Did you hear that sound last Wednesday? It was a collective sigh of relief from word nerds everywhere upon the release of Lake Superior State University's 2015 list of banished words.
You might have also heard a few "what the hecks," too, especially if you were in central Arkansas.
Silly university; it's "cray-cray," not "cra-cra." The powers that be, though, can't take all the blame for that one, as many nominations are made by the public, and apparently those nominating "cra-cra" were isolated from the rest of the Internet. A Google check shows the bulk of hits for "cra-cra" seem to be reports on the list or for organizations with the acronym CRA.
Pity those of us trying to sound it out before realizing what was meant. Pity even more those who believe such slang constitutes proper English, even if the online Oxford Dictionary has deigned to add "cray," "adorbs" and "amazeballs," among other linguistic detritus.
A few more from the university's 40th list, along with selected comments from nominators:
Bae--One of the top nominees, according to the university, and tagged "the most annoying term of affection to show up in years" by Blan Wright of Sugar Hill, Ga. Ostensibly meant to stand for "before anyone else," its origin story is in dispute, but having now been co-opted by marketers from companies like IHOP, AT&T and Pizza Hut, it may be time to get its eulogy ready. Or just use The Atlantic's James Hamblin's "bae" obit from last week.
Polar vortex--"Wasn't it called 'winter' just a few years ago?" asked Dawn Farrell of Kanata, Ontario. Yep. Or just freakin' cold. Are my lips turning blue?
Hack--No, not what the cat does in your shoe in the middle of the night, but what once was called a "tip" or "helpful hint." Actually, I'd be OK with getting rid of both hacks. And take away professional hacks while you're at it.
Skill set--I really can't say it more clearly than did Chip Lupo of Columbia, S.C.: "Why use two words when one will do? We already have a perfectly good word in 'skills' (ending with an s, not a z)."
Foodie--I'm starting to suspect that some of my snarkier relatives may be among the commenters. Andy Poe of Marquette, Mich., sounds an awful lot like he could have some DNA in common with me: "'Someone who enjoys food' applies to everyone on Earth. What's next? 'Oh, I'm an airie; I just love to breathe.' 'Could we do it at 11, instead? I'm kind of a sleepie.'" Personally, I'm a chocolatie.
Curate/Curated--This is one that sticks in my craw more than a little bit. It has significance when applied to the arts, but when used, for example, for a collection of catnip toys, balls and crunchy treats, it loses any impact it had and just sounds pretentious. OK, for some cats it might be appropriate ...
Friend-raising--One I hadn't heard before, but definitely one I don't care to hear again. When you're trafficking on bosom buddies to raise money for some fatuous want, it's just one more blow to the concept of friendship.
Takeaway--When used by Brits to describe takeout food, it doesn't annoy me. Frankly, if it's said in a British accent, a lot of things don't annoy me. However, when it's used to mean knowledge ("What's the takeaway?" rather than "What did we learn?"), it grates.
"Swag," "enhanced interrogation" and "-nation" (usually a sports-related suffix) also made the list, and are more than welcome to exit stage right with the rest of these. While they're at it, they can take along such gems as "all-time record," "baby bump," "I'm just sayin'" and "to be perfectly honest," which still hang around long after their banishment. That'd be great, thanks!
And a few readers offered some more words that just might end up on future lists (and some that have already been banished but refuse to go away). Sports terms such as "positive yards," "negative yards," and "trickeration" ruffle David Kelley's feathers, while "going forward" makes Karl Hansen gag. And like Philip Warner, misuse of "founder" and "flounder" drive me nuts. Have ones that bug you? Send 'em on!
It should come as no surprise that the harshest critic I have is myself. Every spelling or grammar error I make hurts, even when readers don't notice it. I'm still kicking myself over a subject-verb disagreement in my lead last week (caught the next morning, so it's only correct on my blog). A small thing, but annoying.
I hold myself to a higher standard than I do anyone else. That doesn't mean, however, that I'll let just anything on the page, even when letters are running low. Those of you sending viral emails or letters with chunks of someone else's unattributed work ... naw, they're not going through. And as staffing is stretched thin, creating a backup, if we can't find needed documentation and ask for it, please provide it. That's often the only thing holding up certain letters. We're adults here and not out to get anyone, so leave the name-calling for someone who actually deserves it.
The aim here is to provide you with an informative and/or entertaining page. Most days that happens, and with your help, it'll keep happening.
Well, what do you know ... I still had a pair of cranky pants hanging around.
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Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Read her blog at blooper0223.wordpress.com.
Editorial on 01/07/2015