Since 1975 Lake Superior State University has published a list of overused, mis-used, or generally useless words for the year. This year those words are:

Gitmo
Combined celebrity names
Awesome
Gone/went missing
Pwn or pwned
Now playing in theatres
We're pregnant
Undocumented alien
Armed robbery/drug deal gone bad
Truthiness
Ask your doctor
Chipotle
i-anything
Search
Healthy food
Boasts

What are yours?

"pants", meaning bad
"wicked" meaning good
"cool" meaning laudable

I agree about "wicked" meaning good. It always confuses me!

I read one today that I hear all the time, and wonder why they just can't say "killed":

"Took the life of"

Chipotle

What is wrong with chipotle? It's a wicked cool word. Use it all the time. But seriously, what would you call a chipotle? Smoke-dried jalapeño chili just doesn't quite do it for me. I'd never heard of pants meaning bad or below par, but I see it's a UK term. Funny that.

I first heard wicked meaning "good" probably about 12 years ago, although it seems to have died down.

What exactly is the problem with Gitmo, and why is it this year it has been added to the list? I probably first heard the term in "A Few Good Men", but I have heard it many times since then.

Never heard "gitmo".
Only ever encountered "pwn" on this site.
Never heard "undocumented alien".
Never heard "truthiness"".
Never heard "chipotle"
Never heard anyone say "we're pregnant".
Don't understand what's wrong with most of the others.

I agree that awesome, combined celebrity names and i-anything are overused.

I don't have a list of overused or useless words because I love all words.

I mean "chipotle", "search", "boasts", "awesome"? "Ask your doctor"? Most of these are completely normal words.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

quote:

Never heard "gitmo".

Proably because we all know how to spell "Guantanamo Bay".

"Ask your doctor" is totally overused here in America. Every other commercial is for some sort of diet-aid, food plan, excersise equipment, gym membership,brand new prescription drug, etc and they ALL end with, "Ask your doctor before starting any... blah, blah blah..."

The overused words in the school I work in are "Yo" and "Bee-yahtch". They're often used together. I guess this is supposed to be the quieter, gentler way to call someone out.

quote:

wonder why they just can't say "killed":

"Took the life of"

In a similar vein, why can't we just say someone died instead of "passed on,"or worse yet, "passed." Th latter sounds like he was taking an exam.

quote:

went missing

The term "went extinct" particularly bothers me, especially when said by a scientist who should know better. It sounds as though the animal made a conscious decision to become extinct. Extinction is a passive event.