Watch What You Write 2007

[Liar]

Irritating, worn-out words of '06 banned

By SVEN GUSTAFSON, Associated Press Writer
Mon Jan 1, 12:30 AM ET

DETROIT - If the media's habit of combining celebrity names didn't cause word watchers enough heartburn in 2006, the past year had plenty of other words and phrases that language purists wish had "gone missing."

Lake Superior State University on Sunday released its annual "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness."

The Sault Ste. Marie school in the Upper Peninsula has been compiling the list since 1976 to attract publicity. A total of 16 words or phrases were selected by a university committee from more than 4,500 nominations.

The list reads like a lexicon of popular culture.

Take "ask your doctor," the mantra of pharmaceutical commercials. The university called it "the chewable vitamin morphine of marketing."

Critics piled on the media's practice of combined celebrity names such as "TomKat" or "Brangelina." One said, "It's so annoying, idiotic and so lame and pathetic that it's "lamethetic.'"

Real estate listings were targeted for overuse of "boast." As in "master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces — never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,'" quipped Morris Conklin of Portugal.

It wasn't hard to find the phrase "gone/went missing" in 2006. "It makes 'missing' sound like a place you can visit, such as the Poconos. Is the person missing, or not?" asked Robin Dennis of Texas.

The university's word watchers had no use for "truthiness," the word popularized by Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert. It was selected as the word that best summed up 2006 in an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.

The list, which in recent years has included such gems as "show me the money, "erectile dysfunction" and "holiday tree," is closing in on its 1,000th banishment. And despite the university's vigilance, university spokesman Tom Pink said he's not aware that any dictionaries have followed its advice.

"Sometimes people write us and tell us, 'This isn't working,'" Pink said. "I tell them we need an enforcement division."

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Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words

GITMO -- The US military's shorthand for a base in Cuba drives a wedge wider than a split infinitive.

"When did the notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base change to 'Gitmo,' a word that conjures up an image of a fluffy and sweet character from a Japanese anime show?" -- Marcus W., St. Louis, Missouri.

COMBINED CELEBRITY NAMES -- Celebrity duos of yore -- BogCall (Bogart and Bacall), Lardy (Laurel and Hardy), and CheeChong (Cheech and Chong) -- just got lucky.

"It's bad enough that celebrities have to be the top news stories. Now we've given them obnoxious names such as 'Bragelina,' 'TomKat' and 'Bennifer.'" -- M. Foster, Port Huron, Michigan.

"It's so annoying, idiotic and so lame and pathetic that it's 'lamethetic.'" -- Ed of Centreville, Virginia.

AWESOME -- Given a one-year moratorium in 1984, when the Unicorn Hunters banished it "during which it is to be rehabilitated until it means 'fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic." Many write to tell us there's no hope and it's time for "the full banishment."

"The kind of tennis shoes you wear, no matter how cute, don't fit the majestic design of the word." -- Leila Hill, Damascus, Maryland.

"That a mop, a deodorant or a dating service can be called 'awesome' demonstrates the limited vocabularies of the country's copywriters." -- Tom Brinkmoeller, Orlando, Florida.

"Overused and meaningless.' My mother was hit by a car.' Awesome. 'I just got my college degree.' Awesome." -- Robert Bron, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand.

GONE/WENT MISSING -- "It makes 'missing' sound like a place you can visit, such as the Poconos. Is the person missing, or not? She went there but maybe she came back. 'Is
missing' or 'was missing' would serve us better." -- Robin Dennis, Flower Mound, Texas.

PWN or PWNED -- Thr styff of lemgendz: Gamer defeats gamer, types in "I pwn you" rather than I OWN you.

"This word is just an overly used Internet typo. It has been overused to the point that people who play online games are using it in everyday speech." -- Tory Rowley, Corunna, Michigan.

NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS -- Heard in movie advertisements. Where can we see that, again?

"How often do movies premiere in laundromats or other places besides theaters? I know that when I want to see a movie I think about going to a shoe store." -- Andrea May, Shreveport, Louisiana.

WE'RE PREGNANT -- Grounded for nine months.

"Were men feeling left out of the whole morning sickness/huge belly/labor experience? You may both be expecting, but only one of you is pregnant." -- Sharla Hulsey, Sac City, Iowa.

"I'm sure any woman who has given birth will tell you that 'WE' did not deliver the baby." -- Marlena Linne, Greenfield, Indiana.

UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN -- "If they haven't followed the law to get here, they are by definition 'illegal.' It's like saying a drug dealer is an 'undocumented pharmacist.'" -- John Varga, Westfield, New Jersey.

ARMED ROBBERY/DRUG DEAL GONE BAD -- From the news reports. What degree of "bad" don't we understand? Larry Lillehammer of Bonney Lake, Washington, asks, "After it stopped going well and good?"

TRUTHINESS – "This word, popularized by The Colbert Report and exalted by the American Dialectic Society's Word of the Year in 2005 has been used up. What used to ring true is getting all the truth wrung out of it." -- Joe Grimm, Detroit, Michigan.

ASK YOUR DOCTOR -- The chewable vitamin morphine of marketing.

"Ask your doctor if 'fill in the blank' is right for you! Heck, just take one and see if it makes you 'fill in the blank' or get deathly ill." -- R.C. Amundson, Oakville, Washington.

"I don't think my doctor would appreciate my calling him after seeing a TV ad." -- Peter B. Liveright, Lutherville, Maryland.

CHIPOTLE – Smoked dry over medium heat.

"Prior to 2005 . . . a roasted jalapeno. Now we have a 'chipotle' burrito with 'chipotle' marinated meat, 'chipotle' peppers, sprinkled with a 'chipotle' seasoning and smothered in a 'chipotle' sauce. Time to give this word a rest." – Rob Zeiger, Bristol, Pennsylvania.

i-ANYTHING -- 'e-Anything' made the list in 2000. Geoff Steinhart of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, says tech companies everywhere have picked this apple to the core. "Turn on…tune in…and drop out."

"Banish any word that starts with it. i am just tired of it. it's getting old. -- Brad Butler, Adrian, Michigan.

SEARCH -- Quasi-anachronism. Placed on one-year moratorium.

"Might as well banish it. The word has been replaced by 'google.'" -- Michael Raczko, Swanton, Ohio.

HEALTHY FOOD -- Point of view is everything.

Someone told Joy Wiltzius of Fort Collins, Colorado, that the tuna steak she had for lunch "sounded healthy." Her reply: "If my lunch were healthy, it would still be swimming somewhere. Grilled and nestled in salad greens, it's 'healthful.'"

BOASTS -- See classified advertisements for houses, says Morris Conklin of Lisboa, Portugal, as in "master bedroom boasts his-and-her fireplaces -- never 'bathroom apologizes for cracked linoleum,' or 'kitchen laments pathetic placement of electrical outlets.'"

There you have it. The i-Anything (or the pod-Whatever, for that matter) sure bugs the sunshine out of me.

What words and expressions would you like to put an immediate end to?

 

[Guest]

"Random" as used by 11-year-olds.

"Dude, that was random!"

*shudder*

On a more serious note, I'd love to see the end of "Death toll rises in Iraq."

 

[Liar]

On a more serious note, I'd love to see the end of "Death toll rises in Iraq."

Rising or sinking, I'd like to see an end to the use of "death toll". It reduces tragedy to statistics. Puts it on par empathy wise with the Dow Jones index or something.

 

[rgraham666]

Sigh. I'll prove what an outsider I am yet again.

I will continue to use 'awesome'. But appropriately. I see no reason to stop using it because semi-literate, hormone addled teenagers misuse it.

And I my iMac.

 

[Guest]

Sigh. I'll prove what an outsider I am yet again.

I will continue to use 'awesome'. But appropriately. I see no reason to stop using it because semi-literate, hormone addled teenagers misuse it.

And I my iMac.

And iPod.

Daughter and machine are inseparable.

 

[rgraham666]

And iPod.

Daughter and machine are inseparable.

Have you at least compromised and told her she can't use 'awesome', or is that 'Awesome!', any more.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I have no problem with Awesome or things beginning with I. I used awesome the other day, actualy. And I denotes a Macintosh piece of hardware. Nothing wrong there at all.

 

[Guest]

Have you at least compromised and told her she can't use 'awesome', or is that 'Awesome!', any more.

She doesn't use awesome.

She says, "Oooh, shiny!" and other derivatives of "pop" euphemisms.

Example - pimpin' has become pimplin', started by one of their crowd who has lots of extra facial blemishes.

Ahem.

I'm so ashamed.

 

[rgraham666]

She doesn't use awesome.

She says, "Oooh, shiny!" and other derivatives of "pop" euphemisms.

Example - pimpin' has become pimplin', started by one of their crowd who has lots of extra facial blemishes.

Ahem.

I'm so ashamed.

I wouldn't recognize a pop euphemism if it bit me on the ass.

You're ashamed? Have you done something you should be punished for? (Brandishes paddle)

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't recognize a pop euphemism if it bit me on the ass.

You're ashamed? Have you done something you should be punished for? (Brandishes paddle)

Oh, always.

Do you even need a reason?

 

[rgraham666]

Oh, always.

Do you even need a reason?

How much you like it is enough for me. I was just taking advantage of an opportunity.

 

[Guest]

How much you like it is enough for me. I was just taking advantage of an opportunity.

I should be blushing.



(Sorry about the threadjack, Liar.)

 

[Liar]

And I my iMac.

iPods and iMacs are a-ok. Good puter and good player. As long as they ARE iPods and iMacs. It's the i the iLife, iStyle, podradio, podcast, podblog and all the other stuff that doesn't have anything to do with the Apple thingys that annoy me.

I have no problem with Awesome or things beginning with I. I used awesome the other day, actualy. And I denotes a Macintosh piece of hardware. Nothing wrong there at all.

Like I said, as long as it is. It's when it's not that it gets silly.

 

[Boota]

I have no problem with the i-prefix in general. I just don't think all products are right for it. Take foir instance the new cyber vacuum cleaner - the iSuck. That's just not right.

 

[Just-Legal]

Two of the most overused typos in Warcraft:

Geif/Geiv and Plx. Its GIVE and PLEASE! AAAARGH!

Also for its mass overuse and abuse - ninja. "He stole that chest! He's a ninja!!" Use the word Theif like a normal person!

 

[TheEarl]

She doesn't use awesome.

She says, "Oooh, shiny!" and other derivatives of "pop" euphemisms.

I'd like to point out that I was using the word shiny to denote something cool was before using it was cool. Ask the Love Shackers if you don't believe!

First time in my life that I've been ahead of a trend. Normally trends skirt very widely around my lexicon.

The Earl


Edited to note that the merging of names is actually a standard online shorthand of discussing relationships from television shows - eg. Tara and Willow's relationship might be referred to as Tillow, while Spike and Buffy would be Spuffy (the alternative, I suppose being 'Bike').

This is useful shorthand when discussing the pros and cons of various story developments (like a discussion of how Wennedy in Season 7 was a sin against God), but it disturbs me that real life relationships are referenced often enough to need that kind of concatenated name.

 

[TheEarl]

I have no problem with the i-prefix in general. I just don't think all products are right for it. Take foir instance the new cyber vacuum cleaner - the iSuck. That's just not right.

You've been waiting for the right feedline for that joke for a while, haven't you?

The Earl

 

[Boota]

It just came to me and seemed like a natural.

 

[Lee Chambers]

Sigh. I'll prove what an outsider I am yet again.

I will continue to use 'awesome'. But appropriately. I see no reason to stop using it because semi-literate, hormone addled teenagers misuse it.

And I my iMac.

I have to agree concerning the word awesome. The media may stop using it but I think it's just a part of American culture too much to not use it. My friends and I use it in conversation all the time.

"I just got a raise at work. Now we can go out and spend more time with expensive strippers."

"Awesome."

On another note, you're not going to get rid of "PWN" "P0WN3D" or any other variation of it. I'm a gamer myself and refuse to use the "L33T" speak in my gaming. But so many people use it that it's bled into real life conversation. Get a group of gamers together who play online games against other real world people and eventually someone is going to regale you with the horrowing tale of how he "PWNED" his opponents in a legendary struggle for digital life and death.

 

[Lee Chambers]

I have no problem with the i-prefix in general. I just don't think all products are right for it. Take foir instance the new cyber vacuum cleaner - the iSuck. That's just not right.

You're getting the cleaning bill for the soda that was just spewed on my monitor.

 

[Lee Chambers]

Edited to note that the merging of names is actually a standard online shorthand of discussing relationships from television shows - eg. Tara and Willow's relationship might be referred to as Tillow, while Spike and Buffy would be Spuffy (the alternative, I suppose being 'Bike').

This is useful shorthand when discussing the pros and cons of various story developments (like a discussion of how Wennedy in Season 7 was a sin against God), but it disturbs me that real life relationships are referenced often enough to need that kind of concatenated name.

What disturbs me is that you know that much about Buffy.

 

[angelicminx]

I'd like to add the word 'sick', used in place of the word 'cool'. The first time I heard it I thought what I was sharing with my cousin was being insulted.

 

[slyc_willie]

I'd like to add the word 'sick', used in place of the word 'cool'. The first time I heard it I thought what I was sharing with my cousin was being insulted.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

From the first time I heard someone use 'sick' to denote something cool, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever heard. Same with 'da bomb.'

And any mutation of a word that ends in -izzle. The next time someone tells me 'fa' shizzle' instead of 'for sure,' I think I'm gonna smack 'em.

the i-anything gets me, too. There is a car dealership here in town that has always been called the Ingram Park Auto Center. Now, suddenly, it's iPac. 'We got an iPac!' First time I heard that, I thought it was a carrying case for an iPod.

'My bad.' That irks me every time.

Oh, and punk'd. What the hell does that mean, anyway?

Granted, when I was a teenager and everything was 'bad,' 'gnarly,' 'tubular,' and 'bogus,' I'm sure my parents thought that was pretty annoying . . . .

 

[Aurora Black]

From the first time I heard someone use 'sick' to denote something cool, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I had ever heard. Same with 'da bomb.'

...

'My bad.' That irks me every time.

YES, God damn it!

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

Here are a couple of recommendations for words to use in 2007: (You saw them here first)

depeng -- to deliberately uglify yourself as an anti-fashion movement

v-enterpreneur -- a guy who earns his income from World Of Warcraft

kidsnooper -- a parent checking out what their children are getting up to by becoming their myspace friend