“Honestly,” begins your friend when offering advice, implying she hasn’t always been honest in the past. “Interesting,” responds a colleague thoughtfully after you’ve asked a simple yes or no question. “To make a long story short,” says a neighbor — and you know you’re about to miss your favorite TV show.

These are some of the words and phrases that drive readers crazy. Imprecise, misleading and banal, representing lazy thinking and fuzzy logic.

Like the misuse of anymore instead of lately. “Food has gotten so expensive anymore.” Or the overuse of ubiquitous. “I heard this word used at least 10 times by different presenters during a recent conference,” responded one reader. “It was ubiquitous.”

Phrases like take it to the next level, last line of defense and post 9/11 world are also getting to people.

Hackneyed phrases and words serve a purpose, according to linguists. And that’s why we all use them. They serve as conversational filler and provide shorthand; they tie into tradition and custom and help us fit in.

But that doesn’t reduce the irritation we feel when we hear our least favorites, and that’s not good for effective communication.

The people at Oxford University know a little bit about the English language, and they have compiled the top 10 most irritating expressions. Be careful with these:

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

If you missed last week’s Recruitment Minute — and the conversation on words started by Mansfield University’s Dennis Miller — click below:
www.targetx.com/ithink/?p=2020