You choose. Which term annoys you the most:

• Ya know
• Whatever
• Anyway
• It is what it is
• At the end of the day

And we have a loser! In a recent poll as to which term is the most annoying in conversation, whatever scored an impressive (or woeful) 47%.

Annoyance Avoidance

Let’s look at the contenders, and consider from whence their annoyance factors spring.

Ya know. We all slip into this from time to time. I think this fault comes from inattention (we’re not marshalling our thoughts to produce clear statements) as well as from ego (we’re not willing to stop talking, even though we’ve, ya know, sorta said all we can think of at the moment).

Anyway. I also chalk this up to our common inability to stop talking.  Almost everyone I know—and I must include myself— has trouble saying what they mean to say, putting a period on it, and then closing their mouths. It would be sneaky fun, after someone says Anyway, to ask, “Anyway what?”

It is what it is. If it is, why say so? Pumpkins are orange; Santa’s suit is red. There’s no need to point out the obvious. If, on the other hand, you mean it is something that can’t be helped (appendicitis definitely is what it is), we could say just that: “But it can’t be helped” or “I’ll cope with it.”

But “It is what it is” is most annoying when used as a lame excuse or acceptance of the unacceptable. For example, what if someone were to grab the microphone away from someone making an acceptance speech: Can that be dismissed with a shrug and an “it is what it is”? Sometimes it is rude or stupid or even illegal. Let’s use those words instead.

At the end of the day. An excellent example of a phrase that worked, but then got worked to death. Try something fresh. Say “finally,” say “when we’re done,” say, “Tuesday at Noon,” say “when all is said and done” which is also a cliché but you don’t have to hear it twelve times a day.

But my vote goes to—

On the season ranks tops as the phrase that most annoys me. True, you don’t hear this in everyday conversation, but you sure hear it out of the mouths of sportscasters. “He’s batting .303 on the season.” (with the variation, “He’s 2-for-3 on the night.”) What’s up with that?! In major league baseball, there is apparently no “this” for a season or a night or a series. There is only “on the.” Stop it, I tell you, stop!

What’s the phrase that most annoys you? Send me your pet peeves!