I don't have a long list of commonly used phrases that I hate, but there are a couple that just drive me up a wall.
1. "At the end of the day." I have to bite my tongue to keep from asking, "At the end of which day? Today? Some other day?" I simply hate it. I would actually rather hear the antiquated expression, "when all is said and done'. At least the latter is clear in its meaning.
2. This one used to be at the top of my list, at some point replaced by number 1 above. When someone is making comparisons and states, "it's exactly the same as , except ...". The subjects are obviously not exactly the same because there are differences. Why not state the obvious and say something more to the point like, "this one is different from that one because..."? This phrase has bothered me for many years, but less so since everybody is now talking about "the end of the day".
Yes, I know, hating these phrases has very little importance, but they drive me nuts.
-- Wayne Boatwright *À*
A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!
