Lake Superior State University has come out with their annual list of
banished words. This is the first year that I heard of (or at least paid attention to) it, but whatever. It's a fun list, and here is my take on their selections.
GITMOFrom the makers of one of my favorite words,
"SNAFU", the US military has come up with this shorthand name for the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. I don't see a problem with the use of this at all. I mean, anything that the media might have a chance of spelling correctly, and that the liberals can actually pronounce (it's only two syllables) can't be all bad, right?
COMBINED CELEBRITY NAMESTerms such as "Bradgelina", "TomKat", etc. are just more example of media stupidity, geared toward those whose lives are so completely pathetic that they must seek to live vicariously through the lives of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and so forth (See? How hard was it to actually write out their names? Sheesh!) Besides, isn't it just a little disrespectful to these people (no matter how much - or little - we think of their celebrity status) to minimize them into half of a couple?
AWESOMEYeah - this word tends to get overused and diluted from its original meaning - "fear mingled with admiration or reverence; a feeling produced by something majestic".
Besides, the correct usage is "wicked awesome".
GONE/WENT MISSINGYeah - this is an example of "redneck speak" at its (ahem) finest.
PWN or PWNEDGamer speak, supposedly derived from a mistype of "own" or "owned", which then took on a life of its own - and is just plain stupid. Abbreviations are one thing (with the obvious exception of "TomKat", etc.), but how about spending less time gaming and more on your homework, you slackers!
NOW PLAYING IN THEATERSAnd where else would it be playing - my bathroom?
WE'RE PREGNANTNow that is some serious potency - not only did you get your wife pregnant, but yourself as well!
Sorry, Charlie, you had the easy part - take up the next nine months with the mother-to-be. What do you mean "we", Kemosabe?
UNDOCUMENTED ALIENThis one makes me want to puke. Sugar-coat it all you you want, but an
illegal alien is an
illegal alien. If you're here looking for a free ride and don't want to own up to even the most basic of responsibilities, get the
*bleep* out of here! I am not paying for your meal ticket!
ARMED ROBBERY/DRUG DEAL GONE BADOK, so when was the last time an armed robber or drug deal was a good thing?
TRUTHINESSThis word is just flaming crap, plain and simple. Truth is truth, period, and no made up-word attempting to evoke some fanciful (and ficticious) idea of varying levels of truth is going to change that!
ASK YOUR DOCTORMore fecal material from our friends in the advertising business.
Sure, I will go out and ask my doctor to put me on the latest overpriced drug du
jour so that the manufacturer can make even more money! (
Yeah, right!) If my doctor feels the need to prescribe something that will cause substantial weight loss in my wallet, I will trust him to do it.
CHIPOTLEThe latest trendy food thing. Roasted jalapenos - not a bad thing in and of itself, but it really doesn't need to be in
everything! No, I think I'll pass on the chipotle cheesecake with pickled chipotle sauce, thank you.
On the upside, at least the hottest food fad isn't cilantro anymore - that stuff is nasty!
i-ANYTHINGYeah - this one is just really annoying. iBarf. (Hey - it's a complete sentence and a word!)
SEARCHAs far as anything online goes, the new verb "google" seems to have that covered, for better or worse. Though I don't think the word should or will totally fall out of favor - I mean, I don't forsee public safety personnel, for example, going on a "google-and-rescue" operation.
"HEALTHY" FOODSupposedly, the correct term is "healthful". Whatever. No one uses the word "heathful" in normal everyday conversation; it sounds queer (and lest you forget, that word means "odd" or "strange").
BOASTSTo quote from the LSSU website:
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.'"
Yeah - couldn't have put it better myself.
[Edited to remove that I would blog next about my nominations for banished words - that will happen when it happens.]
