The most annoying expressions...

LOL... it's funny if that's considered Colonial, because dh's grandmother who first said it to me lived most of her life in Luton. 

Dh who did spend from 5 to 15 in Kenya has what I think is a soft, slightly posh accent.  He adds the r to Kenya, but I don't think I've ever heard him say Keenyar. 

Older people will very often still pronounce Kenya as "Keenyar", since that was the standard pronunciation until independence.  Mind you, my Mother insisted on Ceylon, Rhodesia, Persia etc.. she didn't really like the concept of decolonisation.

Older people will very often still pronounce Kenya as "Keenyar", since that was the standard pronunciation until independence.  Mind you, my Mother insisted on Ceylon, Rhodesia, Persia etc.. she didn't really like the concept of decolonisation.

That makes sense.  I was just very confused when she was first talking about it.   

An expression I find annoying in shops is when the salesperson asks you "Are you finding everything all right?" What they really mean is "Is there anything special you are looking for?" I want to say "Yes, I've seen everything you have on display"

An expression I find annoying in shops is when the salesperson asks you "Are you finding everything all right?"

Old joke:

Waiter: How did you find your steak, sir?
Diner: Well, I moved the peas and there it was!

I didn't read all 50 pages, for me it is, "to be fair" and "at what point," as in "at what point are you going to..." However, there are many more that annoy me but the longer I am here the more I find myself saying these things and forgetting what is British and what is American!

I really dislike "mute" being used as "moot" (both in pronunciation and spelling). If you know what a moot point is (or think you do), you should know how to say and spell it.

An expression I find annoying in shops is when the salesperson asks you "Are you finding everything all right?" What they really mean is "Is there anything special you are looking for?" I want to say "Yes, I've seen everything you have on display"

I did a rather unpleasant stint as a sales associate at M&S this Christmas-time. 

We were evaluated on our 'chit-chat' with the customers.  It could get you fired if you didn't make some sort of comment regarding the transaction.  "Did you find everything alright?" was my go-to line if I couldn't think of anything else.   I could tell that it irritated the customers mostly.   Eventually, I gave up on it (because the whole experience SUCKED) and quit the job.  I was told that I was on my way out anyway for my refusal to play the game.

It's the horrible model of retail these days.  Making the shopping experience personal and FUN for the customer.      It's pointless!  But retailers are scared of losing a single customer so they will force it down our throats until the next thing comes along.   

I did a rather unpleasant stint as a sales associate at M&S this Christmas-time. 

We were evaluated on our 'chit-chat' with the customers.  It could get you fired if you didn't make some sort of comment regarding the transaction.  "Did you find everything alright?" was my go-to line if I couldn't think of anything else.   I could tell that it irritated the customers mostly.   Eventually, I gave up on it (because the whole experience SUCKED) and quit the job.  I was told that I was on my way out anyway for my refusal to play the game.

It's the horrible model of retail these days.  Making the shopping experience personal and FUN for the customer.      It's pointless!  But retailers are scared of losing a single customer so they will force it down our throats until the next thing comes along.   

Ugh.  I'm glad I don't have to do that.  At my old job though I did used to say to customers, "Let me know if you need help finding anything"  I didn't have to say it, but we sold supplements and stuff was hard to find sometimes, plus it's an area where people often have questions and I was there to help.  With clothes, though, people generally want to be left alone.

It's the horrible model of retail these days.  Making the shopping experience personal and FUN for the customer.      It's pointless!  But retailers are scared of losing a single customer so they will force it down our throats until the next thing comes along.   

I've worked in book shops, both in UK and US. In the horrible US one we had to be in the customer's face the minute they walked in the store. I'm quite happy to help people find books, but -- come on -- book shop patrons mostly just want to browse and not schmooze with the help.
My son is in retail (sports/clothing chain) and, while they have a very good policy on returns, the salespeople really have to push things. The customers are referred to as "guests" now. He says he just pretends he's acting a part!

"PIN number" 

Also, "ATM machine" though I obviously hear that a lot less in the UK Anything where people repeat one of the initialized words, really.

now  that I'm back in the US  it really irks  when moms  nod and  say  'so  cool'   and 'totally'  as  you are telling your story

now  that I'm back in the US  it really irks  when moms  nod and  say  'so  cool'   and 'totally'  as  you are telling your story

LOL can't tell you're in CA much can you? 

"You know what I mean"

!!!! 

LOL can't tell you're in CA much can you? 

ROFL!  at least wait til I'm done!!   

-"Choccy biccie". "Chocolate (or choc-late, if you prefer) biscuit" is practically the same number of syllables, why make the pronunciation like baby talk?

-"I'm a mommy" or "[verbing] mommyhood". You can be "Mommy" to your kids, you can even refer to yourself in the third person when talking to them "Mommy needs you to [do something]". But for god's sake, you are a grownup doing a grown-up thing: You are a mother. You are enjoying motherhood. ("I'm a mom" is somewhat grating, although less so than "mommy". But still, "motherhood" only.)

-"Now" only, instead of "now that": "Now I'm a mother, I can no longer go on weekend benders" instead of "Now that I'm a mother, I can no longer go on weekend benders". I hear "now" and I expect to hear a certain type of sentence structure - when I realize that it's meant as a "now that" sentence, I find it slightly jarring mentally.