Countdown star Susie Dent has listed the top 10 words and phrases people would like to ban. The lexicographer asked her 1.1 million Twitter followers which turns of phrase, terms and expressions annoyed them most.
Topping the list was the phrase “going forward”, which is used to mean “in the future”.
“No disrespect, but…” and the use of “like” as a filler were in second and third place respectively while the phrase “I wanted to reach out” was in fourth.
“I’m not gonna lie”, “basically”, “let’s go offline” and “so” at the beginning of a sentence also made the list which ends with the “optics” of something in ninth position and “my bad” at the bottom of the list.
After sharing the “unscientific analysis” of the responses on Twitter, Ms Dent commented on the social media platform: “Happily, English is a democracy so it’s up to us. And many of these are old beefs: ‘like’ as a filler was first used in 1778…”
Comedian Les Dennis was among those who responded to Ms Dent’s tweet, suggesting “for my sins” be banned while Downton Abbey actor, Hugh Bonneville, tweeted “at this point”.
Other words and phrases suggested by Twitter users which did not make the top 10 included “we need to touch base”, “let’s take a deep dive into…” and “at the end of the day”.
In 2016, the word “moist” was the front-runner in a search to find the most hated word in the English language.
It topped polls in Britain, Canada and the US, according to Oxford Dictionaries.
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The word was later overtaken by “Brexit” on the UK list before the search was scrapped due to misuse by visitors to the project website.
An Oxford graduate, Ms Dent has appeared in Countdown’s Dictionary Corner for 30 years and has become a stalwart of the Channel 4 show.
She recently revealed that she initially didn’t want to be part of the programme, which she joined in 1992 as a dictionary expert.
Ms Dent told chef James Martin on his Saturday Morning show she turned down a job on Countdown a number of times.
She said: “I went to work for the publisher that produces the Oxford Dictionary. That’s how I got on to Countdown as well. I never meant to be on telly.”
The Countdown star explained that television wasn’t her world, but her boss insisted she take part.
Ms Dent told Martin: “I did say no, and I was really lucky my boss was quite insistent that I did it. I went up and sat trembling next to Rula Lenska on that very first day.”
Since that first appearance, Ms Dent has gone on to present Channel 4 series Susie Dent’s Guide to Swearing, which explored the development and history of swear words.
Ms Dent revealed how she enjoys expletives, having previously told The Times: “Some of my favourite words are swear words, which is probably why I enjoy Catsdown [8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown] so much…
“‘F***’ is an interesting word. It’s been around since the 16th century. Normally swear words go in and out of fashion, but that word still has the power to shock.”
What is your most hated word or expression? Let us know in the comments section below.
