Fingernails on a chalkboard

Jul. 28th, 2009 at 1:45 PM

Is it just me, or does anyone else have certain words they hate with a passion?

I’m not talking about swearing (though I do feel that's something sadly overused these days). I’m thinking about perfectly acceptable words which for some reason have the same effect on us as fingernails on a chalkboard.

I have a few, but top of the list is ‘snog’ (meaning a passionate kiss – usually between teenagers).

I don’t know why, but I cringe when I hear it. ‘Tonsel-hockey?’ Fine. ‘Face-sucking?’ Okay, that’s gross too, though I can live it, but ‘snog’ or ‘snogging’? Yuk!

If I could, I’d sandblast the word ‘snog’ from the English language and substitute it with something else, something less annoying, like, say, ‘tongue-wrestling’.

How about you?

What word would you like to banish from the English language?

What would you replace it with?

Current Mood: determined

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Comments

( 30 comments — Leave a comment )

smeddley

Jul. 28th, 2009 02:30 pm (UTC)

This might not count, because it's not a single word, but when people use "hand cream" to refer to lotion or "cream rinse" to refer to conditioner. None of the words on their own bother me (it't perfectly fine to, say, rinse some spilled cream off of you hand), but that usage... *shudder*

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 02:38 pm (UTC)

Lol. Love that icon, btw :)

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smeddley - Jul. 28th, 2009 07:55 pm (UTC) - Expand

bogwitch64

Jul. 28th, 2009 03:18 pm (UTC)

Hygiene. I don't know why, but I've always hated that word. ::::shudder:::

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 03:26 pm (UTC)

Lol, that must make it awkward when you're with a friend called Jean and someone they know stops by to say 'Hi'.

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jongibbs - Jul. 28th, 2009 03:40 pm (UTC) - Expand

mongrelheart

Jul. 28th, 2009 03:27 pm (UTC)

I've always hated the word "fondle". Ew, ew, ew! Dunno if I'd banish it, though. I suppose it serves a purpose.

I'd definitely love to banish the word "convo" (for "conversation"). That one just grates on me.

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 03:43 pm (UTC)

It does have a 'creepy' vibe to it.

As for convo, I don't think I've heard that one before, but it sounds like the kind of thing someone trying to be cool (and not succeeding) would say.

Thanks for sharing :)

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sandrawickham

Jul. 28th, 2009 03:58 pm (UTC)

I've always hated the word "skinny". Hate that...especially when I'm training for a contest or am training other women who get called "skinny". No...there's a difference between 'lean with muscle' and skinny! K, this was not really a language beef, more of a personal beef! LOL

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 04:14 pm (UTC)

I was skinny until I was in my late teens, then I got very fit and was lean with muscle. Somewhere between my mid-twenties and late forties, my manly six-pack transformed into a keg. And I don't even drink :(

Btw, kudos for the 'personal beef' pun ;)

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kmarkhoover

Jul. 28th, 2009 04:33 pm (UTC)

I think verbs are overrated.

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 05:17 pm (UTC)

What, all of them?

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hildebabble

Jul. 28th, 2009 04:55 pm (UTC)

Recently a friend made use of the term "fatty corpuscle" in conversation. I'm on the fence. I haven't decided if I hate the term or secretly love it.

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 05:16 pm (UTC)

"Fatty Corpuscle" Wasn't he a silent movie star? ;)

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jongibbs - Jul. 29th, 2009 11:53 am (UTC) - Expand

jjschwabach

Jul. 28th, 2009 06:04 pm (UTC)

"Greedy" and "squeal" have always done it for me. And "glee." See a pattern here? Yet I don't mind "free" or "year" or other long "e" words.

You know the song, "The Marvelous Little Toy?" Fine song, until he gives it to his own son who gives a "squeal of glee." What is he, a piglet?

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jongibbs

Jul. 28th, 2009 06:07 pm (UTC)

Lol. I imagine you're not a fan of 'squee' either :)

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karen_w_newton

Jul. 28th, 2009 10:39 pm (UTC)

Are you open to the opposite-- words I really love to use? One of my favorites is plethora. Hard to work into the conversation but I've done it. Also, paradigm, but that points out that a perfectly fine word can be joined to another word to become worse-than-useless buzzwords, in this case, the dreaded paradigm shift, which is right up there with transition (used as a verb) and partner (also used as a verb). Gack!

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jongibbs

Jul. 29th, 2009 06:17 am (UTC)

I've a feeling plethora went up in use after The Three Amigos - I know I'd never heard it used before then

I think it's ironic how some people use buzzwords because they think it makes them sound smart, when it so often has the opposite effect :)

I confess I've used non-existent verbs my own self, eg: "The walls carouselled around him", but I think that's okay. After all, the English language is ever-changing, and words are meant to paint a picture inside a stranger's head. At least, that's my excuse ;)

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karen_w_newton - Jul. 29th, 2009 08:39 am (UTC) - Expand

black_faery

Jul. 29th, 2009 06:55 am (UTC)

"blog" - I loathe it. And I hate that I can't find something else to replace it, other than "online journal", which is very cumbersome.

And I'm totally with you on "snog" - urgh! :-)

On the other hand, there are words that I love the sound of. "shift", for example.

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jongibbs

Jul. 29th, 2009 07:02 am (UTC)

I know what you mean about 'blog'. I used to have the same problem with 'gig'. "Playing live", was too much.

Maybe you should post an entry over at your journal, asking for alternative words to blog :)

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chant_1

Jul. 29th, 2009 11:16 pm (UTC)

Jon, if you haven't already seen it, you should check out this Language Log post about words that people hate. I think that much like words we love, there are words we hate for their meaning and words we hate for their sound.

Snog is a rather...gross sounding word. It should be a word describing something that swine in love would do, not people!

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jongibbs

Jul. 30th, 2009 06:21 am (UTC)

Your description of what 'snog' implies hits the nail on the head :)

Thanks for the link. I'm inclined to agree with the comments there.

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( 30 comments — Leave a comment )