Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[LezLee]

'To be fair'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker. It is driving me up the wall!

[Serial_Apologist]

'To be fair'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker. It is driving me up the wall!

I would use it to grant people's otherwise misunderstood beliefs, behaviours or mistakes the benefit of fair mindedness. As in, "To be fair to them...".

[Padraig]

Have you heard this one?:

Q. How many people were in the room?

A. A non-zero number.

[oddoneout]

'To be fair'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker. It is driving me up the wall!

It is rather irritating, and is getting over-used perhaps, but it can be a 'soft' way of putting forward a different opinion,factual correction/addition, point of view in circumstances where that might not otherwise be well received. It avoids flatly contradicting or saying outright someone is wrong.

[oddoneout]

Have you heard this one?:

Q. How many people were in the room?

A. A non-zero number.

Wouldn't win anything on the tombola then?

[Serial_Apologist]

It is rather irritating, and is getting over-used perhaps, but it can be a 'soft' way of putting forward a different opinion,factual correction/addition, point of view in circumstances where that might not otherwise be well received. It avoids flatly contradicting or saying outright someone is wrong.

Exactly...

[cloughie]

Have you heard this one?:

Q. How many people were in the room?

A. A non-zero number.

Is that Zoom influenced?

[french frank]

'To be fair'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker. It is driving me up the wall!

I use that quite often to balance an argument, like 'on the one hand, on the other'.

[Serial_Apologist]

'It is driving me up the wall'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker, to be fair.

Oooer!! Touché!!!

[Padraig]

Is that Zoom influenced?

I could well believe that, cloughie. The context in which I heard 'non-zero number' was that of court proceedings brought by Republicans over the US Election count. Lawyers were complaining that observers were not allowed in the room and it came down to the judge asking how many were actually present.

[Maclintick]

'It is driving me up the wall'. This meaningless phrase is cropping up at the beginning or end of sentences whatever the subject matter and whoever the speaker, to be fair.

It "does my head in" as well, Boilk, to be brutally honest...in a manner of speaking, as it were...

[gurnemanz]

Re To be fair...

To be fair, it does have an authentic and precise application (as French Frank pointed out above) but is certainly tiresome when used as an unthinking filler.

However punctilous we think we are, I suspect most of us have potentially annoying speech habits. I think I probably over-use "actually" which often comes out as "aksherly" or a highly reduced "akshly".

[Stanfordian]

I use that quite often to balance an argument, like 'on the one hand, on the other'.

It's frequently used by players and managers in football interviews. It usually doesn't relate to any content of the conversation and has no real meaning. Infuriatingly, my son now uses it in his conversations.

[LezLee]

Cropping up especially in property-buying programmes, we have :
Husband- "Yes, no, it's lovely."
Wife "No, I love it"

Aarrgghh!

[Pulcinella]

Cropping up especially in property-buying programmes, we have :
Husband- "Yes, no, it's lovely."
Wife "No, I love it"

Aarrgghh!

Are those the before and after 'staging' comments?