Tuesday, January 1, 2008

LSSU's list of banished words - it is what it is

Lake Superior State University has published its 2008 List of Banished Words, which includes "wordsmith" "webinar," and "waterboarding"--and that's just the W's. Some phrases make the list, too, including one I've been guilty of using recently: "it is what it is." As one contributor to the list notes:

It means absolutely nothing and is mostly a cop out or a way to avoid answering a question in a way that might require genuine thought or insight.
And here I just thought it was the present-tense version of que sera sera. But whatever.*

*From the 1997 LSSU Banished Words list.

1 comment:

Rachel said...

I visited the LSSU web site to check out the complete list. To the left of the list was a featured "alumni," as in one person, who happened to be a woman. Talking about banished words, I think they should have taken the time to call her an "alumna."