I really enjoyed reading your editorial this morning. I also agree with it completely. I do have another to add, however: Hands raised in the air with fingers curling while saying "quote on quote". That one has to stop!
Have a nice day"

Dave Rosenthal's comment about copspeak reminded of two other examples from my days as a reporter:
"impacted a tree" and "roadway."

The car didn't "impact a tree." It hit a tree. See how much clearer you can be when you use easy to understand words? Hmm, maybe that's why cops use the jargon they do...

And a "roadway" is really a road. Nice and short again, but maybe they think they're using synonyms for highway.

I thought the air quotes were normally accompanied by "quote, unquote". A good chance for a clarification! :) thanks.

I've mainly heard quote/unquote, too. But with folks mangling all sorts of phrases these days, I wouldn't be surprised by the version that Eihab has heard.
How many times have you heard someone talk about "standing on line".

Annoying? The use of the word "impact" in every conceivable situation and context. I've heard "impact" (both noun and verb), "impacted," "impacting," "impactful," and "impactable." It's so trendy - I think mostly with people who don't know the difference between "effect" (a cause or result) and "affect" (to act on or produce a change).

In my opinion, "impact" should be reserved for when one body strikes another, and "impacted" should only describe a condition that requires prunes.

Here are a few more:
Sports -- Pete Gilbert's sports show. He is always saying "go the job done."
Put points on the board.
Politics -- vision, focused
Crime -- We take this very seriously
General -- African-Americans -- why is it that you have to say African if you are black. No other citizens from other continents or countries feel the need to say they are ------Americans.

My favorite unfavorite is "NO PROBLEM"

Why and when did the term “pre-order” come into use? It is a bit redundant don’t you think? How does it work exactly and what makes a “pre-order” necessary? You see it on a lot of web sites. Particularly if the item to be “pre-ordered” is a book or CD that may not have been released yet. But that doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason to come up with a new word when the original word “order” works just as well. I mean, we don’t “pre-order” Girl Scout cookies even though we know we aren’t going to get the cookies immediately.
And when we go into a restaurant we don’t hear this.
Server: “Hi, my name is Polly and I will be your server tonight. Would you like to place your
pre-order now?”
Customers: “Yes, we won’t actually be ready to order for another ten minutes or so but we would like to pre-order our order.”
Server: “Great, would you like drinks with that pre-order?”
The term “pre-arrange” falls into the same category as “pre-order”. To arrange something is to prepare or plan. So, I guess to “pre-arrange” means that you are going to arrange to arrange something. Does that make sense? NO!

Polly, that's priceless. Here's a similarly bizarre exchange from a recent phone call to a Bertucci's in Connecticut:
My wife: "I'd like to make a reservation for six."
Hostess: "We don't take reservations. But I can take your name and put it on a list."

I vote for annoying incorrect and overuse of the word "literally", as in "She was literally walking on air." Ugh!

"Proactive" drives me crazy. If it were a real word, there would be proaction and proactors, and Newton's law would not have been limited to action and reaction. I also can't stand "skill set." How does it differ from "skills", other than adding two letters? If she has the skill set for the job, she probably also has the skills.

Great column! Add to that "No problem" when one means "You're welcome" and using "like" instead of "such as". I've seen the latter in such august publications as "The Wall Street Journal". Other verbal tics prevalent among younger people are to start sentences with an emphatic "So..." and ending sentences in "upspeak", which sounds like a question rather than a declarative sentence.

"The bottom line is" often said more than once by politicians , but it seems it never is really the bottom line.

Here's one that seems to gave resurfaced after a couple of years of not being used. I heard it at least nine times in the past week from a number of different sources. It is: "That being said". Ugh! Are these phrases floating through the air, waiting to be absorbed into people's brains?

This column and comments made my morning.
I also had "proactive" and "skill set" on my list.
How about:
Nouns made into gerunds becoming verbs?
"Parenting, scrap-booking, multi-tasking", "brain-storming and "customer servicing".

Want to scream if anyone else asks if "We're all on the same page" or "I really have "a lot on my plate" right now". grrrrrrrrrrrr

How about a meeting "fascilitator". (Is this even spelled correctly? I assume this means a designated person to stop brawls and name calling.

How about, "I just wanted to reach out to you". Aurghh! Did you mean call me or jump me or hug me or what?

And lastly,
Pretty much anything described as "green" is totally usurped by advertising pros who pay $75.00 for an Underarmour t-shirt made out of plastic and petroleum products while coming up with the latest Baltimore green promotion.

Thanks, I feel so much better.

As I read your column today about annoying phrases I couldn't help but feel the need to share this one. in the past year or so I do not think I have heard a person under the age of, say, thirty-five years old in a service industry (waitstaff, barrista, cashier, etc.) respond to my"thanks" with a "you're welcome". Apparently they enjoy helping me with whatever service they have provided because when I say "thanks" I am universally told "no problem".

I'm beginning to think that most people don't realize that "déjà vu all over again" (supposedly originated by Yogi Berra) is a humorous redundancy--you rarely hear the term now without "all over again" appended.

And I second Ted Nunn's nomination for the frustrating misuse of "literally". If we lose the correct use of that word, how will we be able to express that something amazing actually did happen?

Commonly misused words and phrases recently bugging me are:
Home in on has become hone in on.
Five syllable word camaraderie has been shortened to camraderie.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating has become the proof is in the pudding.
High school diplomas often referred to as high school degrees.
One and the same has become one in the same.

"As it relates to" is an annoyingly vague and and wordy phrase. Example: This is a beautiful day as it relates to the weather.

"In terms of" is another annoyingly vague and wordy phrase. Example: This is a beautiful day in terms of the weather.

One difference between a good writer and a bad one is that the former writes one word at a time; the latter, one phrase at a time. Sarah Palin is a classic example of a person who speaks in phrases, not individual words.

Wordjones

In one of the posts above, someone said, "In my opinion," one of my pet peeves. Who else's opinion is it? If it is someone else, I would write, Mr. Smith's opinion is . . . Whatever I say or write and don't attribute to someone else is my opinion.

Like Isobel, I am also tired of "that being said", or the shortcut "that said". "At the end of the day" also drives me nuts.

Add to the "misused" list - I cringe when I hear "begs the question". It does not mean the same as "raises the question"!

Both local and national television anchors are now beginning to say, "there's much more news..." Much more???? I think this is grammatically correct. How about " a little more news" just before they sign off, or ":there's no more news until tomorrow"??

Here are two more to add to your collection of ridiculous phrases. TV reporters are guilty!
"A robbery went bad." I suppose if a robbery went "good", then the victim would just lose his life's savings.
The child went missing." Do they mean the child IS missing?

Thanks for the column on annoying phrases. Here are a couple in the mangled/misused category that I encounter from time to time:

1. "Underestimate" or "understate" used for the opposite of what is intended: "It would be difficult to understate the importance of this project to our organization."

2. "The proof is in the pudding" as a corruption of "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

There would be nothing wrong with the phrase "the exception that proves the rule" if only it were used correctly once in a while. A white crow doesn't prove the rule that crows are black. It proves that not all crows are black. On the other hand, a sign that says no parking on Sunday is the exception that proves the rule that parking is permitted on the six other days. Used that way, the phrase makes sense.

Wordjones

I hear the word "physicality" used lately by sports announcers during NFL games. For some reason I find the word itself annoying. But I don't think it is used correctly by sportscasters. My dictionary defines physicality as "Preoccupation with satisfaction of physical drives and appetites." The sportscasters use it when a player is strong and skilled at his job.

One tacky cliche that's been around for a while but makes me cringe whenever I hear it is "It remains to be seen," usually intoned sonorously by a TV news reporter to wrap up whatever topic is being discussed. Will the stock market recover? It remains to be seen. Will Barack Obama live up to expectations? It remains to be seen. Will the bad economy translate into gold for Hollywood? It remains to be seen. Note to reporters: the future outcome of any event remains to be seen, unless you happen to be psychic.

Sara, good point. I'd add this chestnut, which has sullied many an editorial: "It bears watching."

Surely you didn't intend to omit "on the ground"!
And what about the use of the subjective pronoun instead of the objective, as in "It was a treat for he and I." (Shudder)

Reference your article regarding most used phrases. Why did you not include, "Where's it at?" It is the most annoying phrase used in all "COPS" programs.

Here are a few a reader, Melanie, e-mailed to me

I personally have the same exact feelings regarding the mangling/misuse of our language. Indeed, Mr. Rodricks was compelled to quote several of my malaprops many years ago in one of his articles.

It was disappointing to note that you did not include medical terms in your article. Having been a medical secretary for some time now, I have a wealth of misinterpreted, mispronounced, misused words which I will share momentarily.

I do want to compliment you on: “110 percent” and “take it to the next level”. Please add to that list: turning nouns into verbs such as “parenting”, “calendaring” and “journaling”, as well as my latest annoyance, “it’s a process”.

Going forward you will find my medical contributions:

It is always important to get an accurate diagnalysis. For instance, information in the lungs could be ammonia. Or you could have a torn spleen
in your arm (I swear I’m not making this up.) Your vaginacologist or
occupedist will know for sure. You may need rehability to restore your equiliberty. I could go on and on, but will spare you the rest. If you’re still laughing and choking, there is always the hemlock maneuver.

It seems the younger generation has brought us the phrase, "closed fist". It seems to be common usage among police rookies. I thought the dreaded open fist was a slap. Now I'm not sure what a fist is.
A member of our golf group has had occasion to go to the St. Agnes Hospital Imaging Center for an MRI. Upon his return he told us of his experience at the Imaginary Center. We all felt better after that one.
Fiance is a term that appears to be creeping up the word ladder. It used to mean that one party had asked for the other's in marriage. Now it seems to be the replacement for baby's daddy or momma's boyfriend that has lived with her for some time, no thought of marriage necessary.
It was a great article, surely one of the best.

I really enjoyed your recent column regarding annoying phrases. I assume that "like, I mean, like, you know..." and others of "its ilk" have appeared in the Read Street blog at one time or another. "Know what I'm sayin'?" Anyway, please consider adding to the sports list, which already contains "athleticism," the term physicality.
Finally, here is my all-time favorite oxymoron: "Preventive War". (This was recently and quietly slipped in by the current administration to replace the controversial "Preemptive War.")

How about this improper combination - "The reason is because. . ." as opposed to the correct "The reason is that. . ."

No - "There are many reasons why."
Yes - "There are many reasons."

Then there's venturing into "unchartered waters" as opposed to "uncharted waters."

One more annoying misuse - not exactly a phrase - the misuse of the word, "hopefully" as in "Hopefully, the rain will end." Better - "I hope the rain will end."

Oh and another - the double "is" as in "What it is is a new process." as opposed to "It is a new process."

One of my least favorites: "gifting." Whatever happened to giving?

Flight attendant-speak: "at this time" instead of "now"
From business, the now pervasive use of "impact" as a verb. (What's wrong with "affect"?)
"General consensus." (Is there any other kind?)

The most annoying phrase to me is the ubiquitous "You guys."
Restaurant servers address a table of senior citizen women as "you guys." How disrespectful!

The grammatical misuse of "lay" instead of "lie" drives me crazy.
Nurses tell patients to "Lay down" instead of "Lie down." "Lay" is transitive and takes an object, as in "lay the book on the table."
"Lie" is intransitive, as in "I lie down."

Thanks for your article.

I attend many meetings at the hospital where I work. I am sick of hearing the following: "What are next steps?" "Is this best practice?" and, to solve any problem, "We need to drill down." I also hear that we need to "incent" people to perform at a higher level. Heaven help us.

Whether this matter deserves further consideration remains to be seen.
-- All-purpose phrase for ending editorials.

Wordjones.

Here are three phrases annoying to me!
-for real-for real
-trust me, I know what I'm talking about
-drizzle (as in food preparation)

1) All kiddiespeak---"y'know, like, wow, forsure, dude, cool, goes " etc.......these sad would-be hipsters don't even know that "cool" is from the '50s, "dude" comes from the
1800s, and "hip" is a variation of the '40s "hep". So much for kiddie intelligence.

2) "Change" Could anything be more stupidly meaningless?

3) "Progressive" A political term co-opted by the Left, it means moving always towards where they are. In their warped lexicon, it is impossible to "progress" towards the Right.

4) "DI-VER-SI-TY" Another political term, it means having an acceptable percentage of blacks and/or women in the group. Hypocritically, whites, yellows, browns, reds, men and any other currently unfavored group magically do not count!

5) Pronouncing "and" in the weird '70s fashion, i.e. "A-A-A-A-ND"

There are SO many more, but these will do for a start.

As I was working my way down through the stack on my desk, I discovered your piece on annoying phrases from The Sunday Sun of 11.16.2008.
For some bizarre subconscious reason I have been keeping track of these idiotic words and phrases, and the people that seem to take license with the English language.
Here are a few to raise your rancor.

sided - verb transitive: as to add a vegetable to main dish. Beef stroganoff should always be sided with rice.

confirmatory process - noun: A CNN's reporter characterization of what sometimes does not go well in the U.S. Senate. Robert Bork took his lumps in the confirmatory process.

certificationize - verb transitive: to certify. As president of the American Teachers Association, I know we have to certifitactionize more teachers.
[And perhaps send their leader back to Webster's.]

jarred - verb transitive: to put things into a jar. While making grape jelly, Sophronie's baby son lost a tooth, so she jarred that too.

personing - verb transitive: To staff
Margaret found herself personing the CNN News booth at the convention.

levelness - noun: the degree to which something or somebody is on the level. The washing machine instructions in Step 11 insisted that the installer check the levelness of the machine before operation.

misunderestimates - noun plural (always) A Bushism which describes all Pentagon estimates
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld excused his misunderestimates on the grounds of homeland security.

seasonality - noun: an NPR word to describe something particular to a part of the year.
As Mike shoveled his car our of a snow drift he complained about the seasonality connected to this chore.

recreationize verb transitive. to make things easier. Top management decided to take the morale problem by recreationizing the assignments to all regional managers

indelibelize - verb transitive: to seriously imprint
Sarah Palan's "Turkey Pardon" talk was indelibilized on the minds of all vegetarians.

Iiaisoning - verb transitive: to connect with someone. Harold practiced his liaisoning skills before his first date with Geritude.

favorability - noun: to be held in esteem. After her loss in the Democratic primaries, CNN reported that Hillary still maintained a high favorability.

I enjoy your column in the consistently-dwindling Sun. Your "annoying phrases" haven't crept in, they're dominating. How could you not mention the most abusive of all, the mind-numbing you know, (too) closely followed by the wretched "like"? The only haven available to me is my house or that of my two granddaughters, 6 and 8 who have known NEVER to let me hear them say either. I pray for a day when one of these users shows up here as a job applicant; first offense: they hear "thanks for coming in." This sloppiness is horrible and offensive. I see that our next president is a "user", too.

The most overused and inappropriate phrase in our language today is: NO PROBLEM!!!!

This phrase is used by waiters, cashiers, colleagues, and children.
Some people have imbedded it so deep, it is the reply phrase to virtually everything. It has taken over so deeply, that instant messagers now use "NP" in its stead. It used to bother me so much, I would point it out to abusers, but now I ignore it as:
NO PROBLEM!!!!

I hate "ground troops". What other kind are there?

it was the last straw for me when i ordered a pizza on the phone and my "thanks" was answered "no problem." i am ready next time with a "and why should it be a problem?" perhaps if we all did this, they'd get the message. additionally i wrote to the pizza place and asked them to correct their staff. let's put a stop to this!!!

the most annoying ass phrase in the entire world that is used by so many so many self proclaimed and fake environmentalists in the past few years is none other than "going green." not just tht one but any form of it. green collar jobs, green lifestyle, green housing. green used to be my favorite color, but now every time i hear it i want to break something.

Can someone please tell me how and when "bring" and "take" became interchangeable terms? It infuriates me every time I hear someone on TV use "bring" incorrectly, or when I read it in print! (as in "bring this over to your mother")