Lake Superior State University's 42nd Annual List of Banished Words for 2017
1. You, sir
2. Focus
3. Bete Noire
4. Town Hall Meeting
5. Post-Truth
6. Guesstimate
7. 831
8. Historic
9. Manicured
10. Echo Chamber

That's the "official" list of words to be abolished this year. But I'd like to add my own most disiked term -- Breaking News. It seems every story, no matter how insignificant, merits this appellation.

Does anyone care to contribute their thoughts?

Yep. I'd like to ban the words "banish" and "ban" and get rid of this kind of nonsense once and for all.

Besides being the area code for Monterey, Californica, what's "831?" I'm also flummoxed by "post-truth." Who runs around saying, "echo chamber?" Shouldn't it be "bête noire?"

Who says this stuff, and why?

831 apparently stands for "I love you" in texts. Why, I have no idea.

I think most of the others are over-used in journalese and/or political statements.

One I encountered this morning is "reach out." I'm beginning as a volunteer reading tutor in an elementary school. In one message the program's director twice used "reach out" instead of "contact," "call," "email," or other terms. I've seen it used by other "PC" sorts often before, and it does not leave a warm feeling in me when I see it.

-I firs saw "reach out" on a TV crime show (possibly Law and Order) many years ago. Cops were always trying to reach out to someone for info or for arrest.

I often retch out. Maybe that explains my lack of social life. I'm also annoyed by "meme" and "emoji." Despite being told several times, I still don't understand "meme." Maybe it's a mondegreen for the River Nene?

LSSU has been making these lists for over 40 years. As you can see from the archives their bans always work and the words are never ever used again.

Yep. I've never heard a thing about the 2016 historic election or my beautifully manicured nails.

quote:

I'd like to add my own most disiked term -- Breaking News. It seems every story, no matter how insignificant, merits this appellation.

I agree. On Facebook just now I saw a post with an image saying "BREAKING NEWS" in a large font. The headline of the story said "Tilikum, the orca from Blackfish documentary has died, announce SeaWorld". If they used that in the paper copy of the paper, I wonder if they rushed out an extra edition?

This headline came up in my RSS feed, and I am embarrassed to say I believed it for a few seconds.