The exception that proves the rule.
People use it in a way where counterexample proofs that the rule exist when it's supposed to mean that the rule also handles exceptional cases.
“Cyber” 🙄
I thought you'd never ask!
Ironic considering your username is almost an ASL
Please do the needful.
This one really grinds my gears! I think it's because the person can't even be bothered to describe what they want you to do, just go fix it and don't bother me with any details.
Indian here. Redditors say that Indians say this a lot. I'd like to tell you that while Indians do use this sentence, it's almost always placed only after a long, somewhat-gone-off-tangent-in-some-places conversation that explained everything well.
Maaaaaaybe it was to convince you without describing tasks, but... mostly, it's not so.
Also, I don't remember hearing it IRL at all. Just felt like I have heard it at least twice in my 18 years of humaning around.
But why use such an awkward construction? Why not "please handle this" or "please take care of this"? Or even "please take the necessary steps to address this"? "Please do the needful" is saying Please [VERB] the [ADJECTIVE]. But the correct construction is to verb a noun. So you need a noun (e.g., "this") to act on.
And additionally, "needful" is an adjective, and rarely ever used anyway. For example, you could probably describe a homeless person as "needful", but it sounds awkward, and most people would say "needy" or "in need."
The history of that phrase and how it re-entered modern English is fascinating though!
The replacement of the term “conspiracy theory” with just “conspiracy”.
That’s two different things. If we equate the two semantically we can’t discuss them.
Not specifically a word, but i hate when people mix english with their native language
Its especially worse when they use words that are nearly identical
"Karen"
I cringe so hard at the twitterist carebear-hugbox way of smugly claiming the intellectual high ground and shaming somebody:
"Be better." or "Do better."
The sentiment isn't terrible, but it's prevalent use is obviously just dripping with arrogance and thrown out in the most petty ways. Ugh!
They're the same types that appear in comment threads with contradictory arguments to literally fucking anything -
"We should save the whales"
"Yes but my cousin got splashed by a whale on a boat trip as a toddler and now has a terrible phobia that makes her wheeze whenever she sees one. Do you want that, is that what you want?"
"We should plan walkable cities"
"OH MY GOD SHES IN A WHEELCHAIR TOO DO YOU ONLY EVER THINK ABOUT YOURSELF YOU ABLEIST"
😂
My theory is that they're just unbelievably bo-o-o-o-oring, humourless people with nothing to add to a conversation but a desperate need for attention
Pronouncing realtor like "real-uhh-torrrrr"
"It is what it is"
I get the sentiment behind it, it's just usually so defeatist/dismissive of a situation to me.
That’s now how people in my subculture use it.
They use it to mean “it’s too late to avoid this problem; let’s talk about things we can change at this point”.
Example:
“If you hadn’t stopped at that rest area the killer never would have slashed our tires”
“Well if you hadn’t jumped for those cheap tires maybe he wouldn’t have been able to slash them with a butter knife”
“And if you’d paid for the triple A we’d have a ride by now”
“Look, it is what it is. Let’s just figure out a way to get back to town without having to follow the road”
"Oftentimes"
Its always interchangeable with Often. Just use Often.
Especially in news headlines: slams, blasts, mind-blowing, hack (or lifehack)
I'm sure there are others, but that's all my brain can handle at the moment.
"Completely different" when the two things are actually very similar
"bank grade security" grinds my gears, too
Having worked at actual banks, too, don't follow their lead....
Seriously, my bank used to have a password requirement that was 6 characters exactly, no more or less. Plus symbols were completely banned. The reason, it was also your phone password, so in reality it was a 6 digit numeric password where they interpreted the T9 letters as numbers.
Someone could take all the answers here and create a copypasta equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard.
"Ding ding ding!" When someone agrees with something you wrote, but wants to make sure that you know that they already knew and claim ownership of the statement that you wrote. Condesending asshole. I did not arrive at your opinion late.
"Meanwhile" in cooking recipes. Just no. I am following a recipe in stepwise order. You do not get to tell me what I should have already done in the previous step.
Mama, momma, mommas…
“Hey Facebook mommas, I’ve got a question about…”
I don’t know why, but it annoys the shit out of me.
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