This week's question: Lake Superior State University in Michigan recently published its annual “List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.” What word or words would you like to see banished from the face of the Earth?
Pam Eggemeier, SVM editorial page editor
I don't spend a lot of time thinking about words I'd like to see disappear. How certain words and phrases are used is my biggest irritant. I find that many of the annoyances pop up repeatedly within certain offending groups.
There are the cliches that seem to always pop up during interviews or have become standard fare on news releases. To hear several in one sitting, all you have to do is turn on a business news channel. If you stumble upon a huge merger, there's a good chance you'll catch "it's a win-win." "a seamless transition," "driven by synergies," and for good measure, a "paradigm or culture shift."
Moving to sports, we're forced to deal with a growing pool of retired athletes. Many have been given a monthlong crash course in broadcasting, and to expedite the process, the English prerequisite has been waived.
Just turn on a football game and the redundancies playbook will be opened to "continue on" and "positive gain". Back to cliches, basketball games score early and often thanks to broadcasters and interviews with coaches and players. The game is all about "momentum," "potential" and "chemistry." Some phrases don't even make sense. How is it possible to give 110 percent? Then in a desperate attempt to be a trendsetter, some broadcaster stuck us with "score the ball."
I'll throw TV, text messaging and social media into a subgroup – one that might be more of a generational thing. At the risk of sounding like the old person who I am, texting is creating a culture that is too lazy to finish thoughts and words. People now need time off for "vaca," and "YOLO" and "SMK" are part of our regular conversations.
Pop culture also has targeted certain words that can conveniently be plugged into any part of every sentence. We have "like," "literally," and my new favorite – starting every sentence with the word "so."
The scariest part of all of this? Because of sheer repetition, one of these are bound to eventually pop out of your mouth and it can be horrifying.
Kathleen Schultz, SVM news editor
As an editor, a plethora of words cross my path that I want to kick to the curb, set on fire and beat out with a brick.
There's one now. Plethora. Ick. Sounds like one of those sissy plant-eating dinosaurs. I'd eschew it, if I didn't loathe the word eschew so much.
Also, whatever advertising genius decided gifting is a verb needs to be shot between the eyes.
What's the matter with giving? It's damn-near the same word, even has one fewer letter, which, as an editor, warms my heart. Why try to nicey-nice up a perfectly serviceable word that's been minding its own business and doing it's job admirably for centuries?
Re-gifting? Come on, people!! Every time I hear it, I want to gift someone with a swift smack on the kisser.
Likewise chair. Chair is not a verb, and a chair is not a person.
I'm all for gender-neutral titles – little girls shouldn't think only firemen fight fires – but it's also OK to aspire to be a chairwoman. Chair without the -man or -woman is just plain gender-shaming.
I'd add irregardless to the list, but for the umpteenth time, IRREGARDLESS IS NOT A WORD.
And just cuz it bugs me so very, very much, can we please stop using the phrase whether or not? The "or not" is implied in the whether, is it not?
Irregardless of how I feel, and whether or not I like it, I'm sure writers will continue to gift me with a plethora of icky words that I will continue to eschew, because, let's face it, editing is what pays my bills. Literally.
Oooh, there's another one!
Don Bricker, SVM publisher
In general, I am normally against banishing or censoring words, but there are words that are so overused, rude, insensitive or just plain silly that it would be great to see them relegated to the history books.
Taking words out of general use has been part of our history as societal standards shift. At one time you might hear kerfuffle or henceforth, but sadly both are now gone.
I have one word and one category of words I'd like to no longer hear. The word is adulting. Generally, adulting means doing the things required of a responsible adult. In other words, growing up. I think the words we've used in the past to describe the transition to adulthood can suffice.
As for the category, I'd like to see our language move back toward the more civil and away from the vulgar. Our politicians and celebrities have made being crass and classless the norm, and I'd like to take a few steps back in that area.