Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

Ooh, that one maddens me too, "should of". I think it's because that's what "should have" sounds like when spoken quickly, so I can sort of understand. It still irritates the hell out of me though. Worse than any phrases is the ***** upward intonation at the end of sentences as though a question is being asked. I deliberately don't reply if someone uses it with me in the vain hope they will desist.

Ooh, and another one is the way some people omit half a word! They will say "quar-a" instead of quarter or "dor-a" for their female offspring. I think I'd best stop now before my temple veins start pulsating ...

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

It came from America maybe too much telly. The term 'can I get' a coffee is the usual way of ordering in America.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

I heard it's an Australian thing - another reason why I'd never want to go there.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

Do you not think you are being a little intolerant now. I come from the East End of London and probably my accent would irritate you. In New York I had to learn how to speak so that the locals could understand me. I worked in a Bakery and seriously one woman asked my manager if she could speak to someone who could 'talk' English as she couldn't understand me!!!!!!!!

I have lived all over the place from London all the way up to Cumbria and everyone has a different way of pronouncing certain words, I say different, I am fascinated by accents and am sorry that as the world gets smaller the accents disappear in this tiny country.

As to the upward intone I can only say that unless you listen to yourself speaking none of us are perfect.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

It is what it is.

I think someone already mentioned this one.
'
What a nebulous vaccuum of a statement that is. totally useless and irritating to boot.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

Funnily enough Pats your last post illustrates one of my pet hates, people who cannot differentiate between the correct usage of 'can' and 'may'. When one asks 'can' one is asking if one is capable of an action, whereas 'may' is used when asking permission or making a request. Thus it should be 'May, I have a coffee'. When ever someone asks me can I instead of may I, I always respond, I do not know, can you?

Another old hate of mine is when someone does not know when to use 'me' and when to use 'I', as in "my sister walked behind my mother and me", but "my mother and I walked in front of my sister". The simple way to tell the correct form here is to see whether the phrase stands alone, for instance you would not say "me walked in front", but you would say "my sister walked behind me".

Another phrase which appears to have crept into the language is 'bored of', I always understood the phrase to be either bored'by' or bored 'with', but suddenly nowadays everyone seems to be saying, bored 'of'? Why and where did it come from?

As for "it is what it is" I think this is merely a modernised version of the old saying "no use crying over spilt milk".

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

I for one am pleased that we only communicate through the written word or else I would drive some of you 'nuts' irritate some and others would just hate me. By the way one of my pet dislikes is the way everyone refers to children these days as 'kids' kids are baby goats and the idea of baby goats eating free in a restaurant is quite funny.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

I don't like that one either Mary, besides 'Rocket Science' is not all it's cracked up to be, how many blew up before they got it right.

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

The one that gets me is ' Wheres my 'Het' .....
Or do you like my new - Bleck Het .....?....
I'm with you Cate - love accents altho ......not to partial to the 'Bleck Het' brigade ..... Spiffin good show - what

Re: What, if any, phrases, drive you nuts?

No, I don't think I'm intolerant. The OP asked what drives us nuts and I responded. I've nothing against regional accent variations and I never said I had, unless you're referring to someone else's post. The "upspeak" intonation isn't a matter of being perfect, as far as I'm concerned it's an irritating habit picked up probably from TV and adopted by youngsters for God knows what reason. If you're making a statement then why phrase it as a question? It's got nothing to do with accents. I'm a Brummie and have been the butt of many jokes living where I do now but that's par for the course and I take it in good humour.