Words Banished from the Queen's English

[Dee]

DETROIT (AP) - Resist the urge to say you will "wordsmith" your list of New Year's resolutions rather than write one.

It's one of the 19 words or phrases that appear in Lake Superior State University's annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. The school in Michigan's Upper Peninsula released its 33rd list Monday, selecting from about 2,000 nominations.

Among this year's picks are "surge," the term for the troop buildup in Iraq. "Give me the old days, when it referenced storms and electrical power," Michael Raczko of Swanton, Ohio, said in nominating the word. The list also included "waterboarding," "perfect storm," "under the bus" and "organic."

Sadly for grammar's guardians, the lighthearted list isn't binding, as evidenced by the continued use of past banned words and phrases such as "erectile dysfunction," "i-anything" and "awesome."

Still, university spokesman Tom Pink, part of a committee that evaluates submissions, takes his syntactic success where he can find it.

His office once received a letter from an Arizona Supreme Court justice who said he posted that year's list on a bulletin board and prohibited all attorneys from using those words.

Lake Superior State University's 2008 list of banished words or phrases:

-perfect storm

-Webinar

-waterboarding

-organic

-wordsmith/wordsmithing

-author/authored

-post 9/11

-surge

-give back

-'blank' is the new 'blank'

-Black Friday

-back in the day

-random

-sweet

-decimate

-emotional

-pop

-It is what it is

-under the bus

'Surge' is thrown 'under the bus' on the annual list of banned words and phrases (http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/071231/koddities/banned_words)

What about "control freak?"

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/deemark/Emoticons/fart.gif I fart in their general direction!

[gisli]

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/deemark/Emoticons/fart.gif I fart in their general direction!


Now, now Dee.......let´s not get word number sixteen here, we can´t have that now can we.

[lucille]

I was instructing and EX employee on how to hinge artwork. She said that it wasn't the way she was taught. I suggested she hadn't been taught correctly, to which she replied:

"Whatever"

I was at the deli in the supermarket a couple of days ago, and a boy was asked to cover his hair, and when he questioned why, he was told that he had to according to the health and safety act. He replied:

"Whatever"

I am close to slapping the next person I hear say that.:mad:

(I think I have left myself wide open here.)

[DaveM]

I'd nominate "Dude!", myself....

How can they ban both "wordsmith" and "author"? That leaves "writer" and "scrivener". Or perhaps "literateur"? Not crazy about any of those, though I shall happily be the "scrivener in residence" on board Redjack's pirate ship.

[aabram]

and jsut WHAT exatly is wrong with ....sweet..... :eek:

[RedjackRyan]

I'd nominate "Dude!", myself....

I shall happily be the "scrivener in residence" on board Redjack's pirate ship.

You get the job just for using one of my favorite little-used words!

[Dee]

I was instructing and EX employee on how to hinge artwork. She said that it wasn't the way she was taught. I suggested she hadn't been taught correctly, to which she replied:

"Whatever"

Was she blonde?

That is so 90s. Only brainless lamers say "whatever" nowadays.

I prefer to say "what have you." :p

[Bat]

DaveM, I think the usage of 'Wordsmith' and 'Author' as verbs rather than nouns is what they are objecting to...must agree there. There have to be other words that say the same thing...at least using the gerund forms 'Wordsmithing' and 'Authoring', perhaps would be an alternative?

It seems to be the thing to do these days, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerund

[Roady]

Whatever irritates the hec out of me. It's really a cop out because the person shouldn't or doesn't dare say what they really mean.

"Have a good one" is still common around here though waning in popularity. I always want to finish the sentence with a bodily function.

Now what are the blanks in "-'blank' is the new 'blank' ????? Like in Folk is the New Black ? We certainly don't want that banned. :(

[DaveM]

Janis came out with "Folk Is The New Black" long before other folks wore the phrase out. There's nothing wrong with being ahead of one's time.

I can live quite comfortably without "Authoring" as a verb--"writing" works just fine. And the past tense, as in "Authored by", seems terribly awkward compared to "written by".

I don't think it's ever so much as crossed my mind to yell: "will you quiet down! I'm authoring!" when the nuisance in residence decides to make a racket just because she can't think of anything else to do.

Let us be thankful, above and beyond all this, that the 80s classic, "tubular", has faded from the scene, along with "grody", "to the max", and assorted other gems. Alas, "like" remains with us.

Can't help but think of the possibilities of a Bible written in 21st century American English: "so I go to the guy, and I go, like....dude! And he goes, like, 'whatever. Yo, respect!' And I go...."

[hoops]

aabram, i think "sweet" was chosen beecause in recent years it has been used to mean cool, or great, or fantastic...rather than it's actual use.
i nominate
"not for nothing" for a number of reasons...oh and
"a whole nother" on principle.
peace
hoops