100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Jane Stephens: some pet peeves when it comes to overused phrases 

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

CEO takes mansion battle to court after council knockback

A former airline CEO is appealing to the Planning and Environment Court after a local council refused plans to build a hillside mansion. Former Virgin More

Reservoir’s $3.9m facelift and structural upgrade

An iconic landmark visible from a major coastal road is undergoing maintenance and a facade refresh. The water reservoir along David Low Way at Peregian More

B2B: Homeowners should consider ATO debt consolidation

Many Australians face the challenge of managing Australian Tax Office (ATO) debt alongside mortgages, personal loans and everyday expenses. This financial pressure can make cash More

Photo of the day: mountain view

“After being away for a few weeks, it was lovely to be reminded of how beautiful our Glass House Mountains are. Viewed from McCarthy’s More

Bowls club redevelopment refusal sparks appeal

An appeal has been launched in the Planning and Environment Court after a council rejected a proposal to develop a former bowls club site. Sunshine More

Former Sizzler site snapped up for $12m

A Sunshine Coast-based property developer has acquired a high-profile former restaurant site for $12 million, unlocking the potential for a 37.5-metre-high mixed-use project. The 4178sqm More

“You just do you,” I said to My Beloved when we were trying to work out some difficult logistics in our clashing schedules – and I gasped at my own utterance.

My mouth felt unclean – in a way that a little mouthwash could not fix.

Annoying phrases are so pervasive that they seemingly find their way to the lips of those who swear off them.

They are creeping damp, a noxious fog, an invisible cloud.

I was dining out recently and the waitress asked, “What are we having today? What did we decide?”

I resisted the urge to point out that she was not breaking bread with us, nor were we going to order for her.

She finished our exchange with “too easy” – another of those phrases that mean nothing at all but are ubiquitous.

A woman at a table nearby said “nom nom nom” out loud as her food arrived.

I may have rolled my eyes, and I am quite sure that her juvenile noise doesn’t even border on being English.

Outside of the dining scene, when did it become acceptable for full-grown adults to use ‘cray-cray’ and when did ‘brah’ replace ‘mate’ or ‘buddy’?

‘Brah’ might be a term of endearment, but it also sounds very ‘meh’.

Some of the irritating phrases are used in the workplace. Picture: Shutterstock

In business, there is a load of current phrases that have caught on but do not amount to a hill of beans.

“At the end of the day” is a way of shutting down conversation, and “can we circle back to” is more popular than asking a speaker to return to the point.

Facilitators talk about thinking “outside the box” but then say, awkwardly, “let’s unpack this”.

There are some solid passive-aggressive phrases on the rise, too, with “no offence but”, “with the greatest respect” and “to be honest” among them.

You can bet that what follows is certain to cause offence, lack respect and be inappropriately honest.

So many phrases sound important but mean nothing at all.

A sign of the times. Picture: Shutterstock.

People say they are “touching base” and “reaching out” instead of calling or talking.

There has been a lot of references to ‘learnings’ instead of lessons at schools and ‘gifting’ instead of giving over Christmas.

At the end of the day, everyone has their phrase bugbears.

If the ones here are not in your list, it can be “my bad” as well as “all good”.

I am “sorry, not sorry” – because “it is what it is”.

Dr Jane Stephens is a UniSC journalism lecturer, media commentator and writer.

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share