Top ten irritating phrases compiled by Oxford University researchers

I came across tnis in Thomas Hardy's A Laodicean:

At the upper end of the lane she saw a little house answering to the description, whose front garden, window-sills, palings, and doorstep were literally ablaze with nasturtiums in bloom.

Some of us think of Hardy as a pretty good writer.

OP, I find "austerity measures" annoying.

orangutan, your use of the word 'austerity' brings to mind this cartoon from The Economist the other day, referring to the new French president:

http://media.economist.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/full-width/images/2012/05/articles/main/20120512_wwd000.jpg

It's not uncommon to hear 'ourselves' for 'we' and 'yourself' for 'you' from customer service employees (and others) in the UK, which seems unnecessary to me.