Enrico!

Enrico prides himself that he is not easily annoyed.  Enrico believes all human beings have valued, although not infrequently the value of a particular human being may be beyond Enrico’s meager capabilities of detection.

Despite Enrico’s pledge of tolerance and commitment to being a veritable font of human kindness, certain phrases and habits of speech do somewhat grate on Enrico’s nerves.

10.  At the end of the day

Enrico thinks this phrase is over-used.  It is often used as a seemingly polite way of saying “yes, I hear your reasoned, rational objections to what I’m saying, but I am too stupid to understand your points or too cowardly to accept their implications.”

9.    Pretty unique

Redundant.  Unique is enough.  Doesn’t need a modifier, except possibly to limit the domain.

8.    run the gambit

Uh, the word you’re looking for is “gamut.”

7.    It is what it is

Excellent point!  How insightful!

Enrico has mixed feelings about this phrase.  It is often used by the recipient of a complaint, to express the futility of wishing things were otherwise.  “John, your carpenters failed to nail the studs to the header boards, and now the walls are totally out of plumb, are probably going to collapse, and have to be torn out and rebuilt.  Your error is going to cost me $20,000!”  “It is what it is.”

However, the phrase does have a useful place for mocking a person who wishes to speculate about something which can be immediately ascertained.  “Enrico, I hope it isn’t raining right now.  I left the top down on the Porsche in Panties”  “It is what it is.”

6.    Anyway

Often used liberally by those with less than optimal verbal discipline, as a way of punctuating their seemingly interminable remarks, made up of a series of incomprehensible and uninteresting digressions.

5.    I could care less

The phrase you’re looking for is “I couldn’t care less.”

4.    Sustainable

Particularly amongst ratsocrats, just another word for “good” or “virtuous.”  The word has a useful place as designating a specific entropic condition.  Enrico implores you to reserve this word for its correct meaning.

3.    Literally

Enrico has heard people say “I could literally eat a horse!”  Ouch!

2.    Irregardless

The word you’re looking for is “regardless.”

1.    You know what I mean?

Similar to #6, often used by those with verbal diarrhea to try to ascertain whether the interlocutor has surreptitiously committed suicide to escape the torrment of the unceasing flow of meaningless gabble.

Honorable Mention

On your left!

Enrico cycles.  When riding in a crowd, and overtaking a slower rider, many cyclists cry out “on your left!” as they prepare to pass.  This has a useful purpose, to alert the overtaken rider that perhaps it would be a good idea for him to hold his line so as not to collide with the overtaking cyclist, in an abrupt lurch to the left.  But, deplorably, the majority of cyclists seem to think that “on your left” is an acceptable euphemism for “get the fuck out of my way!!”  Enric has many times seen cyclists persist in calling out “on your left” in an increasingly exasperated tone, demanding that the overtaken cyclist move to the right.  These cyclists should be killed on sight.  It is the duty of the overtaking cyclist to overtake only if it can be done safely, and it is totally and exclusively the duty of an overtaking cyclist to avoid a collision.