LSSU Banished Words list, 2007

[Benjamin Zimmer]

Here we go again...

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http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php

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.'"

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org