Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[MrGongGong]

"Fit for Purpose" is outstaying its welcome.

I've never seen an unfit one

"Incredibly" - what's wrong with "very"?

It means something else ?

[french frank]

Has "gym" had a meaning change too, then? If so, it's the first I've heard...

I took it that Zucchers was saying my frequent mentions of the gym set his teeth on edge (that being the only way I can respectably explain my exhaustive knowledge of all the random yoof stuff).

[arancie33]

It means something else ?

Indeed it does. I did not make myself clear. " incredibly" is too often used as a substitute for "very" by radio presenters and announcers. Listen and you will hear it. Of course, they could really mean "incredibly" but I venture to suggest then that they have led very sheltered lives ..... or even incrediblly sheltered lives but I somehow think not.

[EdgeleyRob]

man city 6

[MrGongGong]

Indeed it does. I did not make myself clear. " incredibly" is too often used as a substitute for "very" by radio presenters and announcers. Listen and you will hear it. Of course, they could really mean "incredibly" but I venture to suggest then that they have led very sheltered lives ..... or even incrediblly sheltered lives but I somehow think not.

Incredible

[Serial_Apologist]

I took it that Zucchers was saying my frequent mentions of the gym set his teeth on edge (that being the only way I can respectably explain my exhaustive knowledge of all the random yoof stuff).

Well Teamsaint seems very sure what it meant - but thanks though!

[LeMartinPecheur]

"Fit for Purpose" is outstaying its welcome.

And also downgrading its use as a technical term in the Sale of Goods Act, from which it has presumably been filched!

[Stillhomewardbound]

A certain 9-12 sequence always begins with 'a very warm welcome ... '. It's there in the template script that is used by the two rotated presenters and it appears pretty well without fail every weekday morning.

So why does it rankle with me? Well, I'd feel as appreciated with a simple 'welcome'. Putting in a 'warm' and 'very' in front of it has all the charm and bonhomie of re-heated spaghettini bolognaise.

It is after all a daily programme. Hardly what one might call appointment-radio. (Oh, God, there's another one. I'm at it myself now. The kind of lazy slogans beloved by the nightwaves crowd along with their oft-quoted 'water cooler moments'. An absurd reductionist import from the US).

Anyway, back to 'a very warm welcome'. Any chance the presenters could knock it on the head.

Actually, any chance Radio 3 could throw out the template scripts altogether and allow their hosts to express themselves as individuals?

[Richard Tarleton]

"My words/remarks were taken out of context"

Most recently from President Karzai, but used extensively to defend some generally perfectly unambiguous statement. This may well have appeared before.....

[gurnemanz]

The worrying thing is when you find yourself inadvertently using one of these teeth-jarring phrases yourself. After a meal out the other night I heard myself say; "Can I get the bill, please." I actually dislike this use of "get" instead of "have", but our daughter says it all the time and I have obviously become unwillingly infected. I shall make an effort to avoid it in future.

[ahinton]

The worrying thing is when you find yourself inadvertently using one of these teeth-jarring phrases yourself. After a meal out the other night I heard myself say; "Can I get the bill, please." I actually dislike this use of "get" instead of "have", but our daughter says it all the time and I have obviously become unwillingly infected. I shall make an effort to avoid it in future.

I've gotten into the habit of asking for the check, which reminds me of the old chestnut about Brits paying a bill with a cheque and Americans paying a check with a bill (which is, of course, woefully outmoded as each would usually settle it with a credit card).

[chapman19]

I'm not certain if this has been mentioned before but I think the most jarring phrase I hear on news programmes now-a-days is 'He was named locally as Fred Bloggs'. This always brings the question to my mind - '...so what was he called nationally?'.

[kea]

as used by others -

"pop" as in "just pop your X down over there..."
the verbs "source", "progress", "action", "liaise", etc... you know the ones. "We are actioning your enquiry." Bleah.
"deliverables"
"Web 2.0", I am really glad this one has disappeared
I've become used to most of the Kiwi-speak since moving (sorry, shifting) here, but calling peppers "capsicum" still grates on me somewhat

as used by me -

qualifiers: "somewhat", "clearly", "definitely", "personally", "to be honest", "pretty", "really", etc, etc. These things infest my speech and writing like vermin.
"No worries", which has become my default response to so many things, it's kind of sad
The word "error". For some reason, I cannot pronounce this word at all. I blame my American upbringing and thus inability to drop r's from the ends of words as a proper English speaker should ;)

[clive heath]

"What we are saying is............."

"We are/ I am, very clear about..............."

but grown to tolerate even use daughter's ( just got a job at the Beeb!!) "can't be arsed"

usual caveat!

[Radio64]

Enjoyed reading through this thread.

My own personal hate is when people reply to the question 'How are you?' with "I'm good" ...aaaaarggghh ..even saying it to myself makes me cringe.

Even worse are answers like "I'm great / fantastic / wonderful..."