As a writing student I get to read many other’s work. I love and hate this simultaneously. I do understand that the writings my fellow studnets bring to class are rough drafts, and therefore still…well…rough. I too, need the second pair of eyes on my work to see where I am being vauge, annoying or just plain dumb.
However, there are words and phrases that make me angry. I have no GOOD reason to dislike them, I just do. I am unfair for the fact that I loathe certain sayings, and I just don’t really care. And there is a chance that some of you reading this write some of the things I hate, and you are free to gossip about me because of it. I just cannot help my pet peeves.
7. “…but I digress”
I dislike this.
6. “commence”
I actually was writing this blog last week, and then someone used this word and I put off posting a few days because I had no intention of picking them out specifically. But seriously, who commences? I had a fellow classmate use this word in a memoir piece one time. He mentioned how he commenced by the lake to partake of cheese and poetry.
5. “were, was, had” etc.
This is a problem for me personally. I wrote a twenty page memoir last year for class, and the instructor returned it to me telling me to remove all of those words and I would see how the piece would change dramatically. It worked, but it’s so much easier to say “I had cake” as opposed to “I disgustingly devoured an entire cake”
4. “swimmingly”
As in, “My new job is going swimmingly.” I have no idea what that means. Good job? Bad job? Even if it is common knowledge this is my irrational list of hated words and I won’t back down.
3. “Pecking order”
I don’t know that I am in any place of any pecking orders, but if I am, take me off the list.
2. “Between you and me…”
I have a feeling that anyone who says this is hoping you rush out and spread the juicy tidbits that they just offered.
1. The final sentence of YOUR most previous blog post.
I am kidding, but I figured that I may have offended some with the first six and now I have offended you all.
Coming Tomorrow: an in depth look at puppies, the color pink, and other pleasantries.
The Pilver 
7. That is hilarious. There doesn’t need to be an explanation. But I digress…
😉
Holy hell…I’m on your list now, Kristiane. I say “But I digress…” ALL THE TIME. I was going to write a comment using all the sayings that you mentioned above, but I just don’t have the energy for it. October 15th deadline looms and work is…well, WORK.
Along those lines, I really hate “…but that’s another story.” People tack on that phrase to impart the illusion that their lives are more interesting and run deeper than anyone could suspect. Often it’s used to hint at a sexual kink.
But there is no “other story.” There never is “another story.” The allusion runs into a brick wall, the plumb-bob strikes the bottom of the kiddie pool immediately. I hate this phrase as much as seeing dull, mainstream Normals claim “I live life to the fullest” in their Personals ads, couched around other unique qualifiers as “love to laugh” and “long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners” and “value inteligent conervsatoin.”
For my part, I treat “but I digress” like Italian cuisine treats a whole bay leaf: a pointed accent to be used very purposefully only once in a great while. Not an everyday treat, not to be abused.
I tend to use “but I digress” as a shortened way of saying “oh crap, I just went off on a huge tangent that had a constantly decreasing relevancy and now I can’t think of a clever way to get back on subject, instead we’ll just flip back right now and forget I rambled off”.
Okay, so the person you say used “commence” recently was me…did you think I wouldn’t notice? Whatever…your classmate used the word completely wrong in the example you gave, but when used correctly (i.e. ironically/humorously) it’s a fine word.
However, I couldn’t agree more about “I digress…” I defy anyone to find me a single usage of this phrase that is actually necessary and not just a piece of vocabulary showboating.
“Swimmingly” is pretty ridiculous, too.
What a timely post. There are a couple words recently shared in the office that aren’t even words at all: 1) “Irregardless,” as in “irregardless of the facts, McCain is running a negative campaign.” The correct way to say this is “regardless.” 2) People in my office actually use the word “supposebly.” Using this word is just WRONG! The word is “supposedly.” Your prof wants you to write in a more active voice which is more interesting to read. That’s why he asked you to kill the “was, had, were” words in your writing.
dailytri–thank you THANK YOU for pointing out two of the three words that drive me absolutely batty! The third would be “anyways”. Drop the “S” people!
I’ve been saying “Between you and I” but I think I might actually be the one that is wrong, especially considering the title of this book.
Christian, even your blog comments reek of talent.
tg- oh, I knew you’d know, I just figured I would wait until it was no longer posted on your site 🙂 Though offending you is difficult in the first place. I have no real clue what that word means for certain…I need to use a thesaurus more often.
DT and essay, yes, I never use that, cause I know I would do it wrong
and again to DT, yes, I know. It was tough to swallow when I saw how often I used those words
i am with you on all of those, and on those of dailytri. yes, yes, yes. my sister used to date a guy who said “somewheres” instead of somewhere.
i think i say “anyways” once in awhile too. oopsie. i guess i am a big loser, huh?
Between you and me, I’ve always believed that “anyways” and “somewheres” were only used because people had tried to be funny.
But I digress, this entry went swimmingly between you and me, and the pecking order was simply perfect.
Let us commence with the reading of the comments. Coming Tomorrow: an in depth look at puppies, the color pink, and other pleasantries.
😉
***!!!WINNER!!!***
Woo! What did I win?
I worked with people who used “somewhen” as a word and now I find myself saying it.
Oh, and can I hate people who use loose instead of lose? Pretty please, with cherries, sprinkles and lots of gooey sauce?
I hate when politicians say “nukular” instead of “nuclear.”
Here are some of mine:
“At the end of the day…” Seriously overused.
“Irregardles….” Not a word. It’s “regardless”
New ones as of late:
“what happens on wall street, and what happens on main street…”
“Joe the Plumber…” What about politicians caring about “Sarah the Student?”
Here is one phrase I really hate – “For real?”
I was doing a Google on the expression “but I digress” and I found this blog post. I absolutely hate it when people write “but I digress”. There are other interjections and idioms in the English language and it really isn’t that hard to establish links between different ideas and trains of thought. After all, the writer WAS writing about a different subject when s/he veered off on a tangent by SOMETHING ELSE. If your digression is egregious, go back and delete it. If not, then work it into your narrative. If you can’t do that, stop writing and go take a remedial course!
This is more of an Americanism – ‘off of’. Dunno which is more irritating, this or ‘I was like……’ Lazy dumb-ass talk.