What English expression do you hate the most?

[Flick of the Elbow]

When visiting friends in Glasgow or Edinburgh I occasionally get a bit of minor hostility because of my accent, at which point I break into Shetlandic to remind who the real soft southerners are

I don’t have that option of course. I just have to avoid places like that. Pubs that show football or rugby or anything near Leith Walk are no-go areas for me.

 

[Venod]

Americanism. I will, however, allow you to hate Americanisms if you go to work on a bicycle and not commute by bike.

If you go to work on a bike with mudguards and not commute by a bike with fenders.

 

[Profpointy]

when someone says “cheers buddy” I want to smack them in the face

I suggest you don't move to Bristol then

 

[Profpointy]

In my case , it is : " It is what it is". I cringe every time I hear it. I absolutely detest it

I found it quite a useful expression in work. People would moan about this or that having happened or someone should have done such and such, and you just need them to get on with fixing it, or accepting what the decision is despite them not liking or agreeing with it.
You can waste a lot of time arguing about what has already happened or otherwise beyond our control.

I would usually try and explain the rationale, sometimes admitting it may or may not be compelling, before resorting to the aforementioned expression

 

[lazybloke]

Boomer
Millennial
Gen-Z

But us lot in Gen X are fantastic

 

[Profpointy]

`Mate' even the Scottish chum is better than being called that all day.

Being called "pal" is usually not an offer of friendship

 

[Profpointy]

The mis-spelling of words in business names, such as Kars, Evri, that sort of nonsense. I never use companies that feel it acceptable to do this.

Except when it's a golfing business as "krazy" should always be spelt with a "k"

 

[Profpointy]

Here are some non-joke words, especially for you:

Do you REALLY not know what a seagull is? e.g. would these sentences confuse you:
- "Are there are any seagulls near our food?"
- "Don't park your car there - the seagulls will sh leave their mark all over it!"
- "Don't bring Susan - she's really scared of seagulls. Totally freaks out."

And for extra marks:
Did you know that scientific language and common spoken language sometimes differ?

Exactly, they'll be claiming there's no such thing as road tax next

(I am joking)

 

[Profpointy]

As its not even a real word, how can you quibble with the spelling?

Doesn't it become a real word if people use it a lot?

 

[Profpointy]

"New and Improved"

No. Is it New OR Improved, it cannot be both.

New and improved is surely better than new but slightly worse than older model

 

[wiggydiggy]

New and improved is surely better than new but slightly worse than older model

'New but slightly worse' is also a dissapointing expression

 

[Profpointy]

'New but slightly worse' is also a dissapointing expression

Those poncey marketeers would likely object to it.

Sadly it is true for a fair few products

 

[vickster]

Boomer
Millennial
Gen-Z

You've missed out the most important for this forum's primary membership 🙃

 

[Profpointy]

I've posted these before in a similar thread but two expressions I really despise are:

"quantum leap". To me this suggests the smallest finite change that is physically possible so I don't find a quantum leap in, say, performance, all that exciting

And another is "reaching a crescendo". As even a lapsed musician like me knows, a crescendo is a gradual getting louder, so "reaching a crescendo" would mean you've got to the bit where it is about to start to get louder. It does not mean "the loud bit" or "the exciting bit". The actual crescendo may only go from pp to p (pianissimo to piano - very quiet to quiet)

As an aside I one had to give a presentation to a group of fairly senior managers about some technology I'd been looking into. I think I was last on the agenda so they may have been a bit jaded by then, but I saw them giggling about something then one of them owned up they had some sheets printed up for "bullshit bingo" where they'd tick off the various management cliches. I was a bit bit miffed as I'd put a fair bit of work into it and had had been asked to do it rather being an agenda I was pushing as such so I grumpily commented "you'll not get any from me" and I'm pleased to say they didn't get a single one

 

[Profpointy]

Boomer
Millennial
Gen-Z

I don't really know, nor to be hones care, what any of those terms mean.