Lake Superior State Universary has published its 40th Annual List of Banished words, “Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”
Considering what an awful year it’s been for language, not to mention humanity itself, it is a short and vastly incomplete list, compiled from nominations received via the university’s website.
Here we go:
Bae
Polar Vortex
Hack
Skill Set
Swag
Foodie
Curate/Curated
Friend-Raising
Cra-Cra
Enhanced Interrogation
Takeaway
-Nation
I’m going to say meh to this list, even though most people might include meh on their own list. I’m also going to complain about the spelling of cray-cray.
Takeaway is a good choice. Bae, though, I’m really conflicted about, since it’s so stupid that I hear it as tongue-in-cheek even if it’s used with sincerity. I enjoy it in a perverse way, like when I hear someone say ‘conversate.’
So let’s get to the shit they overlooked. Just off the top of my head:
Unpack, used to mean find out more about the subject. I hate this. It’s the new ‘Drill-down.’
Folks, as in ‘Yes, we did torture some folks.’ Enough of folks, for fucksake! Let’s just say ‘people’ like we used to!
Bro– as a suffix. Brogrammers, Brodouches, we get it, now let it go.
Let it go is a prompt I never, ever want to hear again, ever, unless I’m holding on to a butterfly or something.
A Red Lip as in ‘wear with simple jewelry and a red lip.’ God, why?? Say ‘red lipstick’ unless you want to die.
Okay, I’m going to stop now before I get too worked up.
What about you, bae? What words and phrases need to be banned for 2015?
Hi, just found this blog…really good, so hello and all
I had to chime in to agree with the swapping of verbs and nouns..Love English to be dynamic but also elegant, so it is now too late to deal with ‘impact’ having become a verb, first through ‘impacting on’, bad enough and now to ‘impacting’…”Its impacting my life so much”
but…is it too late for ‘concern’? Its now become an adjective. “It’s very concerning”. No. It’s ‘a matter for concern’.
Kids today get off my lawn with your new-fangled English.
and I hate -tastic’ used as a suffix, as in ‘bro-tastic’.
i’d rather not hear the word EPIC ever again.
my latest pet peeve: when people say they had to “reach out” to someone. i reached out and am waiting to hear back. did you reach out to him? ugh. it gags me. every time i hear that phrase i picture a giant hand/arm go-go-gadgeting out to touch another. hurl.
p.s. on occasion my boyfriend uses the phrase THE BOMB. and tru dat. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so late to this party! My apologies. I just wanted to say thank you Fiona! I have been seeing so many people on TV saying “I find this concerning…blah, blah, blah” when the word they actually mean is DISCONCERTING. Gah. Makes me crazy. I understand English is a fluid and changing language, but does that mean we just let the stupid happen? I say Hell No!