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Seven years ago
“E-anything” – as in e-tailors or e-trade or e-communication -- was
banished as too jargony. This year “I-anything” – as in iPod – has
been banished.
At Speechworks we
agree that it’s always a good idea to rid your speech of jargon
tired phases. And a Michigan University has taken it upon itself to
produce a list of 16 buzzwords and other tired phrases that should
be banished from our speech.
This year marks the 32nd
installment of the list which is produced by Lake Superior State
University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Making the
list this year are phrases like “awesome” and “truthiness”. To see
every word ever banished by LSSU,
click here.
The words are
selected from submissions to the school’s website. LSSU accepts
nominations for the banished-words list throughout the year. To
submit your nomination for the 2008 list, go to
http://www.lssu.edu/banished/submit_word.php.
Here are this
year’s phrases to avoid and the reasons for their banishment.
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.'"
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
