More... only scratching the surface here!

Quiz questions about arcane dates or statistics, in which all the answers are dates or statistics. Who cares what the square mileage of New Mexico is, or whether the tall guy in Hall & Oates was born on Septober 25th or February 30th?

Anyone who seriously believes that "education" will reduce racial prejudice. (Germany was the most highly educated nation in the world, in the 30's, people!).

People who tie up waitpersons at busy, shorthanded family franchise restaurants with incessant questions about the ingredients in the food. (You're in APPLEBEE'S, you ninny... shut up about endives!)

People who love to read books debunking famous and/or historical figures but "draw the line" at Christopher Hitchens' book about Mother Teresa.

Protoplasm actually capable of watching golf on TV for periods exceeding 30 seconds.

Guys who bet huge (1-5, 1-9) favorites in stakes races and then roar at the TV screen for the entire 2 or so minutes as the obvious horse blows away the field. Shaddup... save your noise for the 30-1 shot!

Being seated at a restaurant next to a table of elderly people
who loudly discuss a) their operations; b) the relative merits and numerous board certifications of their doctors; c) the astonishing achievements of their children and grandkids; and/or d) the geography, shopping establishments and restaurants of Boca Raton, FL.

[Sorry for occasional CAPS... (they're especially annoying in chatroom!) Anyone know how to italicize or boldface thru this site? Sometimes emphasis is needed...]

To embolden type [b ]What you want in bold[/ b] - just leave out the spaces which I have included. For italics do the same but with [i ] and [/ i]

You could also click on the word bold or italic below the text box then type in the text where instructed - I personally prefer to type in the code.

People who say exactly what they mean all the time can be annoying, too. I mean remarks like "Oh my god! Where did you buy that dress? It looks awful!" or "Why do you wear white clothes so often? People of your weight should wear only dark colours!" or "You should redesign your appartment. I think you'd better hire someone to do that for you. You really have a very bad taste, honey." So nobody's perfect, but why make other people feel bad?

People who pay for an 88 cent item with a credit card. And then, when the card is declined, ask to see the manager...and have the manager call the credit card company.

People who not only don't turn their cell phones off in the movie theaters, but who answer their phone and will *sit there* and have a conversation! "yeah, I'm in the movie now...yeah, it's pretty good.."

Speaking of movies, people who smoke while standing in line to buy their tickets (and my best friend does this...or did, until I eventually talked her out of it)

People who drive in the emergency shoulder lane when there's a traffic jam, like they're the only person in the world who's running late.

People who type in abbreviated form, or alternate using upper and lower case, like this: HeY U wHaz uP?

People who can't spell, and have no desire to learn how to.

Employees who say "That's not my job" or "That's not part of my job description".

People who use FILTHY language around children.

People who are so self-centered that they are just constantly rude- if they are walking out of a store in front of you, you can bet that the door will slam in your face, that when they start their car your windows will rattle from the loudness and bass of their radio, and then they will cut you off leaving the parking lot.

People who turn it around and blame it on you when they have done something wrong.

People who have a screaming baby/child in a restaurant/movie and do not take them elsewhere- so everyone there has to suffer.

ShadowHippie

My pet peeves, part 1:

Teens and young men who wear jeans or shorts pulled down below their buttocks, making the crotch down to their knees. They look like they have something medically wrong with them, and the worse thing is they think they look ultra cool!

People who ask 'Does your dog bite?'. All dogs bite. They bite their food, their fur, their toys. People should ask 'Will your dog bite me?'.

When you're on a bus and someone stands with their crotch in your face or their butt in your face.

Reformed smokers who tell me what to do.

Senior citizens holding up a line because the item that they're purchasing has rung up 2 cents more. This has actually happened!

Getting an IM and having it say 'A/S/L?'. Can't people just ask for your age, sex, and location?

Skinny girls who look at a heavy person with disgust!

Co-worker acting like she's working, but in reality she's on the phone all day talking to her friends. Plus she's the boss' cousin!

Having everyone call my Collie 'Lassie'. Hello! Not all Collies are named Lassie!

The phrase 'I turned around and said...'. I ask did you really turn around and then say it, or did you just say it?

Drivers who drive two lanes.

The word 'Duh'.

Telemarketers...enough said! They call at all given hours!

This is cathartic!

Any gorgeous actress who claims she was an unpoular grind in high school. (Yeah, your PR people didn't tell you to say that, right?)

The many fashion shows which my daughter watches, which appear to confirm that the average woman is a 9-foot- tall Czech amazon with perfect Slavic cheekbones, blonde hair, blue eyes, legs that begin at her sternum and an utterly vacant expression.

Following up on Dakota's observations, nepotism in any form.

Teens who use the chatroom as a personal diary, noting such momentous events as "I got an 82 in my Geometry quiz today." Please stop this-- just make it interesting! (One of the best things that ever popped up in the chatroom was a 13yo's description of the cliques and social order in his school--the thing would've gotten an A in a Soc 101 college course). You are capable of better!

Again re Dakota: not just the teen boys who have the
pants around their thighs, but also the women (whether 20 or 40) who feel the need to display their midriffs and the top of their gluteus maximi. As for the teen boys, if you want to dispel the image of being the spoiled suburban son of a successful accountant, STOP DRIVING HIS BENZ!

Grrrrrrr!

You're bringing out the worst in me! Why just yesterday while shopping I saw this one woman wearing spike heels and jeans, and leaning over showing about 5 inches of clearance with the Britney look, ok ok, she was slender enough, but...her string underwear..ooops thong, is that it? Well that thing rides up with wear as Are You being served used to say, and it's around her teeny waist! What a spectacle.

I think I enjoy the low rider look when they are on skateboards, it does add interest! Any guy who can hitch up his britches between flips on that thing is fun to watch!

We did say the pierced forehead on a lady in business attire in my elevator?

Could we say coolupaway is just a tad "peevish". Hahaha! Oh, calm down, I'm just joshin'! I have so many peeves it makes my head spin, but I finally managed to nail one down.

One of my job responsibilities is screening and directing calls which come into my school. My "old" school was bad enough...we had a main switchboard and three phones throughout the building. My "new" worksite has a main switchboard (me) and every single classroom has an extension!

I don't know how many times during the day I am interrupted by parents with "call display" asking "Who was trying to call them from the school?" Excuse Me! But how the He** am I supposed to know!? There are at least 20+ possibilities which are not in my sight!

I generally tell them that it must have been a staff member, because if there was something to be concerned about, the office would know about it!

Everytime this happens I'm exasperated, it interrupts my concentration and workflow....and it's excessive! I must find a way to rectify the situation!

I agree about children in restaurants late at night...get a babysitter, people!
In a local radio station I worked at, we could have very moving interviews, or gritty political interviews, but what would really get the calls in were the items about traffic congestion, children's education, lots of little things like that...forget about world events, it's the little things that get people going.
What annoys me too is people moaning about how they did crap in an exam, and you just know they did really well.
With regard to the headpatting of the person in a wheelchair...that happens to me too. I just pretend the person is a fly and imagine squashing them.

I agree with most of the above pet peeves. Mine is mobile telephones going off in class.

I am an adult trainer, teaching subjects such as Medical Terminology, Reception, Customer Service etc. An information package is sent to students when they enroll in our courses and they are advised that mobile phones must be switched off during class (because they are so obviously an annoying disruption). Students are reminded of this again by the trainers when they commence the courses. And every single day, classes are disrupted by mobile phones going off in class!

And don't get me started on people who think they are so important that they can't switch off their mobile phones in church, the movies, the theatre etc.

Had a student during a discussion of prehistoric paintings in a big classroom whose telephone went off...and she answered it! It was pretty funny though.

Mother Goose, it's a bit like cowboys in a bar, you just make them check their damn phones at the door! Just make them put them on the table!

I agree with the people saying they've done really badly on an exam, I mean more than for form's sake....seems to be women in particular.

Oh I've got a good one for teachers, how about young women who flip their hair, suck on their hair, play with their barettes and other sundry bad habits...the only thing worse is when a woman does it in a restaurant!
In class there is one way you deal with it...just keep on calling on them politely, in language classes, "Oh I'm sorry I thought you wanted to answer.." "Would the young man with the ball cap on like to answer?" In general they'll stop it immediately....

Cell/mbile phones should be a whole different CATEGORY! At least here in the US (and I suspect elsewhere) they are often used to convey the impression that the user is AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PERSON.
It started out with the docs and surgeons, and I certainly never had a problem with that. But then it started to trickle down, and rapidly became ridiculous. In my bourgeois 'burb, it's considered (at least by certain people) the height of chic to be seen using a cell phone while driving an SUV. Guys drive half a mile away from their houses and call their wives. "Hello, Mindy, I'm a half-mile away. Anything new since I left 2 minutes ago?"
The equation that now seems to work is that frequency and ostentation of public cell phone usage INCREASES as the self-perceived social status of the user DECLINES.
Thoughts?

Cell phones, are all brandished the very minute you exit an office building...it would probably be much like going without pants on the street not to have one.
What I hate is people in the enormous supermarket calling their spouses across the store to tell them which brand of laundry detergent to buy.
Another variation is the woman in front of you at the checkout counter speaking very loudly in a very personal conversation, and not seeming to realize there were others.

Here we've had another thread on the safety, but most people drive those SUV type vehicles and use them, but few people have automatic transmission...so coordination is hard.

I've seen people use them on scooters!

You've all listed some interesting pet peeves! Here are a few of mine. When you go a place you've never been too, don't know the procedures and the people working there make you feel foolish. This happened to me today. They could have been pleasant and helpful, instead they chose to be rude and nasty ! I also get annoyed at so called friends who make comments about my appearance. Ok, I'm having a bad hair day, get over it! My favorite is people who comment on how beautiful my mother is and then tell me I don't look a thing like her. Gee thanks . I'm a bartender and I have a lot of regular customers. Two of them were sitting at the bar the other night. One of the guys was watching TV, so the other guy and I started talking about our kids and whatnot. The other guy looked so annoyed! He was watching TV, we weren't talking to him about our kids, so why should he be annoyed? He'll roll his eyes or make comments. That kind of behavior is a peeve of mine.

When you are walking down a busy street and the person coming from the opposite direction does not stick to the right and you end up colliding. Everyone knows you stick to the right.

I think most of my pet peeves involve words, or at least the corruption of them.

--I hate hearing common words mispronounced by native speakers, such as ASH-PHALT (asphalt), NUC-YUH-LAR (nuclear), SHER-BERT (sherbet) or INTRAVEN-EE-OUS (intravenous).

--Similarly, I dislike it when people feel the need to make verbs into nouns or adjectives, and vice versa, when there are already perfectly legitimate words for their intent. For example, 'Our company is really EAGERING to develop the CREATIVE of our employees' (Yes, I know 'creative' has actually become a noun, but it's still shameful).

--Continuing with the expression about express lines, I can't stand it when other shoppers insist on counting the number of items I've placed on the conveyor belt. Yes, I read the sign. No, I did not exceed the limit. Who are you, anyway? The grocery police?

--It really bugs me when people assume there must be 'something wrong' with couples who don't have kids, or that they must hate children.

--Another thing that bothers me is walking into a commercial establishment, smiling and saying hello to the cashier/server/salesperson/manager, and getting absolutely no greeting, or a grunt in response. Good lord, I have done enough of those jobs, and never failed to greet a customer. What kind of colossal effort is it for these people to smile and form the word 'hello', and why are they working in a customer service position?

--It bothers me that people who walk half a mile an hour feel the need to form a human chain with their friends/spouses on the sidewalk, and resist every effort I make to pass them. In the same vein, I hate it when people stop on escalators, and place both hands on those rubber railings, or worse, stop completely at the bottom of the escalator, and look around, while other passengers are tripping over each other, trying to make a safe exit.

--Maybe this is a Canadian thing, but if one more person tells me to 'Have a good one' , I am going to go Canada Postal. What on earth does that mean? Have a good what?

--I hate it when people spit on the sidewalk. I think Singapore officials have the right idea in making that a fineable offense.

--For the love of God, there is no reason to tell anyone but your doctor about your bathroom activities, however irregular, disturbing, unique, or exciting you find them. I don't want to hear about your waste, and don't ask me about mine. I didn't find the subject remotely compelling in grade two, and I certainly don't now.

--People who don't tip annoy the heck out of me. If you can't afford to leave a few bucks for your waiter/waitress, you can't afford to go out to dinner. Unless your server is rude (see above), there's no reason not to tip.

--I think my biggest pet peeve of all has to be baby/child nudity on commercials (You know, bare bottoms on diaper ads, etc...). In my opinion, this is wrong for so many reasons. Most importantly, it is a violation of that child's rights. Parents who make money off of their kids' nudity should be arrested. Secondly, why are we giving free glimpses of naked babies to pedophiles? Sick. Adult nudity is not allowed on commercials. Why is it okay to expose children? Finally, I don't find it particularly tasteful. Sure, a naked baby is probably a beautiful sight to his/her parents, but one that should not be for public consumption. Ditto for naked baby pics on family web sites, which are accessible to every weirdo from here to Hong Kong.

--Oh, also, people who despair at the slaughter of animals for food, but have no problem with fish. I admit it, I eat meat. I like meat. I don't feel morally wonderful about it, but I don't pretend that having a big hook through the mouth and being left to die, gasping for breath is any less horrible for a fish than being slaughtered is for a chicken or a steer. By the way, I'm convinced carrots feel pain too, but perhaps I should leave that for another thread.

Sigh....that does feel a lot better. I am sure I have lots more, but this should do it for now. Thanks for the thread.

Whoa Magpie! You and Coolupway should start a club!!

Today's peeve is ... those annoying little stickers on apples.

Phew, I'm glad I got that out!

Ok, Magpie reminded me of something, but this is not a rebuttal, more of a "while we're on the subject" (I don't want anyone yelling at me!!)

What really annoys me is people who try to start a fight with you the first chance they get. Especially if they don't know you. I seem to have a "nag me about controversial issues" tattoo on my head (right under the one that says "I'm a girl, so you'll have to teach me how to play pool" ). Yes, I am a vegetarian. The reason I don't like to go into it too much is because I don't want anyone to get all defensive with me. I respect that people eat meat. Why can't they respect that I don't?

And yes, my mother is Aboriginal, and my father is not. Please do not be saying things like "You're not black, you don't look black" "Oh, so you're a half caste" or any other word that could be considered MEAN. We are all who we are. There are no specified parts of my body that are Aboriginal or Irish or whatever else blood I have flowing through my body. It's all me - deal with it.

(Wow, can you tell I get confronted with that stuff a lot . The only other things that bother me are people who don't finish sentences or people who shove things in my face. Apart from that, I'm not angry! )

Oh, and girls who dress.....in an attention-grabbing way....and then complain when anyone says anything. My best friend used to go out in a singlet top, a tiny kilt and ripped fishnet stockings. And she would scream at any boy who tried to talk to her. That's a bit harsh, in my opinion...

I have two peeves about roads authorities..

Roundabouts! Firstly people who do NOT know how to use them.. but even worse are the traffic authorities that build them. I do not mind the very low, flat ones, but when someone decides that they need the Garden of Eden in the middle of them, it makes them very dangerous. You cannot see any traffic coming until it is right on top of you...

Street Lights. Not sure if this is a local, national or international thing, but whoever picked the colour of Sydney's street lights needs a lesson in commonsense. They are EXACTLY the same colour as an amber traffic light. If I am driving down an unfamiliar street at night, the last thing I expect is for a 'streetlight' to suddenly change to red!

It must be one of those days whereever you all live today, moon is almost full?
Let's see, I agree with the excess nudity on TV, but here in France, anything goes except for male frontal and female frontal is cleverly disguised with gently flowing leaves or something. I will say in all honesty that now the men are just as much sex objects though...what's good for the goose seems to be good for the gander!

Tailgaters...I did mention that, didn't I?
People who put priority signs on their e mail and it's just some piddly. I hate it.
!!!!! (in red mind you) Did you know that you need to bring a pencil to the meeting?

Here's another one, not just a simple PDA, (public display of affection) but couples who walk around hanging on each other like they were Siamese twins and then, the guy actually is grabbing either her behind or breasts...I mean these are normal people, nicely dressed, and yet they have this major anxiety of losing the other one so they grope in public.
It might be a Latin thing though...
For me this is in the worst possible taste...why not go ahead and take a hold of her hair and drag her back to the cave?

I hate people who really really nag their children at the table for their manners...frankly I'd be ill with all that crap. Do they want to make their kids into anorexics?
Here in France it's a fine art, people even do it when their children are getting into their forties and have their own, they tell them, "I didn't raise you like that...you don't teach them anything?"
I suppose it's normal to give a little more guidance at home, but in public? I would never do that...and if Junior is acting up, I just ask to be excused and take him outside...not make a spectacle of it.

Roundabouts, well in France, you have to have...well, cuyones to use them...especially the big ones.
In the UK you have lanes clearly marked, but in France, it's every man for himself...and I say every man. Men love those things...they think they're in a go cart race.

I'm glad Callybub mentioned the elevator thing - that really bugs me.

It bugs me that when I look at gorgeous bras that I can't get them to fit me.

I hate it when you decide to eat you lunch at your desk and your boss comes over with some work and says to you (whilst you have a mouthful of salad/sandwich whatever) "oh are you at lunch?".

I hate vandalism and grafitti. Not the stuff that is proper art but the stuff that says "I woz ere" or these pathetic street names kids give themselves nowadays.

I particularly hate the spitting thing.

Builders shouting lary comments at me - go away.

My biggest peeve is people who don't say "please" or "thank you" or "sorry".

Another thing that is really annoying is in many pubs in London you got to the "Ladies" and there is just 1 loo and you have to wait an age to use it and the queue is always 10 miles long. And a personal peeve is that when I get back from the loo the boyfriend always says "You took your time". Oh and why do women have to go to the loo together??

People who send rude comment about a quiz you slaved over when they haven't written any quizzes themselves.

Ahhhhh - calm.

Oh I enjoyed that last one George.
Now let's see the subtle art of turning frowns upside down here...I was taught that in a job hunting book:
You do realize many women would like to have your problem for the bra?
However, I do resent seeing women who've had major silicon treatments get all this fuss over their splendid bust, when they didn't have to live their whole life getting teased when they "developed" nor having a bad back...
My only consolation is that they tip over as many of them have tiny behinds...Hugh Hefner has to have special dresses made for his babes.

I hate eating lunch at my desk in the first place, but someone generally comes round and makes that remark, here in France even if someone sees you eating a sandwich in the crosswalk, they must tell you "Bon appetit". It gets so damn old!

When the builders stop making comments when you walk by, you'll be nostalgic...I haven't quite hit that point yet.

OH oh, elevators, have you noticed that some silly men will come up and you've already pressed the down button and they are impatient to go down and press the up button as well? Or they'll press all the buttons on a floor of elevators?

I hate it when people are impatient on a computer and click about forty times...haven't they realized that Mr Computer is confused? I once had to purge a printer queue as the students had tried to put through eighty jobs because there was no paper in it.

Hey, I'd have no problem with adult nudity on TV....just child/baby nudity.

Just thought of another peeve - it was you Heather that put me onto it. All these "in" sayings like being "proactive" or "keep me in the loop". How annoying?

And another one. You are in a pub/club wherever with one female friend and you go up to the bar. A man at the bar tries to chat you up, but you are aware you've left your freind alone and you are just plain not interested and they say "You must be a lesbian then". Of course it can't be that the bloke is a nightare or not your type or whatever - you've resisted his charms so you must be a lesbian. My response is invariably "If you're what's on offer then yes I am".

This is hugely cathartic. I love a good moan, and I'm smiling as I'm writing as it's good to get stuff off your chest!!