MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WCCO) — Lake Superior State University released its annual list of words and terms that should be banished for their "misuse, overuse, and uselessness," and you might get a laugh at how many are in your vocabulary.
The Michigan university compiled the list through more than 1,250 nominations sent by those who were "irked and mused" around the globe throughout 2021, it said in a statement.
The list includes 10 words, some of which are phrases, that were nominated never to be used again because of how they were used throughout the last year.
Rounding out the number 10 spot on the list was "supply chain," which earned its spot through too many people using it as a scapegoat for whenever something didn't arrive on time. The word came up more at the end of the year but made an impact quickly.
Coming in at number nine was "you're on mute," a phrase heard all too often when someone put themselves on mute in Zoom and forgot to turn the mic back on before speaking.
The list has been compiled by LSSU since 1976 in an effort to "uphold, protect and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical — and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating," the school said in its report.
Other phrases that were selected to get the ax this year include "that being said," at the number four spot; "asking for a friend," at the number five spot; "circle back" at the number six spot; "deep dive," at the number seven spot; and "new normal" at the number eight spot.
LSSU executive director of marketing and communication, Peter Szatmary, shared in the statement why they created the list.
"Most people speak through informal discourse. Most people shouldn't misspeak through informal discourse. That's the distinction nominators far and wide made, and our judges agreed with them," Szatmary said in the statement.
Coming in at number three of the words that need to be banned is "at the end of the day" selected for being overused since first being used in 1999, the university said.
At number two was "no worries," nominated for its misuse since it "incorrectly substitutes 'you're welcome' when someone says, 'thank you.'"
And the top word that should be banned was "Wait, what?" a phrase the university says was "most frequently found in text or on social media." They continued saying it is not properly used and used too much.
To read the full list and reasonings for each word or phrase selected, click here.
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