Top 10 Most Annoying Phrases

Hmm, I wonder how many of these you use. (H/T Kruse Kronicle)

Not all University of Oxford researchers are uptight and humorless, "irregardless" of what you might think. In fact, a bunch of them compiled a list of the Top 10 Most Irritating Expressions in the English language -- just because we needed one.

Though maybe "you could care less," the scholars in question keep track of linguistic mangling and overused buzzwords in a database called the Oxford University Corpus. The voluminous record keeps track of books, magazines, broadcast, online media and other sources, watching for new overused, tiresome phrases and retiring those that fade from use (or misuse).

The great hierarchy of verbal fatigue includes:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

Here's what one guy wrote two years ago.

1. Spring has sprung (This is particularly annoying in Oregon -- I mean, have you looked outside recently???)
2. To blog or not to blog (Seriously, if I see one more blog post with this title...)
3. The Long Tail
4. At the end of the day
5. Where the rubber meets the road
6. Think different (my, what splendid use of grammar!)
7. PR is dead (Sorry, as a PR professional I feel obligated to include this one)
8. Step up to the plate
9. Any phrase that includes two or more of the following: scalable, robust, end-to-end, next-generation and/or turnkey
10. Seasoned management team (Wow, do you prefer your executives cajun-spiced or zesty Italian style?)

How about some other nominees?

1. God is in control. (Yeah, 8 million people died in an earthquake today, but you know, God is in control.)
2. To make a long story short *(when it's too late for that)
3. No problem *(after asking your waiter for something)
4. My bad *(Hey, this 'bad' belongs to me)
5. Let's touch base *(Are we gonna advance on a fly ball?)
6. From the get go *(sounds like instructions for a horse)
7. God bless (isn't there supposed to be an object for God to bless)
8. Could care less.
9. Begs the question.
10. Do you get it? (I might if you explained it better.....)
11. Irregardless
12. Be on the same page.
13. Unpack this.
14. You know.
15. Like.

Well, at the end of the day, I could care less.