Last word on being Annoying

Whatever else you say to an American, don't say "whatever", a new study on annoying words suggests.
In a survey conducted by the Marist Institute, 47 per cent of US respondents said that was the most irritating expression they heard on a daily basis.
"Whatever" - drawn out as "What-ehv-errr" for amximum effect - is an expression with staying power.
Immortalised in song by Nirvana ("oh well, whatever, nevermind") in 1991, and popularised by the airheads in clueless later that decade, it is still commonly used, often by younger people.
It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy.
They poll found the word to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of race, gender, age, income or location.
"It doesn't surprise me because 'whatever' is in a special class, probably." said Michael Adams, author of Slang: the people's poetry and an associate professor of English at Indiana University.
"It's a word that - and it depends how a speaker use it - can suggest dismissiveness."
Other sayings frequently uttered by people weren't quite so hated.
For instance, only 25 per cent said they found "you know" most annoying.
Only 11 per cent can't stand the phrase "it is what it is"
The poll also found 7 per cent said they disliked the word "anyway", while 2 per cent claimed they could do without hearing "at the end of the day". (reference MX, thursday october 8, 2009)