Student: Can I borrow a pencil? Teacher: I don't know, can you? Student: Yes, I might add that colloquial irregularities occur frequently in any language. Since you and the rest of our present company understood perfectly my intended meaning, being particular about the distinctions between "can" and "may" is purely pedantic and arguably pretentious.
Mine is when you say “thank you” for something, and the response is “no problem!” ……was it a problem? And when something is .. "almost exactly"
I'm reminded of when a former colleague, who had a habit of getting words wrong, accused me of being 'pendantic.' I told him that I certainly wasn't; I was just hanging around.
An interview: Me (discussing interests): I'm fascinated by etymology. Interviewer: What made you interested in insects? <sound of interviewee's head hitting desk>
Past History ... Do they teach kids grammar anymore? ... "Are you for serious?" ... "Me and him went to the Mall".
In my younger years, I would sometimes call someone and then say, "Hello" when they answered, as if they had called me.
There is the phrase which has reached the degree of "silliness" in usage by service-persons: waiters, waitresses, salespeople. No matter if they are praised, or rebuked, it is always "No problem!"
I think a lot of it has to do with the time a person is growing up. Some common words or phrases seem prevalent during specific times, such as the Valley Girl phase and the word like. I tend to use a lot of fillers, especially when my mind goes blank, but I try to mix them up, so as to not be too repetitive. Constant use of the phrase 'no problem' irritates me, as well. I think many haven't been taught to use the words please, thank you, and you're welcome. I had a co-worker who loved to drink Absolut Vodka, and she and her friends would hint at that when they were asked a question and emphasize the word absolutely (with an accompanying smirk) as a response. I think of her when I'm watching television (this happens a lot on HGTV, for some reason), and the person emphasizes the word.
I tired a long time ago of the phrase "Life is too short" but I do understand the point. It's not quite right since it's the longest thing we'll ever do so I try to come up with other ways of making the same point.
I guess that's why someone came up with YOLO (You Only Live Once), it's an acronym and easy to text, too, which makes it popular with young'uns. It seems more of the recent phrases and saying fit that bill. Another is FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), and both are often used to encourage what could otherwise be considered bad or risky behavior.