we love talking about 'The Man' but sometimes we have other interests.
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spooky girlfriend
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Annoying Phrases

Post by spooky girlfriend »

(Idea ripped off from ElVez)

"If you can see it, you can be it."

"There's no I in TEAM.



Come on guys, you know some more!
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Post by RedShoes »

"When you assume you make an ass out of "u" and "me"."
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Post by El Vez »

1. "How will it play in Peoria?"
2. "The customer is always right."
3. "I do a little of everything."
4. "No excuses."
5. "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie."
6. "Good writers borrow, great writers steal."
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Who Shot Sam?
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Post by Who Shot Sam? »

I work in public relations, which is responsible for a ton of these:

1. "Let's workshop that idea, concept, etc." (no kidding, I've heard this one)
2. "Leverage" used as a verb, often followed by some nonsense such as "best-in-class technology", "industry-leading expertise", etc.
3. "Thought leadership"
4. "Intellectual capital"
5. "Influencers"
6. "Strategic alliance" (usually there ain't much strategy involved)
7. "Solutions"

I'm sure I could come up with a hundred more.
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Post by Mr. Average »

"Got Milk?"
"The smarter mysteries are hidden in the light" - Jean Giono (1895-1970)
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Post by verbal gymnastics »

WSS - some of those are just oxymorons aren't they?

Some that irritate me are

1. With respect (which usually means nothing of the kind)
2. My learned friend (which always seems to patronise)
3. Touching base
4. You've got to be in it to win it
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Who Shot Sam?
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Post by Who Shot Sam? »

verbal gymnastics wrote:WSS - some of those are just oxymorons aren't they?
I don't know if they're oxymorons, maybe just annoying jargon. Whatever they are, they annoy the hell out of me.
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Post by bobster »

I've actually always liked the steal/plagerize quote (T.S. Eliot?), but then every great quote eventually becomes an annoying phrase...

"Everything happens for a reason." (My retort: "Yes. To screw me up!")

"Politics stops at the water's edge." (This one makes me really, really, really, angry everytime I hear it.)

"Think outside the box" (Surprised no one else mentioned this one.)
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!
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Post by so lacklustre »

"give me a ball-park figure"
signed with love and vicious kisses
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Post by noiseradio »

You need to have paradigm shift.
Be proactive (worst fake word ever).
Make no mistake...
Run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it.
Bennifer (and other variations of that)
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
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Post by Who Shot Sam? »

create synergies
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Post by so lacklustre »

Come on you blues
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Post by bobster »

Most annoying phrase I sometimes find myself using..."How do we position this?"

Most annoying phrase my boss likes to use, "through the use", as in our trade show exhibits are built through the use of aliminum, or I avoid starvation and dehydration through the use of food and water.
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Post by bambooneedle »

When a salesperson says "how much do you want to spend?" instead of discussing a product.

"same difference"

"what's up?"

"...but that's just my opinion" or something like "I like chocolate donuts, but that's just me"

when in obvious pain "are you ok...?"
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Post by Otis Westinghouse »

On the other side of the pond? (sorry!)

Yeah, all that verbifying nouns that is meant to represent how dynamic and go-getting you Americans are (which explanation in itself is annoying enough) is just bollocks. 'Hey, let's bollocks that!' 'I want to leverage you, baby.' Grow up and use the words as intended! Then again, that's part of the fluidity of the English language, and something pretty well unique to English (as far as I'm aware), so maybe we shouldn't hate it so much.
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Post by bobster »

Otis, a very impactful statement. Allow me to outstandify it.

Now, back to business.

"I'm just giving you a hard time." -- said after someone has more or less deliberately insulted you, which is supposed to make everything okay...by admitting that you're deliberately trying to, well, insult you. Saying, "I'm just pulling your leg" or the many equivalents is a less annoying, but I have an, er, hard time, with any statement in which you admit/claim to be joking. If you have to say you're joking (and sometimes even I have to), something has gone greviously wrong.
http://www.forwardtoyesterday.com -- Where "hopelessly dated" is a compliment!
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Post by RedShoes »

I had a family friend that used to say "For your F.Y.I." and, try as we might, we couldn't convince him that what he was saying was idiotic.
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Post by bambooneedle »

On the other side of the pond? (sorry!)
Forgot about that one. Bugger!

But you can't have your cake and eat it too. It's all good... yada yada yada... whatever. It is what it is. Sorry. That's just me. Can I ask you a question? Better not... if it's not broke don't fix it, no point in reinventing the wheel. Now, let's rock n' roll. Fuckin' A! It's mainly the parroting of phrases that bothers me, makes me want to open up a can of whoop ass.
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Post by Mr. Misery »

"Feel free..."
ImageImage
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more.
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Post by DrSpooky »

But wait there's more...
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Post by Mr. Average »

"reorientated"
"The smarter mysteries are hidden in the light" - Jean Giono (1895-1970)
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Post by noiseradio »

"Well, that's your opinion."

Yeah, no shit. I was the one talking.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
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Post by so lacklustre »

Whatever
blah blah blah
signed with love and vicious kisses
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Post by little martinet »

"moving forward..."
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

Hand to God, I got this one in some spam this morning:

"Goals are dreams with deadlines"

Eeech.
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