Dear LPG readers, 

Is there a word or a phrase that annoys you when someone you know uses it because they always slip it into their conversation somewhere?  Perhaps annoy is too strong a word. It is hilarious that we nearly all have a friend who cannot help themselves when it comes to repeatedly saying a particular word or phrase during the shortest chats.  

I have a brother who cannot help but refer to all the ladies he talks to as ‘Love’.  It annoys me a little because he ends nearly every sentence with it unless he is talking to a man (in which case the word ‘mate’ will take its place).  

In my head, love is an extraordinary word that needs to be saved for the special people in your life. Still, as a waitress delivers a cup of tea to his table in a café, he will often interject what he is saying with a quick ‘thanks love’ before continuing without even thinking about it, when ‘thanks’ on its own would have been more than adequate without devaluing that term of endearment.  It is just my opinion, I suppose.

Another eye-opener for me was my 5-year-old grandson's repeated use of the phrase, ‘Oh my God!’ with rolled eyes and an emphatic shoulder shrug. But then I noticed that his mum uses the phrase a lot.

I have a group of friends who often meet up socially. No matter where the subject of our chat meanders, one regular group member has a habit of pleading ignorance with her go-to phrase: ‘I just don’t understand any of it.’ Meanwhile, another group member nearly always draws attention to the fact that he wants to contribute to the conversation with, ‘Let’s look at it this way.’

The fact is that when I thought about it, nearly all of the people I know have a habit of using one turn of phrase more than others, and this got me thinking about what I say more than I should.  A rapid survey of three friends was surprisingly conclusive.  I nearly always introduce the fact that I could do with a bit of help with the phrase, ’sorry to be a pest…’  which proves that I do it too.

Here’s a little challenge for you. Why not follow my lead, ask a couple of your friends, take my survey, and discover your overused go-to phrase?

 FC, Essex