One of the easiest ways to get a discussion going online is to ask people what words or phrases annoy them more than others, similar to what we’ve done on our Your Pet Peeves page.

The Opinionator (Stanley Fish) at the New York Times (why can’t I have that job?!?!?!) did so recently when he highlighted a series of “utterances that, when encountered, produces irritation, distress and, in some cases, the desire to kill.” That might be a bit harsh, but I can relate.

The blog entry, Can I Put You on Hold?, mirrored some of the opinion entries in my book, Literally, the Best Language Book Ever, highlighting how incredibly annoying it is to hear things such as “Your call is important to us,” “Please hold,” and “This may sting a little.”

–Paul