Which Words Do You Think Need to Be Banished?
Every new year since Jan. 1, 1976, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., has released a list of words or expressions that it declares should be “banished from the Queen’s English for misuse, overuse and general uselessness.” LSSU invites readers to submit a word to banish and receives more than 1,000 entries. This year, LSSU reports that they received the most nominations for “viral.”
“I didn’t mind much when ‘viral’ came to mean an underhanded tactic by advertising companies to make their ads look like pop culture. However, now anything that becomes popular on YouTube is suddenly ‘viral.’ I just don’t get it,” Kevin Wood of Wallacetown, Ontario, wrote in his “viral” nomination.
There are 13 other entries on the 2011 list, including the use of “Google” and “Facebook” as verbs, “fail” and “refudiate.”
This week, we’d like to ask you: What words or expressions do you think should be banned? Submit them to LSSU, of course, but also share your thoughts in the comments.
Read the answers to last week’s question: Do You Engage in Any Good-Luck Rituals?
Featured answer:
Posted by honey: “Proofread, proofread, practice and a purple blouse.”
