35th Annual Banned Words List...

[caseydog]

Tweets, sexting "unfriended" in U.S. banned word list

By Carey Gillam

KANSAS CITY (Reuters) – If you recently tweeted about how you were chillaxin for the holiday, take note: Fifteen particularly over- or mis-used words and phrases have been declared "shovel-ready" to be "unfriended" by a U.S. university's annual list of terms that deserve to be banned.
After thousands of nominations of words and phrases commonly used in marketing, media, technology and elsewhere, wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University on Thursday issued their 35th annual list of words that they believe should be banned.

Tops on the Michigan university's list of useless phrases was "shovel-ready." The term refers to infrastructure projects that are ready to break ground and was popularly used to describe road, bridge and other construction projects fueled by stimulus funds from the Obama administration.
And speaking of stimulus, that word -- which was applied to government spending aimed at boosting the economy -- made the over-used category as well, along with an odd assortment of Obama-related constructions such as Obamacare and Obamanomics.

"We say Obamanough already," the LSSU committee said.

Also ripe for exile is "sexting," shorthand for sexy text messaging, a habit that has caused trouble this year for public figures from politicians to star athletes.

Similarly, list makers showed distaste for tweeting, retweeting and tweetaholics, lingo made popular by users of the popular Twitter networking website. And don't even get them started on the use of friend as a verb, as in: "He made me mad so I unfriended him on Facebook," an Internet social site.
Male acquaintances need to find another word than "bromance" for their friendships, and the combination of "chillin" and "relaxin'" into "chillaxin" was an easy pick for banishment.

VOTED OUT
Also making the list was "teachable moment."

"This phrase is used to describe everything from potty-training to politics. It's time to vote it out!" said one list contributor.
"Toxic assets," referring to financial instruments that have plunged in value, sickened list makers so much the phrase was added to the list, along with the tiresome and poorly defined "too big to fail" which has often been invoked to describe wobbly U.S. banks.
Similarly, "in these economic times" was deemed overdue for banishment due.
Also making the list -- "transparent/transparency," typically used, contributors said, when the situation is anything but transparent.
One list contributor wanted to know if there was an "app," short-hand for "application" popularized by the mobile iPhone's growing array of software tools, for making that annoying word go away.
And rounding out the list -- "czar" as in car czar, drug czar, housing czar or banished word czar.
"Purging our language of 'toxic assets' is a 'stimulus' effort that's 'too big to fail,'" said a university spokesman.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

[tonyj]

Actually, I think the word "actually" should only be availale for use by those who have actually obtained the actual training that qualifies them to actually use the word. If you actually key in on the word on television and radio, the overuse of the word will actually drive you to insanity. That is, actually, only my opinion, but I think the word should actually be added to the banned list.

[SmokeyBob]

Actually, I think the word "actually" should only be availale for use by those who have actually obtained the actual training that qualifies them to actually use the word. If you actually key in on the word on television and radio, the overuse of the word will actually drive you to insanity. That is, actually, only my opinion, but I think the word should actually be added to the banned list.

I can't believe you actually said that.

[madjack]

I believe he actually did ...I would actually like to nominate "awesome" from being spoken by anyone who is actually under 50...and then only sparingly..the actual use "awesome and dude" in the same sentence or breath would actually be punished by death from an actual typewriter........
madjack

[robertaw]

"Like" and "you know" are particularly annoying. As a person who like, you know, types for a living I find it suprising how many like, you know, professionals like say these, you know, every other word. I think that, you know, these like supposedly educated, you know, people should be like more articulate, you know.

[High Desert]

oh George Carlin, where are you now?


actually, I find this list toatally awesome...dude. Um, like, ya know?


sorry, I just couldn't help myself LOL

[Lou Park]

Ummmmmmm. Not a word, but needs to go.

[Aaron Coffee]

Being in high school in the mid 80's (valley speak)I remember an English teacher always busting us for useing "like" and "you know". At Christmas, I noticed my cousins teenage daughters using "like" every other word and thought times never change. Maybe someday teardrops will become so popular that the word "teardrop" will make the list.

[graybear13]

"Like" and "You know" have my vote for being banned FOREVER!

[chorizon]

I've heard the words "irregardless" and "ironical" quite a bit last year in our popular culture.

Actually, there is no point other than to say those two words are awesome, dude.

[4123]

I consider your crass attempts to tap the lexicons and fire a fusillade of verbal missiles at me to be extremely bombastic....

[High Desert]

oh great Ron, now I need to get out the dictionary to translate