"It's that time of year again!": Banished Words for 2009
Lake Superior State University has released its 34th annual List of Banished Words: worn-out, misused, unnecessary, and generally annoying words and expressions. Here are six that caught our attention:
- green (and all its ecological variations: going green, building green, greening, green technology, green solutions, and more)
- maverick (an eponym that was severely overworked during the presidential campaign)
- bailout (which also happens to be Merriam-Webster's metaphorical word of the year)
- Wall Street/Main Street (as a way of describing the effects of the financial crisis on ordinary "folks")
- iconic (an entertainment buzzword--the new awesome)
- staycation (also a contender for Oxford's Word of the Year)
But our favorite expression on Lake Superior State's list is "It's that time of year again!"--nominated by Kathleen Brosemer of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for "general overuse and meaninglessness." As Ms. Brosemer asks rhetorically, "When is it not 'that time of year again'? From Valentine's sales to year-end charity letters, invitations to summer picnics and Christmas parties, it's 'that time' of year again. Just get to the point of the solicitation, invitation, and newsletter and cut out six useless and annoying words."
So what do you think: are these "banished" words and phrases the most deserving? Let us know by clicking on the "comments" button below.
More Annoying Words & Expressions:
Comments
Green is used more because it is needed more. We need synonyms because the idea of protecting the environment is not going away and green will get tired. as this happens, replacements/synonyms will come about. It’s easy for you to ax that word but you must offer a replacement instead of glib commentary.
I don’t mind at all about banishing “Wall Street” (but not “Main Street”) and “bailout.” I must agree about banishing “green,” though. A lot of its current usage is meaningless corporate hype, anyway, as in “green washing.”