Some people have pretty common pet peeves, like chewing with your mouth open or cars not using their blinker. Others have very distinct pet peeves that drive them absolutely wild. We searched the Internet and discovered some of the strangest, most-specific pet peeves of some real-life people.
One person gets furious when their spouse does this with the dishes. Another is annoyed whenever people make this government vocab mixup. Here are some of the most unique pet peeves people actually have.
Light switches that don’t turn on overhead lights
“I hate this one. I know it’s mostly in old houses anymore, but I can’t stand turning on a light switch and finding out it’s to an outlet instead of an overhead light. If I had the money, I’d rewire each and every one of these switches I could find. Also, it’s the most annoying thing in the world plugging your phone charger into one of these outlets, then coming back hours later to a dead phone because you forgot to flip up the switch.”
The volume has to be on an even number
“I don’t know why, but I can’t have my TV, car radio, speakers, or any other sound equipment on a 7, 13, 21, etc. It always has to be an even number (though occasionally I’m ok with it being on a 5, which is pretty much an honorary even number). Growing up, I would steal the TV remote from my brothers just to change the volume to an even number. Otherwise, I’d be bothered by it the whole time we were watching cartoons.”
Any alternative name spelling
“I get parents trying to be creative with baby names, but having all these weird spelling variations of common names is just dumb. “Ashley” is the only proper way to spell Ashley. Not Ashleigh. Not Ashlee or Ashlie. And don’t even get me started on people who spell “Rachel” as “Rachael” with two a’s. It’s atrocious.”
People who throw away recyclables when the trash can is directly next to the recycling can
“Look, I get it. Not everyone’s super into the environment. Whatever. Fine. I’m not the biggest eco-person myself, but if you put your soda can in the trash when the recycling bin is standing right next to it, I’m going to be angry at you for forever. Little changes can still make a big difference, and you’re just being lazy and stupid if you don’t throw your trash away correctly.”
Online shopping items that don’t list their dimensions
“If I’m online shopping and a product doesn’t have its dimensions clearly listed in the photos or description, I don’t buy it. I’m constantly shopping on the Internet, and constantly frustrated by companies who don’t make it obvious for the customer just how big or small, skinny or tall their products are. If I’m comparing similar items on Amazon, I’ll go with the one with dimensions in the pictures 100% of the time.”
Clocks that aren’t synced up
“My microwave is directly above my stove. Even if one of the two clocks is off by a minute, it drives me nuts. It’s not as bad with analog clocks, but if you have two or more digital clocks near each other and they’re not on the same minute, you need to fix that sh*t immediately.”
“If one clock is at 12:15 and the other is at 12:16, I’m gonna be upset about it.”
When brushed silverware rubs together
“I have sensitive ears, and I already can’t stand the sound of nails on a chalkboard or when silverware squeaks on a plate. Then I learned what brushed silverware sounds like when it clinks against itself. To me, it’s just the most painful, spine-chilling sound in the world. I have a cute set of polished, matte cheese knives I can never leave willy nilly in the drawer because if they clank together, it practically makes my ears bleed. My skin’s crawling just thinking about it.”
Kid influencers, and people over-posting about their kids on social media
“I’m going to enrage possibly everyone I know, but constantly seeing people’s children on their Facebook and Instagram feeds makes me want to vomit. I love kids, and a cute pic now and then is fine, but no, Carol, we don’t need to see that your son lost his first tooth, and Kevin, I swear if I see you post one more daddy-daughter swim class video, I’m drowning you both.
Also, unless you’ve got a child star or prodigy on your hands, quit it with kid influencer accounts. I don’t care that the parent or guardian runs the profile on the child’s behalf. It’s all about adults using their kids for money and likes, and nothing about the child’s privacy.”
Windshield wipers never being at the correct speed
“There’s a certain finesse to setting your windshield wipers to the correct speed, and it’s one I’ll never possess. I’ll adjust my wipers probably 10-15 times when driving in the rain, and they’re always either too fast and make awful dry squeaking sounds, or too slow and I’m looking through a misty haze, hoping I don’t crash into something. Usually, I just settle for too slow and squint through it. I haven’t crashed yet!”
People not knowing what an actual button-down shirt is
“Most people think all shirts with buttons are button-downs, when most of them are actually button-ups. A button-down shirt has buttons on the collar points, and gets its name because you physically button down the collar (usually around a necktie). A button-up shirt is just a shirt that you button up, with no buttons on the collar.
In summary: Collar buttons = button-down. No collar buttons = button-up.”
Setting down a backpack or purse, and then it immediately falls over
“I prop my bag against my cubicle wall every morning, and within thirty seconds, without fail, it flops over. Every. Single. Time. You’d think I would have mastered balancing it against a wall because I’ve done it every day for forever. Nope. Positioning my bag so it stays upright on the first try just isn’t possible.”
Putting on a sock and a shoe, and then a sock and a shoe
“I know some pretty weird people who actually go sock, shoe, sock, shoe, instead of putting on both socks and then both shoes, and I just don’t get it. Both socks should go on first, and then both shoes. That is the only correct order that exists in this universe, and I refuse to believe otherwise.”
When only one of the double doors is unlocked
“If you have a set of double doors at your shop or restaurant, then they should both be unlocked when you’re open for business. I’ve definitely made a fool of myself multiple times when trying to open the locked door. I’ve no idea why people choose to leave only one door open. Are they saving the double doors for the queen’s arrival or something?”
Dainty glassware buried under heavy dishes
“I had a roommate in college who would put her glassware in the sink first, and then pile heavy plates, pots, and pans on top of it, and just leave the whole mess there until she was ready to do dishes. Since they were my glasses, I’d always fish them out from under this Jenga tower of dirty dishes so they wouldn’t break under all that weight.
I’m fine with dirty dishes in the sink, but to this day, I get miffed if anyone, including my husband, puts a wine glass, champagne flute, etc., in there. Glassware goes on the counter until it’s time to be washed, and no glasses are breaking under a bunch of plates if I can help it.”
People who think the US is a democracy (fyi, you weren’t paying attention in government class)
“Anyone who calls the US a democracy needs a dictionary thrown at their head. We learned this probably in fourth grade, but the US has never been a democracy. In a true democracy, every single citizen votes. Every one! Can you imagine 300 million people voting on every bill and law? No. That’s why we’re a representative republic. We elect leaders (representatives of Congress, the president, mayors and city council members, governors, etc.) and they make and vote on laws based on our behalf. You could call the US a representative democracy if it makes you feel better, but to be clear, the US isn’t a pure democracy and never has been.
Regardless of your political beliefs, if you call the US a democracy, I’m going to call you an idiot.”
