Listen, I'm a '90s girl through and through. There aren't many things about that hallowed decade that don't bring a smile on my face and make me starry-eyed with nostalgia. Except, that is, the irritating things people would say in the '90s — the ones that really, definitely irked you. We may have coined some pretty badass slang back in the day, but I'll be the first that some of the phrases and expressions we used to communicate with each other in the '90s had the intrinsic ability to annoy literally everyone in the free world.
If you're thinking "What-ever" right now... well, I hate to break it to you, but you might be part of the problem, my friend. Don't feel bad; I am, too. I'm just as guilty as the next gal of perpetuating these annoying '90s terms and expressions long after their shelf-life had expired. Perhaps that's why, despite some of them coming back into popularity thanks to the '90s renaissance, they grate my nerves to this very day — we wore these bad boys out.
Of course, it goes without saying this list is entirely subjective. Maybe you didn't find some of these annoying in the '90s. Perhaps your ire was directly at some other phrase born of that time period like, let's say, "All that and a bag of chips." It's the proverbial case of you say po-tay-to, I say po-tot-o. Or one person's trash is another man's treasure.
However, since I'm at the helm of this article, here are 11 word and phrases from the '90s that irritated me to no end.
1. "What-ever."
Sacrilege, I know. While I have the utmost reverence for Clueless as an important piece of cultural iconography, if I never see another person form a "W" with their fingers in front of their face, well, it'll be too soon.
2. "I Am Rubber, You Are Glue..."
You know how it goes: Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. There was just no rationalizing with someone once they broke this little jingle out. It's like the '90s equivalent of talking to a Trump supporter.
3. "...NOT."
Real talk: I always fell for whatever preceded this rude interjection. Them: "That bracelet is so cool..." Me: "Oh, tha—" Them: "NOT." Every. Dang. Time.
4. "Talk To The Hand!"
'Cause the face ain't listening! Ooh, buuuuuurn. Only not really, because all it served to accomplish was making the person you were talking to raging mad.
5. "Scrub"
I mean, sure, TLC told us a scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me, hanging out the passenger side of his best friend's ride, trying to holler at me. But to this day, no one really knows what a scrub is.
6. "So Is Your Face."
Whenever you couldn't think of a witty comeback to zing at someone, you just lobbed this generic insult at them. But... oh, who am I kidding? I STILL use this one and, yes, it's STILL annoying.
7. "I Know You Are, But What Am I?"
Ugggggh, there aren't enough eyerolls in this world for this one. To be clear, though, my response to this would indubitably have been "YOUR FACE."
8. "Take a Chill Pill."
Everyone and their brother used this expression in the '90s when they wanted someone to calm down. It was annoying then but, what's worse, we all now know better — it marginalizes conditions anxiety medications are prescribed for. Not cool ... which brings us to our next point.
9. "Cool Beans"
But, like, what are cool beans? The only cool beans I know are the delightfully aromatic ones from the mighty coffea plant I store in the freezer to seal in flavor. Ya dig?
10. "Did IIIIIIIII Do Thaaaaat?"
Thanks for this gem, Steve Urkel! It was cute at first, but it lost its charm after, ohhh, the 7,000th time we heard it.
11. "Playa"
The only acceptable use of this word is if you are referring to the "flat-floored bottom of an undrained desert basin that becomes at times a shallow lake." Unless you're Blackstreet, in which case, "Play on, playa."
Images: Paramount Pictures; Giphy (11)
