One would think that someone who gets annoyed as easily as I do, and is annoyed by as wide a range of topics as I am, would have a pretty comprehensive grasp of the world of irritation. But it still came as a surprise to me that one of my colleagues, who seems quite calm and cheerful on the surface, is inwardly seething with resentment against certain words. Even though I am a writer by trade, this idea had never occurred to me before. I don’t know why not — words were created by people, after all, and what could possibly be more annoying than other people?
Anyway. On to the list:
- Asphalt
- Bureaucratic
- Butcher (as a verb or noun)
- Concussion
- Carcass
- Charred
- Subordinate
- “Fire it up” when applied to a gadget appliance. (If it can’t be “fired down,” why are you firing it up??)
Other co-workers, it turns out, also have their own verbal pet peeves:
- The ampersand. (What, pray tell, is preventing you from using “and?”)
- Moist. (Hmm. This is one I’d rather not delve into.)
- The name Skylar.
These inspiring choices led me to remember my own least favorite word: verbiage. As in, “Would you just throw some verbiage about this product in that empty space?” Actually, no. I would not. Thank you.
If you know of some really annoying words, please feel free to post a comment.
