Admit it, you’ve said them: “bailout,” “carbon footprint,” and …

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“It’s that time of year again!”

Lake Superior State University “maverick” word-watchers, fresh from the holiday “staycation” but without an economic “bailout” even after a “desperate search,” have issued their 34th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. This year’s list may be more “green” than any of the previous lists and includes words and phrases that people from “Wall Street to Main Street” say they love “not so much” and wish to have erased from their “carbon footprint.”

On Dec. 31, 1975, former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and his colleagues cooked up an idea to banish overused words and phrases. Rabe distributed the list on New Year’s Day. In the following weeks, when nominations for the next year’s list came pouring into his office, Rabe said he knew the list would endure. He was correct. The LSSU PR office still receives thousands of nominations every year from people who never seem to tire of talking about words and language.

This year’s list comes from thousands of nominations received through the university’s website, lssu.edu/banished. Nominations are accepted throughout the year. Word enthusiasts target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, education, technology, advertising, politics, sports and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December. Visit the website to submit nominations for next year’s list, or write .