Top 10 most irritating phrases!

Today's entry is a slight diversion on our usual topics, but the subject was such an interesting one for me, I had to write about it.

Words - an essential part of the world’s communication. So why do we always seem to get them wrong?

Well, if you might not have guessed, today's entry is about words, or more specifically "OXFORD's list of top ten irritating phrases". A work colleague emailed me this article from telegraph.co.uk, and it just had to be shared. The list mostly comprises mistaken phrases such as the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of" instead of "shouldn't have".

The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the Internet and other sources.

The database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused.

The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework. As well as these expressions, the book's author Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".

Other phrases to irritate people are "literally" and "ironically", when they are used out of context.

Mr Butterfield said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often – an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism – and the same seems to happen with some language."

TOP 10 most irritating phrases:

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

I’m sure many of you are conjuring up many irritating days at the office! But what are your most irritating phrases? I personally have to say that “having said that” for me should be there!

Please add to the list!

Keep creative,

James