"Like"

This lexical choice can be the bane of many a person. Article from November 2011 by Rachel Carlyle, notes.

The use of "like" as a filler comes from the West Coast of the USA and has picked up to be a linguistic "tsunami".
 David Crystal, there are two ways in which "like" is used. Empathetic, as in "I couldn't believe it was, like, one o'clock" and the 'grating' quotative like (" I was like, no way, sir, you cant give me more homework!") so it is used as an alternative for speech marks.

Editor from the OED Jesse Sheildlower believes that it has spread because of it saves times from saying "he/she said", it is also more dramatic and displays emotion. The users only use it in certain sentences, reflecting an understanding of its usage. Its not rude, there is worse language for children to be using.

Children's author Antony McGowan puts it down to being similar to the popularity of mimicking the Australian rising intonation in the 1990s. "It could be stamped out if you care enough but it's not that bad" "Like may be irritating but it is not indicative of a world view".

The article ends on the note that apparently in the US "all" is becoming a popular substitute for "like"....