Nomination season winds down for 44th annual Banished Word List

Dec 11, 2018

Now is the time to get rid of this past year’s abused and misused words and phrases. Only a matter of days remain to submit a nomination for Lake Superior State University’s 2019 Word Banishment List, to be released on Dec. 31.

For every new year since 1976, LSSU — known for engineering, robotics, nursing, and Great Lakes freshwater research —has issued its “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use or General Uselessness.” LSSU accepts nominations for banishment from all over the world, covering all manner of word or phrase worthy of exile.

University officials note that even with this year’s midterm election-year lift, most entries don’t necessarily come from politics. Nominations for the 2018 list rolled in at a steady pace from the fields of academia, advertising, business, the military, sports, as well as politics.

“We unpack tons of pre-owned nominations,” says a Gig Economy spokesman for the word-sifters, using some of the words banned earlier in 2018. “Let me ask you this: why do nominators drill down year after year to dish up irritating word and phrases? This endeavor is anything but a nothingburger. Let that sink in.”

Words and phrases banished in previous years include: My Bad (`98), Forced Relaxation (`89), Free Gift (`88), Live Audience (`83, `87, `90), and Minor Emergency Clinic (’90). Last year’s list dealt with “fake news,” ” Covfefe,” ” Hot Water Heater” and more.

The annual compilation makes news all over the world. Between now and mid-January, LSSU’s communications staff will conduct interviews with electronic media outlets such as Fox, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, CBC, plus radio call-in programs too numerous to list. The world’s major press agencies – AP, UPI, Reuters, even Xinhua (China’s national news agency) – also move the list. Lake Superior State’s tongue-in-cheek compilation catches the attention of columnists with the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, and Newsweek.

Nominations for 2019’s list, along with compelling reasons for banishment, can be submitted online at bit.ly/BanishFirstCall or searching on “word banish nominate.”

The 2019 list – LSSU’s 44^thword banishment compilation – will be released at noon Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 31 to welcome the new year.