SAULT STE. MARIE, MI— What began as a whimsical New Year’s Eve party idea in 1976, has grown into a global reflection on the words that wear out their welcome. Since former public relations director W.T. (Bill) Rabe showcased the first “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English because of mis-, mal-, over-use, or general uselessness,” LSSU has carried the torch.
The entries continue a tongue-in-cheek commentary on language, catchphrases, and corporate jargon. Over 1,400 submissions were entrusted to LSSU this year, pouring in from all 50 U.S. states, and as far as Uzbekistan, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, and many more.
Here are this year’s golden class of banishments and rationale:
1. 6-7 (six seven): “There are six or seven reasons why this phrase needs to be stopped,”
says Paul E. from WI. The volume of submissions for this one could have taken up the
whole list, at least slots 6-7. The top banishment this year, Scott T. from UT adds, “it’s
time for “6-7” to be 86’ed.”
2. Demure: “It’s very said more than very done, and we’re all very done hearing it!”
remarks Tammy S. Often used in the phrase ‘very demure, very mindful,’ Madison C.
shares that the overuse “waters down the real meaning.”
3. Cooked: “Hearing it…my brain feels ‘cooked,’” groans Zac A. from VA. Parents and
guardians led the charge on this one, with some feeling this isn’t enough. James C. from
WA suggests a ban of “all forms of the word cook,” hoping that hearing them will
become rare.
4. Massive: “Way overused! (often incorrectly),” exclaim Don and Gail K. from MN. This
word’s massive overuse has secured its place on this year’s list.
5. Incentivize: In the longstanding effort to turn nouns into verbs, this is another culprit.
Two separate submissions likened hearing this word to “nails on a chalkboard.” Patricia
from TX asks, “What’s wrong with motivate?”
6. Full stop: “For the same reason ‘period’ was banished…redundant punctuation,”
explains Marybeth A. from OR.
7. Perfect: “There are very few instances when the word actually applies,” notes Jo H. from
CA. Often heard during customer service interactions, Char S. from OH wonders: “How
do they know it’s perfect…what does that mean?”
8. Gift/gifted (as a verb): “I found this on the 1994 list, but it will make me feel better to
recommend that it be included once again,” reveals James S. from OK. Another case of a
noun being used as a verb.
9. My Bad: In the 1998 banishment, Elizabeth P. from MI suggested, “students and adults
sound infantile when using this to apologize.” The phrase hasn’t matured in credibility
since then. Andrea R. from OH shared, “It does not convey much meaning in the way of
an apology.”
10. Reach Out: First banished in 1994, this saying has strayed from the positive message it
once intended to deliver. “What started as a phrase with emotional support overtones has
now become absurdly overused,” asserts Kevin B. from the United Kingdom.
That concludes this year’s banishments. However, 50 years of lists have shown one thing:
sometimes one placement just isn’t enough. To commemorate this golden milestone, LSSU looks
back at some “Repeat Offenders” that received multiple banishments.
Repeat Offenders: Words That Refused to Stay Banished
1. Absolutely (1996, 2023): A favorite nomination of WXYT listeners in 1996. That proved
not to be enough. A 2023 submission called the word “The current default to express
agreement.” Will it try for a hat-trick? Absolutely.
2. At the End of the Day (1999, 2022, 2024): In 1999, Mike M. said the phrase was used
by “political pundits,” while Randall H. attributed it to “Hollywood types.” This phrase
has the unique distinction of triple-banishment.
3. Awesome (1984, 2007): Elnora V. set the tone for the initial banishment, sharing “I find
it preposterous to believe that all these writers are observing truly awesome events on
such a widespread scale.” It returned to the list in 2007, with folks from as far as
Thailand calling it “overused and meaningless.”
4. Game Changer (2009, 2025): The 2009 banishment quoted Cynthia saying, “It’s game
OVER for this cliché, which gets overused in the news media, political arenas and in
business.” This “game over” would include another banishment in 2025, with Patrick
from Washington, DC commenting, “nothing is a game changer if everything is a game
changer.”
5. Hot Water Heater (1982, 2018): An anonymous listener nominated this phrase to Rob
Westaby with WOWO Radio in 1982, asking “Since when does hot water need to be
heated?” Decades later, the 2018 banishment reminded folks that a “water heater” would
keep them out of linguistic hot water.
