h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The question is in the heading. Some of mine include:

interactive game - A (computer) game as sold in a shop, is almost certain to be interactive, but the word interactive is used as a sort of selling point, for rubbishy games you get with computer encylopaedias (Comes complete with 3 interactive games).

pro-active - This word just sounds jargony.

Human resources - This sounds rather cold and unfriendly, as compared to personnel.

I can't think of anymore at the moment, but I'm sure I will, and I just wonder what you out there can think of. Remember, it is only the word or phrase you want to get rid of, not what it represents. Getting rid of the phrase 'Waste-disposal operatives', doesn't stop people coming round to take out your bins.

My girlfriend has an inexplicable hatred for the words Pamphlet and moist...I myself can't stand the "rap" phrase Bling-Bling or that stupid ooh-ooh noise that k***heads shout in night clubs.

Oh yes, pro-active is a really stupid word. Also when somebody describes themselves as anti-war. That word should be taken out and shot.

I wish people would say advertisement properly (its not advertise-ment its adverTISSment).

management team (hahaha yeah right!)

Middle Managers?

*Digs out mission statement for all businesses everywhere*

Yep, most corporate talk is pretty bad.

i wish people would pronounce ASK correctly rather than as AKS or AXE

"Downsizing" - why not say reduction &/or redundancy

"Letting people go" - rather than fire/sack/redundancy

"in my humble opinion" - of course you are not being humble - if you were you wouldnt need to preface your opinion with the foregoing statement

"at the end of the day"

'nuff said!

Oh, I was going to say that .

How about "well, basically..." erghh.

'Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher'

And thankfully I never will

Well, basically, actually is another one

Oh, and methodology used when method is meant. Not that that's a particular bugbear of mine or anything!

Any obvious statement. A564374 http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/F19585?thread=139700&post=1290106#p1290106

I know it's not a phrase, but can we put links with hardcoded references to Goo in as well?

Ew! Goo!

"whatever" and "cool"
I dislike them and they should never be used again!

"whatever" is part of Jerry Springer syndrome,
a syndrome as empty as Mr Springer himself!

"cool" is used much used it lost its

When people add stuff to the end of words that is totally unecessary: "Problematical" instead of "problematic", or "transportation" for "transport". I agree that "Methodology" is a bad one too .

The American past tense for "got", "gotten" always gets my goat too (my goat was gotten).

Also one pet hate of mine is the use of the word "putative" in molecular biology (bear with me here). It means literally "supposed" or "generally condsidered to be" but it is used all over the place in journals. For example: 'This putative gene is responsible for encoding protein x' would be said with such authority that you would have no doubt that they know what they're talking about and yes, of course they deserve more funding for this important work. *But* all that they are saying is 'there's this gene right, yeah, that miiiiight code for protein x. We're quite sure, but we could be wrong. Can we have some more money now please?'. Everyone knows that science is never 100% certain of anything, so, either a) don't use "putative", it's assumed, or b) just say "we don't really know for sure" (which is also assumed really). Putative is just a word that when slipped into a sentance before the word "gene" or "protein" enables a scientist to sound like s/he knows what they're talking about and if they're totally wrong it's ok, it was a "putative gene". Also it's a horrible word, you kind of trip up on the "t"s (putatatatatative) .

Ahh, that feels much better. Thank you for your attention, it was most theraputic.

Ste

i'm sick of people telling me "no"

Yes! There you go, steevdownunder!

Here's a short hate list:

- Investing in people
- Let's touch base
- Let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes
- I've got a window in my diary
- When all's said and done
- At the end of the day
- At the present moment in time

That'll do to be getting on with.

Work

"I hear what you say" - used by managers as the business-speak equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears and whistling loudly.