'Amazing' Tops Banned Words Wish List

Words

First Posted: 5/01/2012 16:32 Updated: 24/01/2012 07:51

If you could ban any word from the English language, what would it be?

According to an annual poll taken by a Michigan university, the first to be resigned to the dustbin of lexical history should be… ‘amazing’.

The humble adjective stirs the ire of more people around the world than any other according Lake Superior State University, who each year request nominations for its list of "Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness".

But why?

"Many nominators mentioned over-use on television when they sent their entries," LSSU told the Guardian.

"It [the word ‘amazing’] seemed to bother people everywhere, as nominations were sent from around the US and Canada and some from overseas, including Israel, England and Scotland. A Facebook page – 'Overuse of the Word Amazing' – threatened to change its title to 'Occupy LSSU' if 'amazing' escaped banishment this year."

University spokesman John Shibley told USAToday that he and his colleagues were surprised that "amazing" hadn't already graced the archive of about 900 banished words.

"The simple ones are always the ones that get through the cracks - until this year," he said.

Living in a country where the derivative 'amazeballs' exists, we can't help but feel this is an injustice.

Second in the list was the even more innocuous ‘baby bump’, which one voter, Susan from Takoma Park, Maryland, described as ‘making pregnancy sound like some fun and in-style thing to do, not a serious choice…’. Evidently anyone using the term ought to consider themselves unfit for parenthood from now on.

In at third was the frankly baffling ‘Man cave’, a term a quick HuffPost investigation revealed to denote a bedroom or space appropriated for men to do ‘men things’, usually equipped with a large TV, gym equipment or video games. We believe this is what was once known in a by-gone era as a ‘garden shed’ or ‘garage’.

The LSSU’s annual list has been running since 1975 when its first list of hated words and phrases including "at this point in time" and "meaningful dialogue". Last year's list included "fail," "viral" and "a-ha moment."

Some of the words the Huffington Post UK team would like to add to the list include: "moist", "literally", "that" and "totes" (as in, "totally").

What word or phrases would you most like to ban? Let us know below!

CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, Lake Superior State University was misidentified. We regret the error.
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If you could ban any word from the English language, what would it be? According to an annual poll taken by a Michigan university, the first to be resigned to the dustbin of lexical history should ...
If you could ban any word from the English language, what would it be? According to an annual poll taken by a Michigan university, the first to be resigned to the dustbin of lexical history should ...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kyosaku
Nothis non carborundum
03:31 PM on 01/28/2012
On another track, my spouse says that if our 40 year old daughter calls her "dude!" one more time, the only thing that she will get in our will is our debt.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
kyosaku
Nothis non carborundum
03:30 PM on 01/28/2012
"We believe this is what was once known in a by-gone era as a ‘garden shed’ or ‘garage’."

I think it would more accurate to liken a "man cave" to the den. It would likely have included a small library, a comfortable reading chair, a writing desk, and a humidor. visitors would have been invited in...formally.

The idea of the "Man Cave" as I understand it, seems a bit silly to me. It reminds me of a boy's club house in a tree or slapped together from packing crates, with a "No Girls Allowed" sign on the door.

Perhaps it is just a matter of preference. I once had a working office in my home and was left alone far to much for my liking.
11:24 PM on 01/22/2012
'Huffpost UK'
11:16 PM on 01/22/2012
Pet hate phrases seem to have hi-jacked this thread but, what the heck ... I'm in! My pet hate phrase is "IN ACTUAL FACT". Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgh!
10:48 PM on 01/22/2012
False, is a pet hate of mine!
09:39 PM on 01/22/2012
who care what huff says , their favourite words that should be banned are "this comment has been removed."
09:34 PM on 01/22/2012
Cool.
09:23 PM on 01/22/2012
I would ban the expression 'To die for' when talking about how good something was, like food. a bit over the top.
Also to be banned, 'Human Resources' instead of 'Personnel Department. I'm an individual not a resource.
08:49 PM on 01/22/2012
the words most hated that i'v come across are-- EU and the EU Human rights bill, followed by Clegg and Milibandit.
08:18 PM on 01/22/2012
Absolutely - used all the time in answer to a question when a simple yes would do!
08:09 PM on 01/22/2012
The one that gets me is when sports commentators say that a golf shot was brave, or a brave tackle in rugby or football, no they are paid well for the sport, it is hardly brave. Brave is a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, brave are police facing someone with a gun, I have not met a brave sportsman yet.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
fredro
07:33 PM on 01/22/2012
Well that's done for physicist and TV star Brian Cox!
07:01 PM on 01/22/2012
I think the word 'amazing' is 'awesome' as used by most Americans!
06:09 PM on 01/22/2012
my comment deleted??? why huffpost??
05:43 PM on 01/22/2012
i hate the phrase 24/7 it just not true . i work 24/7 ? well when do you sleep?
10:46 PM on 01/22/2012
Your brain is active at all times!