'Holibobs' and 'amazeballs' among words voted most irritating by Britons
ITV News Correspondent Amy Welch reports on the amazeballs list of the UK's most annoying words
LOLZ. Din-dins. Wifey. Chrimbo.
These are just a few examples of the top 25 words that have been voted the most irritating in modern culture, according to a poll published by the research agency Perspectus Global.
"Amazeballs" was crowned the winner, with one in three (34%) of the 2,000 Britons surveyed claiming the term is the most cringe-inducing.
The adjective is usually used to describe something "extremely good or impressive", according to the Oxford Dictionary.
"Holibobs" (29%) and "awesomeness" (28%) also made the list as did "wifey" (26%) and "bae" (25%).
Phrases such as “Happy Friyay” and "Hot girl summer" are also considered to be turn-offs.
The top 25 most annoying words:
1. Amazeballs – 34%2. Holibobs – 29%3. Awesomeness – 28%4. LOLZ – 27%5. Bants – 27%6. Nom nom nom – 26%7. Totes – 26%8. BAE – 25%9. Din dins – 25%10. Chrimbo – 23%11. Hanky-panky – 23%12. Wifey – 23%13. Sorry, not sorry – 22%14. Nookie – 21%15. Happy Friyay – 21%16. Drinkies – 20%17. No problemo – 20%18. Fur baby – 19%19. Coolio – 19%20. Methinks – 19%21. Hot girl summer – 18%22. No offence, but – 18%23. Bossing it – 17%24. Wine-o-clock – 17%25. My bad – 15%
A fifth (17%) of those polled admitted that their opinion of a person goes down as a result of them using the word.
"If someone uses a word or phrase that we find embarrassing, as humans, we instinctively want to distance ourselves from them," neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Taylor said.
"Obviously the words that we find embarrassing are not objective, they are culturally specific," she added. "Our reactions are learned and have been created by our experiences from birth until now."
So if you want to keep it cringe-free, it is probably best to avoid using these words.
Sorry, not sorry.
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