Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lake Superior State University 2009 List of Banished Words

I especially concur with two choices: 'winner of five nominations' and 'icon/iconic.'
A nomination is not a win. Yes, one is being singled out, along with others in a certain category, but one is not a winner.
As the late George Carlin pointed out in his last stand-up, 'folks, not everyone is a winner.' Exactly. We cannot all be winners now, can we? A few win, others lose and a great many reside in-between.

And, what about the high-frequency use of icon/iconic? There cannot be so many icons out there, can there? Perhaps, a list of other synonyms could be introduced here?

Here is the full list published by Lake Superior State University.




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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Right. Everything's iconic with some people. No, a Starbucks is not an icon, it's a place of business.

Anonymous said...

I won 9th place. Ridiculous notion that everyone is a winner. I have no problem with losing.

Anonymous said...

I cannot stand the phrase 'game changer.' It makes me think of that guy in high school who tried to appear cool by using all the current lingo and somehow he still managed to sound off and bizarre.

Sra said...

Funny list. Green is the one that struck a chord with me. There is so much greenwashing going around out there that I can't help but roll my eyes every time I hear the word. Car and oil company commercials are the worst. I'm sorry, but you guys are not green.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Sra. And, no, I'm not interested in 'buying green.' I think I'm pretty green if I curb my buying altogether!
Good list.

Anonymous said...

Too much 'green' talk. I agree.

Anonymous said...

winner of nominations.... ha! i also don't get it why so many people need their hands held. odd, odd!

Anonymous said...

icon/iconic, so overused!

Paul said...

I can't believe they left out the becoming-ubiquitous "take-away" e.g.: "Disregard all the BS I've just been blathering on about, because here is the take-away."

It's also interesting because it is loaded with the knowledge that humans don't retain the vast majority of what they perceive. But its tie to marketers, PR people, and other persuaders make it a must-kill word.

Anonymous said...

Some members of the media are so vexing with their uber-use of wall street/main street.... 'Normal' folk don't talk like that.