Banished Words List

On each January 1, a crew at Lake Superior State University releases their light-hearted list of words and phrases they would banish if they could, with explanations. The 2008 list is the 33rd annual, the long name of which is "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness". It includes clichés, redundancies, illogic, etc.

Included are the winning submissions from the public, from among thousands. Current and past lists are all in their Web publication, as below. Other similar lists exist, but this one gets the most attention every New Year's Day in the world's Anglophone media.

Summary of the 2008 list

# perfect storm
# webinar
# waterboarding
# organic
# wordsmith / wordsmithing
# author / authored
# post 9/11
# surge
# give back
# or 'X' is the new 'Y'
# Black Friday
# back in the day
# random
# sweet
# decimate
# emotional
# pop ('makes it POP')
# It is what it is.
# under the bus

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