Researchers at Oxford University has come up with the Top 10 Irritating Phrases in English after a scientific study (don't ask my why people waste time and money on such an endeavor).
The top ten most irritating phrases are ;
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 know of at least a couple of them that are not that common in India, like 'Fairly unique', 'Shouldn't of' and maybe even 'It's a nightmare'.
But I can tell you couple of words that irritate me a lot,
'What man' - used by the Convent educated girls from Kashmir to Kanyakumari
'Only' - There is a tendency to add the word 'Only' at the end of every sentence. "I had lunch yesterday only na", " You could have called me. I was simply sitting only"
In malayalam, I just can't stand the word 'Adipoli'. This word has crept into the vocabulary of late, and I hear even highly educated people using it once every 10 sentences.
