3282 Comments
It's 2008, and we're pretty sure we recently had a conversation that didn't involve a single catchphrase from "Clueless." Progress, right? Eh, kinda. Oxford University -- home to the wordsmiths responsible for adding "bootylicious" to the most comprehensive dictionary of the English language -- recently released a list of the top 10 most irritating phrases in current use, and it doesn't give us much hope for humanity.

Researchers combed through a variety of British books, blogs, magazines and broadcast transcripts to compile a database of words and phrases in current overuse/misuse, and then chose the worst offenders. Among their top picks were bad grammar ("shouldn't of," #8), redundant verbal tics ("I personally," #3) and regular old overused terms ("24/7," #9).

The rest of the Oxford list: "It's not rocket science" (#10), "It's a nightmare" (#7), "Absolutely" (#6), "With all due respect" (#5), "At this moment in time" (#4), and "Fairly unique" (#2). Their top pick? "At the end of the day," gratingly popular (and totally meaningless) with politicians, athletes, pundits, and management types. It's basically a glimpse at what it will sound like in hell.

Because we're also easily irritated here in America, we've compiled our own list of annoying phrases. Click here to read them, and be sure to leave your own pet peeves in the comments.




Cliches from 2006: best.[something].ever, I just threw up in my mouth, going green, [blank] is the new [blank], tween, douche, rad, drama, blogosphere, ginormous, bajillion, totes, bro, bra, bromance.

Office Jargon: team-building, value-added, grassroots, reach out, multitasking, no-brainer, low-hanging fruit, monetize, ping.

Faux Ghetto Slang: killin it, for real/for reals/on the real/keepin' it real, hit me up, oh snap!, chillaxing.

Unnecessary Conjunctions and Transitions: no offense but ..., all of the sudden, basically, ironically, actually, honestly, totally, hopefully, as to whether, I swear to God, you know.

Misused/Mispronounced Phrases: irregardless (for "regardless"), aggravate (for "irritate"), anyways/towards (anyway, toward), for all intensive purposes (for "for all intents and purposes"), suppose to (for "supposed to"), could of (for "could have"), analyzing/analyzation (for "analysis"), literally (when meant figuratively).

Internet acronyms/LOLCat slang (Even When Used Ironically): OMG, i can haz, LOLz, teh Internets, Oh noes!, Obvs, PWN.

Tell us! What words and phrases drive you crazy?

The Most Annoying Co-Workers

    Insistent Instant Messenger: No matter how much time or miscommunication could be spared by talking face-to-face, this person insists on talking virtually, via IM or email. If they're a superior and you're not online, they send you an email to ask where you are (meanwhile you're at your desk, ten feet away).

    Cycle Sister: This is a person you're not particularly fond of, but for whatever cosmically twisted reason, your daily routine is synched up -- you walk into work at the same time, and from there, you see your Cycle Sister in the bathroom, on your smoke break, at the vending machine, and on the way out. Even if you do like this person alright, the sheer coincidence makes things creepy and awkward.

    Mr. Flibble, Flickr

    The Get-a-Lifer: This person asks you out to post-work drinks on a regular basis, despite the fact that you always decline. And the one time you went to a party at their house, it ended up being the two of you playing Taboo. The Get-a-Lifer is often the same person who plans meetings at 6 p.m. on Fridays, not realizing that everyone else goes out with their friends on the weekend.

    bealluc, Flickr

    Listserv Leech: If someone has taken this person's lunch out of the fridge, the entire staff will be notified via the staff listserv, which everyone else uses exclusively for professional communication. Alternately, this person may use the listserv to let everyone know about the lack of toilet paper in the bathroom, a party they're throwing, or to ask who took that package off their desk.

    Angry Typist: The Angry Typist pounds on her keyboard with the vigor of someone hitting their ex-boyfriend. The violent clacking leads to many misunderstandings, as this person is often unaware of their problem and is not actually pissed.

    .faramarz, Flickr

    The Toilet Mouth: You're on the pot midstream (or worse) when the Toilet Mouth strikes up a conversation. This person also likes to chatter at the sink for before and after they go, giving no one in the bathroom privacy to do their business.

    Megan *, Flickr

    Monday Manic: The coffee hasn't hit your bloodstream yet, and the Monday Manic is flittering about, imbued with an unnatural amount of energy and optimism. They're telling stories about how freaking great their weekend was and so stoked about the work they get to do that day.

    Old News Hound: OMG, did you hear that Lindsay Lohan is dating a girl!? The Old News Hound is always the last to know about everything, but the first to belt out at a stale headline at full-volume to their surrounding coworkers.

    Rash Revealer:This person has no shame getting on the phone with their doctor, their spouse, their aunt, or their mom to discuss a rash, a yeast infection, and any other personal bodily defect or medical issue.

    maydaFUNKbewithu!, Flickr

    The Chit-Chat Blaster: If this person catches you in the break room or on your way out of the bathroom, you're done for a half an hour later they're still yammering away about the paint samples they're considering for the livingroom, the deli they ate at for lunch, the meeting the boss called earlier, the diet they're on. The Chit-Chat Blaster also doesn't notice you inching away, and generally lack the ability to pick up social cues.