The "Annoying Phrase" Thread

[Diamondback]

Personally, when it's the case I've always preferred the angle of "Just doing my job, sir/ma'am" when I've believed folks were thanking me more than my actions warranted.

 

[Lefty]

Ha, Lefty-you nailed it.

Darn. My one for the month and I used it on this? lol

 

[scottyrocks]

I think its not just the words. Its also in the way you say them. A genuine smile, even while delivering a phrase such as 'no problem,' offers the same essence as a more traditional phrase such as youre welcome. But . . .

Do I use no problem exclusively? No. 'No problem' gives me the feeling that what Ive done for you could have been a problem, but it wasnt this time - not a message I want to send to a client or patron.

I also say 'youre welcome,' and 'my pleasure,' depending on the situation, person involved, and location. If I was in a service business, would I use 'no problem?' I dont think so. I just dont like the way it sounds in that type of situation, for much the same reason Lizzie articulated. My favorite phrase in such a situation is a 'youre very welcome,' with a smile.

 

[Lotta Little]

Darn. My one for the month and I used it on this? lol

You were running out of month anyway.

 

[Fedord Spaniard]

I personally dont have a problem with the phrase "no problem". The phrases "my bad" or "my fault" bother me more. Whenever i hear "my bad / my fault" theres times where i feel like saying sarcasticlly "yea?, i thought it was my bad/fault?" lol ." Another phrase that annoys me is "good looking" in the place of "thank you"... some people say "good looking, good looking" instead of "thanks or thank you"... when they say that to me i feel like saying "o yea, you think so? thanks" lol .

 

[Orsini]

I never say this. If it is social, I say, "You're welcome." If it is business, I say some variation of "My pleasure! Glad to have been of assistance!"

However, the use of "no problem" is not always a problem...

I recently finished an assignment where the other side of the partition was occupied by another contractor who came in twice a week for four hours to handle trouble tickets.

Although you might not have thought it to look at him, he had among the nicest deportment with customers that I had ever seen. He was polite and his voice was soothing as he talked the customer thought their problem. At the end, I am sure they thanked him (of course, I only heard one side of the telephone conversation) and them he would say: "no problem." If I had been asked to comment on his performance (which I was not), this would have been the only change I would have suggested.

Nevertheless, because of his voice and manner and the fact that he was a nice guy and not a jerk, the way he said it was really….no problem… [rimshot icon here]

 

[SamMarlowPI]

FS, i think you're thinking of "good lookin out"...i haven't said that in a long time...lol i say "my fault" once in awhile...

after a "thank you" i usually say "yep"...simple and acknowledging...

 

[Paisley]

I don't tend to take stock phrases literally. Imagine a world where people did just that:

"May I help you?"
"Yeah, I want some cottage cheese and salsa on a pita and a meatloaf sandwich to go. It would really help me to get it for free."

"How do you do?"
"How do I do what?"

"What's up?"
"These will be, after I go to the bra sale." (Actual conversation.)

Some phrases like "no problem" are too casual for some settings, but like "you're welcome" and "hear hear," they're idioms.

 

[Fedord Spaniard]

FS, i think you're thinking of "good lookin out"...i haven't said that in a long time...lol i say "my fault" once in awhile...

after a "thank you" i usually say "yep"...simple and acknowledging...

hahaha Yea, they say it both ways here.. some say it as "good lookin out" and others say it as "good lookin". Theres worst phrases tho like the "n word" that word really annoys me. Especially when its said as every other word coming out of the persons mouth. It doesnt matter if still a black person saying it..if a non black person in society shouldnt use it in any context..then black people shouldnt be able to use it either. You dont know how common that word is here.. its like the new "dude" here.

 

[LordBest]

I think context is the most important thing with this one. If someone says it when they are fulfilling their paid job then it is quite innapropriate. I order the duck, you say no problem? Well, that is a relief I am sure. Maybe if I had ordered the steak there would be a problem? Pistols at dawn perhaps, what.

But in certain situations it can be quite appropriate. I myself have used it when answering the telephone for one or other of my parents businesses. I do not get paid for it, it certainly is not a pleasure, they are not particularly welcome but it is not exactly a problem.

 

[Mr. Godfrey]

Oh, for the Golden Age when people knew the proper response to "Thank you!"

Regards,
Tom

So true Tom.

Is it a curse of a younger, modern, smaller world that we have such changes in speech / etiquette, I fear.

When I was young, "Your Welcome" was never used unlike "My pleasure" or "It's a pleasure". Being in England, I think this may be a cultral thing as "Your Welcome" seemed a very American thing, which appeared with American diners in the UK in the 80's, along with more tourism to the USA. I have always found it quite pleasant and friendly, when I have been served/helped anyware in the world (that's if if comes with a smile or no attitude).

I guess I would rather have "Na probs", "No worries" (another new form of address from Australia) "No problem" than nothing at all, as it seems some form of modern manners, even if it grates, are better than none. I will however continue to use "My pleasure", I would not wish to upset my Grandmother. It is up to us to educate the modern world , Complusive viewing of the Fedora Lounge in all homes, schools, etc

To highlight changing language, while this is a comdey sketch, I have some junior staff that sound exactly the same while talking to each other, so much so I could not understand a couple of sentences [huh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNQf08Kxsw

 

[Carlisle Blues]

No Problem

Idioms: no problem



1. Also, no sweat; not to worry. There's no difficulty about this, don't concern yourself. For example, Of course I can change your tire--no problem, or You want more small change? no sweat, or We'll be there in plenty of time, not to worry. The first of these colloquial terms dates from about 1960 and the second from about 1950. The third, originating in Britain in the 1930s and using not to with the sense of "don't," crossed the Atlantic in the 1970s.
2. You're welcome, as in Thanks for the ride, Dad.--No problem. [Late 1900s]


Please wake me when this thread is concluded.

 

[LizzieMaine]

FS, i think you're thinking of "good lookin out"...i haven't said that in a long time...lol i say "my fault" once in awhile...

Jeez, I must be more out of touch than I realized, if that's possible. I always thought "Good Lookin' Out" meant a well-hit fly ball, caught very deep against the center field wall.

 

[Lillemor]

I've never used 'no problem' in that context. It doesn't seem natural or right to me. 'You're welcome', 'I'm glad to asssist/help you', 'that's what I'm here for, please don't excuse', and like replies is what I remember having used. There's no need to imply that someone's an inconvenience on me or potentially could be. I've done many things at work which others would consider inconvenient or not part of the job title. It really irritates me when people walk in such small shoes. There have however been times where in hindsight, I can see that my services became nearly self-effacing which I wouldn't accept today.

For someone who's always been interested in linguistics and even took a linguistic anthropology class I know it's a bit strange that I'm not very conscious of vocabular, phrase and ...forgot the word...changes in neither the English nor the Danish language.

"What's up?" and "so is it on?" threw me the first many times I heard it. My dad used to make me curl toes when someone asked "how do you do?" and he'd start rambling. lol To avoid me learning from his example, my aunt and grandma had told me that if someone says "how'd you do?" or something similar to answer with the same question, smile, nod and move on/continue with the pleasanties/subject to be disgussed. So that's what I've been doing. Is that right or wrong? If wrong, then what's the correct response?

 

[Lotta Little]

This makes me think of the J.D. Salinger story "Teddy," about a boy who believes he is the reincarnation of a holy man. Because of his psychic abilities, he is studied by a group of scientists. He explains to them that everything children are taught from birth, "You can't go through a wall except through a door, can't hear other people's thoughts, etc" are like the apple that Adam ate in the Garden of Eden, and the apple itself was logic. Logic is what prevents us from seeing and doing more. It's a great story with a great ending, and you can read it here: http://http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/teddy.html

 

[Lotta Little]

Sorry, that link didn't work, here's the link again! http://www.freeweb.hu/tchl/salinger/teddy.html

 

[Lotta Little]

Also, I am totally in the wrong thread! Sorry, need coffee.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Jeez, I must be more out of touch than I realized, if that's possible. I always thought "Good Lookin' Out" meant a well-hit fly ball, caught very deep against the center field wall.

lol that certainly is different but makes complete sense...

'good lookin out' where i'm from is a "thanks" with a personal touch or an extension...

"i'm gonna give you this stereo for 300 plus a free sub and 4 speakers half-off"

"good lookin' out, man"

or

"i gotta go pick up my brother"

"hey, i'm goin that way, i can do it"

"thanks man, good lookin' out..."

 

[Lily Powers]

If I bump into someone, I say "I'm sorry," because I AM! I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry I nudged a little old lady or gent... it just comes from my heart and out of my mouth and I generally don't give it another thought.

 

[Johnnysan]

While I completely understand that many folks have pet peeves concerning the proper use of language and the overuse of certain, often meaningless, phrases, I also think that there is a point when we protest too much.

Personally, if someone takes the time to acknowledge me in a sincere and courteous manner, they get points. As parents of a six year-old, my wife and I are constantly trying to reinforce the importance of "please", "thank you" and "you're welcome." It's an uphill battle when it appears that 75% of the adults that you encounter have seemingly dispensed with those niceties.

In a society where common courtesy is becoming a rarity, I'm not much concerned about grammatical correctness when someone is at least making an attempt to be civil.