Zip, Zero, Nada, Nope, No Way-What Words Simply Have To Go?

It's "INTERESTING" when you make your living with words.  You want to use the right words and the right amount of words to convey your message in the most understandable way possible.  Too few words can lead to confusion, too many words can lead to boredom and inattention.  Too simple words can sound juvenile and undercut credibility while too complex words can sound arrogant.  You get the idea.

What do you MEAN???

When I was in TV news I would coach new reporters to search for what I called the "inevitable" word. If you had enough time, understanding. and vocabulary, you could search for and choose a word that says exactly what you mean. I miss those days sometimes.  Do you "gear up" for a beauty pageant or do you primp and prepare? You get the idea.

Wordplay is fun. Puns are fun, double meanings and clever-sounding words are fun. I say the more words the merrier.  EXCEPT there are some words that get overused, misused, and worn out, and almost all of us know exactly when a word hits its expiration date.

Do You Have A Banish This Word List?

Think about the Morning News on KIT.  We speak thousands of words. Are there words repeated on the radio show with which you are done?  Do you have pet peeve words?  "Plethora" is a word that sounds pretentious and I try never to use...and words like "no thanks" when someone is offering dessert for example...HA, I kill me.  (I loved ALF's use of language too)

So every year Michigan's Lake Superior State University releases its annual "Banished Words List".  The school has released such a list since 1976, compiled from submissions sent in from around the world by English speakers of phrases or words to be banished for "misuse, overuse, and uselessness."

This 2021 Terrible Ten are:

• Wait, what?
• No worries
• At the end of the day
• That being said
• Asking for a friend
• Circle back
• Deep dive
• New normal
• You're on mute
• Supply chain

I'm still on board with "Wait, What?" and I use "no worries" a lot.  At the end of the day I am pretty tired of "at the end of the day" so it can go.  "That being said" works as a transition I like but "asking for a friend" is a gag past its prime.

"Circle back" as said by the President's Press Secretary was tired the first moment she said it and it is a reflection of the lack of preparedness by the administration.  "Deep dive" and "New Normal" I have to admit are pretty tuckered out.  "You're on mute" is just a sign of the times and while "Supply Chain" is too, I would be happy to retire it because our national delivery has returned to the "old normal."

We would love to hear your favorite words and those words you hope never to speak or hear again...so whatcha got?