This is by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive list, but these are just a few verbal expressions which send shivers down my spine the way fingernails on a chalkboard do.

"Basically..." -- most of the time this term is used it's unnecessary. It's a predecessor to a sentence explaining the modus operandi of some object or task. In verbal speech it's used to give the speaker a little extra time to formulate his or her explanation as well as maintain a certain cadence or rhythm of speech. To me, it not only sounds extraneous, but also condescending. It's as if the speaker is saying to you, "You won't understand this subject if I speak eloquently so let me dumb it down for you." I don't think we'd be the worse for wear if the word "basically" was stricken from the English language.

"It is what it is..." -- what in the world does this mean? What isn't what it is? Again, it's a speech pattern meant to fill space often used by talking heads on news or sports programs who want to be able to reply quickly to a question without appearing at a loss for a response.

"The fact of the matter is..." -- another space filler and time-buying device to make the speaker sound more verbose when a simple, "the facts are" or "the fact is" would suffice. If we're discussing a subject and someone tells me "the facts are" such and such, I realize that it's the matter at hand that's being referenced. I don't need the additional qualifier of "the matter" to distinguish the speaker's subject. I see this as another condescending form of speech. Am I too dumb to realize what subject is being addressed?

"You need to..." -- I heard this a lot when I was in the Navy. "You need to go wipe up the oil in the bilge" or "You need to wash the dishes" were examples of such. In the civilian world I hear it often such as at the grocery store and I'm looking for eggs and they say, "You need to go down aisle 12, turn right and you'll see them." Or when I call the cable company about my bill and they say, "You need to sign up for online bill pay." Usually, whatever the "you need to" is that I'm told to do is something I am more than willing to do, but to make it sound as though it's no longer my prerogative but an order from a superior is disrespectful at best and downright rude at worst.

Any more expressions you abhor?