Wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., announced their 42nd annual list of words banished from the queen's English for mis-use, over-use and general uselessness, notes Grumpy Editor.
The keen-eyed word watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from news plus education, technology, advertising and political fields.
Among the latest, with the word watchers' comments:
You, sir - Hails from a more civilized era when duels were the likely outcome of disagreements.
Focus - Good word, but overused when concentrate or look at would work fine.
Town hall meeting - Candidates seldom debate in town halls anymore.
Guesstimate - When guess and estimate are never enough.
Historic - Thrown around far too much. What's considered as such is best left to historians.
Manicured - As in a manicured lawn. Golf greens are the closest grass comes to being manicured.
Echo chamber - Lather, rinse and repeat. After a while, everything sounds the same.
On fleek - Anything that is on-point, perfectly executed, or looking good. Needs to return to its genesis: perfectly groomed eyebrows.
Ghost - To abruptly end communication, especially on social media.
Dadbod - The flabby opposite of a chiseled-body male ideal.
Selfie drone - In what could be an ominous development, the selfie --- an irritating habit of constantly photographing and posting oneself to social media --- is being handed off to a flying camera.
Frankenfruit - Another food group co-opted by "frankenfood."
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
The editorial board at the Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says “the FBI has some explaining to do" in connection with Friday's shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport that killed five and wounded eight, asking, "Given that (the shooter) reportedly suffered mental health problems, that he told FBI agents he was hearing voices about ISIS and that he was held for psychiatric evaluation in Alaska just two months ago, how is it even possible that Esteban Santiago was allowed to fly with a gun?" The board points out "the FBI said Saturday that Santiago wasn't even on the federal no-fly list" and asks, "How many warning signs, red flags and alarm bells does the agency need to recognize that someone poses a danger, deserves ongoing scrutiny and shouldn't be allowed to possess --- let alone fly --- with weapons and ammunition?"
While print and broadcast media are heavy on coverage of a major winter storm hitting the South, most are ignoring an “epic storm” slamming California and other areas in the West with heavy rain, floods and snow. The question now: Will the word “drought” continue in Golden State weather stories?...North Korea declared it can test-launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported yesterday... For those wondering about Greta Van Susteren's whereabouts since leaving Fox News, today she debuts on MSNBC at 6 p.m. (Eastern) with "For the Record" featuring news and analysis from Washington...Craftsman, the tool brand of Sears Holdings for 90 years, is being acquired by Stanley Black & Decker. Sears also is closing 42 Sears and 108 Kmart stores…ALM Media, which produces a number of law journals, including American Lawyer, cut about two dozen staffers from newsroom, marketing and advertising departments…Talkers, which covers talk radio, says Russia's hacking of the DNC’s email was the most-talked-about story on news/talk radio last week.
A Rasmussen Reports survey finds that nearly half (48 percent) of all likely U.S. voters believe most reporters are biased against president-elect. Donald Trump. Only 12 percent think they are biased for Trump, while 31 percent feel most reporters try to be fair and balanced.
