The language police at Lake Superior University have been offering up their yearly checklist of senseless words for 37 years now. As an unidentified representative comments (tongue firmly in cheek) on the LSSU web site, “Worn-out words and phrases are the new normal this year, but with some shared sacrifice, we can clean up the language and win the future.”
Previous entries included such overused gems as viral, man-up, shovel-ready and a-ha moment (and while they haven’t yet gone the way of the dodo, they are no longer used to the point of grating irritation).
The following is the new list of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.
• Amazing
• Baby bump
• Shared sacrifice
• Occupy
• Blowback
• Man cave
• The new normal
• Pet parent
• Win the future
• Trickeration
• Ginormous
• Thank you in advance
For those of you who are unsure, trickeration is commonly used by football announcers but what they really mean to say is trickery.
Baby bump is used by celebrities who don’t want to say they are pregnant. And if someone thanks you in advance it means you can’t wiggle out of their request.
We rather like the word amazing, especially when it is used to describe some of Flamborough’s inexhaustible supply of volunteer-run events. No, wait a minute; that’s the definition of shared sacrifice.
Ginormous raises for politicians really are the new normal. Okay, we’ll stop before there is some serious blowback.
We have our own treasure trove of words that we would love NOT to hear in 2012.
• Excellence in government
• Staycation
• Functionality
• Moving forward
• Strategic vision
• Optics
• User-friendly
• Social media channels
• Carbon footprint
• Sustainability
• Messaging
• Deficit spending
Of course, now that we have shared our list, sharp-eyed readers will be quick to let us know when we slip and use these words. What is your least-favourite buzzword or catch phrase? Tired of your teenager thinking everything is “sketchy”? Do they still use “sweet”?
Send us your thoughts at editor@flamboroughreview.com.
Thank you in advance…
