Annoying Sounds

There are some sounds that are music to one's ears like the chirping of the birds early in the morning, a faint strain of your favorite song playing in the background, the serene gurgling sound made by a river flowing in the forest. The list could go on.

After all, there are many virtuosos who have confessed to deriving inspiration for their musical masterpieces from their surroundings. But like every other thing on our planet, balance is key to this aspect as well.

So like yin and yang, for every melodious note that you listen to, there is one sound that makes you want to run to the market to buy a pair of noise canceling headphones. Some sounds make you want to clamp your hands on your ears and run from the room or at least in the opposite direction.

This list was made after consultation with several people who have experienced aftereffects, including feeling murderous and wanting to kill the person responsible for the production of the sound. Hopefully you concur with us on the sounds that have made to this list.

• Nails scratching against a chalkboard.
• People eating with their mouths open.

• Chewing gum with their mouths open and making a sound that is similar to a cow chewing cud.
• The sound made when people drag furniture (especially heavy steel ones), and you stay in the apartment below them.
• A car or any other automobile reversing with a beeping sound or even worse, to the tone of Happy Birthday.

• The sound made by an insect buzzing near your ear.
• The sound of dripping water from a leaking faucet.
• The sound made when someone scratches his/her extremely dry skin.
• Slurping sound made by someone drinking a beverage.

• The creaking of a door, cupboard or even a chair.
• Incessant clicking of a ball point pen or tapping of a pencil.
• Constant tapping on the keyboard by 1 or many annoying coworkers.
• The sound made when someone is working on a typewriter.
• Whistling to attract someone's attention or to call out to someone.
• Squealing of the tires when a vehicle comes to a sudden halt.

• Sound made by a motorbike which has had its muffler removed.
• Cackling laughter of people who seem to have done their Master's degree in how to annoy people.
• Annoying songs that are used as cell phone tones.

• The buzzing sound made by a tube light that is taking its time to switch on.
• Sound of an electronic bug zapper.
• The sound made when someone rolls their chair across the room because they are too lazy to walk to their colleague's desk.

• Sound of a door being slammed.
• Chattering sounds in a movie theater.
• Constant sniffing sounds.
• The clatter of the cutlery against plates or soup bowls.

• Blowing of nose in public.
• Sound made when a person bites the spoon after eating something.
• Out of tune humming of an otherwise melodious song.
• Sound of music through earphones plugged in someone else's ears.

• Sound made by dragging of feet.
• The clicking sound of heels against the floor.
• Constant ticking of the second hand of the clock.
• Incessant snapping of fingers.
• Sound of a dentist's drilling machine.
• Emergency alarms installed in cars and lifts.

• Honking of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam. Not only is it annoying but also contributes to noise pollution.
• Crying babies.
• Snoring.

• Sounds made by people who are talking to infants in a baby-like voice and in a language that is gibberish.
• Clipping of toe nails.
• The snorting sound that some people make when they laugh.
• Barking or howling dogs at 3 am in the morning.

• Continuous ringing of the bell or knocking on the door.
• Sound made in an otherwise quiet library when someone is flipping pages.
• Sound of paper being torn.
• Clicking of the tongue.
• Bad renditions of compositions by Beethoven or Mozart or any of the other greats, playing in elevators.

• Cracking of body parts, like knuckle cracking.
• Grunting sounds that tennis players make.
• Sound made by a train horn.

These were just some sounds that are extremely irritating. High-pitched voices and sounds made by people are not only annoying but also hurt the eardrums. If you have an acquaintance who is responsible for making one of these sounds, and he or she refuses to stop, even after multiple requests, try some tit for tat. Find out what sound annoys him or her and then make that sound, whenever he or she is present in the room.