What phrase or high jacked word bugs you ?

Using the word "basically" in every other sentence. is a common speech pattern filler, a need to buy time, but it becomes annoying and dilutes the word's meaning, making it a bad habit where clarity is key. While grammatically okay, frequent overuse leads to semantic satiation, where the brain tunes it out, and it can signal uncertainty or just be a crutch for thinking,
 
When I was in the military, one of the sayings that made me shudder was:

“With all due respect.” When I heard this, I would think, “Here it comes.”
 
BJintheUK said:
It annoys me when people use the word 'gaslighting' to describe something that is better described with the proper use of the English language. It took me a while to find out what 'gaslighting' meant, and when I did I was appalled that this word had been taken completely out of context and given a meaning that had nothing to do with its origins.

I mean, how does 'gaslighting' refer to keeping someone isolated from friends and family? The word came into use during the Victorian era when gas was used to light the streets of cities, so how does lighting the way using gas have anything to do with isolating and manipulating someone?
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I vote "gaslighting" to be the best example of a word I dislike.
 
BJintheUK said:
It annoys me when people use the word 'gaslighting' to describe something that is better described with the proper use of the English language. It took me a while to find out what 'gaslighting' meant, and when I did I was appalled that this word had been taken completely out of context and given a meaning that had nothing to do with its origins.

I mean, how does 'gaslighting' refer to keeping someone isolated from friends and family? The word came into use during the Victorian era when gas was used to light the streets of cities, so how does lighting the way using gas have anything to do with isolating and manipulating someone?
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I can answer that. Gaslighting refers to the movie "Gas Light" in which the husband would surreptitiously monkey with the (gas) lights in their home. When the wife would say the lights had dimmed or brightened, he'd say they hadn't, so she started to doubt her sanity and perception of reality. His motives were to distract her from his nefarious activities, including a murder.

So when someone says, for instance, that politicians are gaslighting the public, it means they're putting out false or misleading information to confuse the public and undermine trust in credible sources.

Gaslighting has recently become a buzzword but is a recognized psychological manipulation.
 
I find few new phrases or hijacking of words annoying but "I appreciate you" sure does. Especially so when it's said by a store clerk as I'm paying for groceries. "We appreciate your business" is fine, but "I appreciate you"?

They don't know me, how could they possibly "appreciate" me?

Appreciating an action is different from appreciating a person.
 
BJintheUK said:
It annoys me when people use the word 'gaslighting' to describe something that is better described with the proper use of the English language. It took me a while to find out what 'gaslighting' meant, and when I did I was appalled that this word had been taken completely out of context and given a meaning that had nothing to do with its origins.

I mean, how does 'gaslighting' refer to keeping someone isolated from friends and family? The word came into use during the Victorian era when gas was used to light the streets of cities, so how does lighting the way using gas have anything to do with isolating and manipulating someone?
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The term you're talking about is a noun the other is a verb.
They're not taken out of context. One is a thing the other is an action.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaslight
 
One I encountered awhile back: "If I'm you.."

Said when implying what he/she would do if he/she were in your situation.. instead of the usual "If I WERE you.." it was 'IF I'M YOU..' 😒🤣
 
CaliS said:
I find "unalived" so strange! I know they say that to avoid getting banned or whatever, on social media but I can't get used to it!
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that's true. some places like facebook we have to use other words. you can't even be in a gardening group on there and type the word weed. you'll get flagged for it. you hafta get creative and spell it w33d. instead of saying kill in a shooter gaming page i would say off.
 
Sunkist said:
Certainly makes more sense than 'If I'm you' 😁
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The difference may seem subtle, but it sends the message that I can't be you. "If I were you" means you had all of that person's DNA and experiences, in which case you'd respond in precisely the same way as he/she is.

"If it were me in your situation" means this is how I (and my DNA and experiences) would respond.
 
JustDave said:
I vote "gaslighting" to be the best example of a word I dislike.
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I believe today's use of the verb comes from the movie, "Gaslight," in which a woman's husband items and lies to her in an effort to make her doubt her own sanity. The trouble is, women are now using it about their husbands or boyfriends to mean everything from he's controlling her to he's cheating on her and nothing to do with making her think she's losing her mind. Good movie though.
Naturally said:
So yeah
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You took my favorite!

NPR interviewer: Your novel about Vietnam was wonderful! Are you a veteran yourself?
Writer: So, yeah, no.
Out of the blue people are starting conversations with "so" and I stand wondering how I missed the first part.
 
Della said:
NPR interviewer: Your novel about Vietnam was wonderful! Are you a veteran yourself?
Writer: So, yeah, no.
Out of the blue people are starting conversations with "so" and I stand wondering how I missed the first part.
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That reminds me of one that makes me want to scream at the news, about 15 years ago some politician decided it was great oratory to begin answers with, "Look...."

Look??? There's nothing to see. If he had something to say, say it. I didn't need to look at it.

Pretty soon every politician was starting his pitches with, "Look," as if everyone really needed to understand, but I was already distracted so much by "Look" that I didn't understand anything he would have said, which was probably what he intended in the first place. But he did gain some facial recognition because he was on TV.
 

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