Phrases that make Aussies squirm most

Melbourne, Oct 13 : You might be using many cliches such as "whatever" or "hot", but Aussies will cringe the most if you utter "at the end of the day".

In a nationwide survey, fed-up Australians have polled for the most overused and hated phrases, and ruling the list of such phrases is "at the end of the day".

According to Australians, calling out for a "taxi!" after a pub-brawl is so not in fad.

In fact, saying "let's do lunch" when meeting a work contact is equally overused.

And no matter what, don't phone someone to "touch base".

Social researcher Mark McCrindle says that politicians, workmates, and teenagers are the worst cliche offenders.

And the most hated word in political speak was: "I'm not ruling anything out." But overall, the phrase "at the end of the day" was the most irritating in the English language.

Another big no-no in social cliches is calling a person hot and making a sizzling noise.

However, people loved it when someone said "bless you" when they sneezed, or offered to "touch wood" on their behalf.

"Cliches are increasingly part of our society. They bring a familiarity to conversations and they sometimes can fill in those awkward silences and keep things flowing. (But) they do tend to have a use-by date," the Daily Telegraph quoted McCrindle as saying.

ANI