Lake Superior State University has published its 33rd annual list of words and phrases that ought to be banned because of “misuse, overuse and general uselessness.” Here they are:
- perfect storm
- Webinar
- waterboarding
- organic
- wordsmith/wordsmithing
- author/authored
- post 9/11
- surge
- give back
- ‘blank’ is the new ‘blank’
- Black Friday
- back in the day
- random
- sweet
- decimate
- emotional
- pop
- It is what it is
- under the bus
What I want to know is: How could they possibly have missed “green?” Please don’t tell me the laundry detergent, someone’s political views, or your office supplies are “green.” Kermit is green.
I do, however, love it that the list makers nailed the cloying adjective “sweet.” I recently read a blog post by a particularly smarmy blowhard and damned if he didn’t use the adjective “sweet” four times—while describing his own artistic endeavors, no less!
“Shiny” is the new “sweet.”