Nation & World News
Banned words list for 2017 is simply 'historic'
By Bob D'Angelo
Dec 31, 2016It's time for Lake Superior State University's annual "listicle" that drives the wordsmiths at the northern Michigan school crazy. And our best "guesstimate" is that we need to “focus” on the "bigly" picture when examining this "historic" list.
The university released its 42nd annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Useless, a tradition that began at a New Year's Eve party in 1975. According to the school's website, the list was started by the late W.T. Rabe, a public relations director at the school.
And yes, those quoted words in the first paragraph are members of the Class of 2017.
"Overused words and phrases are a 'bête noire' for thousands of users of the 'manicured' Queen's English," a university spokesman said as he released the “historic” list during a “town hall meeting.” "We hope our modest 'listicle' will figure 'bigly' in most 'echo chambers' around the world."
Rabe devised the first list with fellow Lake Superior State University faculty and staff and released it on Jan. 1, 1976. The response was enormous, and since then, annual winners have been culled from nominations received worldwide throughout the year. There are now more than 850 entries, the school said.
Here is the complete list for 2017. It looks to be "on fleek." The university also maintains an all-time list – an overused word Hall of Fame, if you will, that is guaranteed to "get your dandruff up."
