Word or phrases that I hate, letters A through D.

In alphabetical order, subject to revision.

1. Adult, but only when pronounced "ADD-ult" (usually by some self-important, middle-aged asshat). Yes, I recognize that it might very well be the proper pronunciation of the word--"adverb" and "adjective" are both stressed on the first syllable, after all--but for some reason, "ADD-ult" just sounds pompous, and it has always irritated the hell out of me, inciting rebellious responses that regularly resulted in my being grounded as a teenager.
2. Anal, as in the phrase, "I am an anal sort of person; I'm always analyzing other people." Why? Because in my mind, it instantly superimposes an image of a large, naked derriere over the top of the self-proclaimed "anal" person's face. And because my father used to tell me, all through my childhood, that I was "being too anal," and I always thought he was calling me an asshole in more polite terms. (He probably thought that as well, but that's beside the point.)
3. Asinine, because it needs one more S and people have a tendency to misuse it in the process of insulting others.
4. Blowout. As in "$9.99 or under DVD blowout!" Because it's flatulent, that's why; it is a fart of a word.
5. Blow past. As in "We'll just blow past Albany and head toward Portland." Disliked for the same reason mentioned above.
6. Caboodle. Because if you ever use it (except in a very well-written satirical skit), it instantly lowers your I.Q. at least ten points. Fifteen points, if you go the whole hog and say "kit-and-caboodle."
7. Dank. A number of years ago, some young rapscallion (a fool my age) tried to appropriate this term for "unpleasantly cool and humid" to mean something along the lines of "cool" (in the social sense of the word). The original perpetrator of this heinous mutilation of the English language should, perhaps, be confined to a dungeon somewhere in Western Europe, to come to grips with the real definition of the word s/he so cruelly offended.
Alright, a little extreme perhaps. It's just a term that makes my skin crawl--I feel instant pangs of embarrassment for anyone who ever says it; they sound ridiculous. Fortunately I haven't heard anyone use "dank" for over a year now, so it must be withering on the vine.
Just like this post.

Despised words and phrases, E through Whatever, will have to wait until some other stormy afternoon. I know you wait with bated breath... I mean, few things are more stimulating than posts like this...
Some days I'm not sure why I bother to write at all.

Why not read these fabulous Wikipedia articles instead?
+ Take a nostalgic stroll through Rocko's Modern Life (the best Nickelodeon cartoon to date, topping even Spongebob Squarepants, in my opinion).
+ Find items of interest concerning Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Scroll down to read a speculative list of real people with whom various characters supposedly correspond.)
+ Become an expert on Scottish Loch monsters. (Nessie is just one of many, apparently: weekend kayaking enthusiasts of Scotland, beware.)
Or maybe you'd like to
+ Indulge your inner pagan by studying about Samhain, the bizarre Celtic holiday lurking behind corporate America's Halloween. (It was the shit, evidently.)
Or more likely, I'm the only person on the face of the planet who reads Wikipedia for fun.