Bushisms make university's banned list

CNN ^

[Sub-Driver]

SAULT STE. MARIE, Michigan (Reuters) -- Overused cliches, wordy redundancies and hyperbolic phrases -- including the Bushism "make no mistake about it" -- were declared banished Wednesday by the university overseers of an annual list of banned words.

Other favored utterances of President Bush such as "material breach," "weapons of mass destruction," and "homeland security," were the tired targets of the New Year's Day list compiled by the public relations staff at Lake Superior State University.

[lorrainer]

I still haven't recovered from "I feel your pain," and "It takes a village." Did these ever make any list?

And at least the "frozen tundra" isn't in "cozy confines." ;o)

[Cultural Jihad]

The shows host asked a canadian guy what is the canadiain equivalent to African-American.... African-Canadian?

America is a hemispheric location, not a country. All residents from Whitehorse to Guadalajara to Buenos Aires consider themselves 'Americans' too.

[Maceman]

"Has anyone yet died a timely death?" asked Donald Burgess of California.

My wife's 94-year old grandmother woke up dead one morning. True, she was in reasonably good health and we all thought she'd live forever. But she knew her time was coming soon, and often said so.

OTOH, my friends Paige Hackel and Ruth Clifford, along with Ruth's four-year-old dughter Juliana, died September 11 on Flights 11 and 175.

I would say there was a big difference in the timeliness of these deaths, compared to that of my wife's grandmother.

Ny the way, while we're getting rid of meaningless over-used cliches, how about "African American" and "Native American." Those phrases never fail to raise my ire.

[BradyLS]

Oh, "TO BE SURE." But now, "TO THE PHONES!" (and after that, to the batmobile!)

But the one grates when listening to talk-radio is "NOW THERE YOU GO!"

[BradyLS]

You know you're going to to hear a story about some peculiar people when the media tells you about the "COMPOUND" they are living in...

[EODGUY]

To some extent, the words famous and infamous are closely associated as well.

Then of course we have words spelled the same that have distinctly different meanings.

Ours is an interesting language.

[EODGUY]

Good point.

[general_re]

While we're on the subject, in a vague sort of way, there are a few conflations and spelling errors that have been irritating me of late.

"Gall" versus "Gaul". Rat disruptors who post here have a lot of gall. A lot of Gauls were unable to defeat Caesar.

"Vicious" versus "viscous", or some hybrid thereof. "Viciously attacking" someone is grounds for banning. "Viscously attacking" them does not lead to an attractive mental picture.

"No one" versus "noone". Come, my lord - we shall luncheon at Noone, in Ye Olde Sandwyche Shoppe....

"Amateur" versus "amature" or "amatuer". Nothing says "amateur night" quite like that one...

"For all intents and purposes", and its numerous variations - "for all intensive purposes" is my favorite, I think.

"Wracked" versus "racked". "Racked with guilt". Yeah. Almost as good as a "fit of peak".

</end of rant>

[freedumb2003]

>>(or is it "Hear, Hear"?) <<

Harrumph, Harrumph!

I didn't get a harrumph from him!

Give the Governor a Harrumph!

[freedumb2003]

My condolences on the loss of your friends and the child on the cowardly attack. Also for your grandmother.

Death is always untimely.

[freedumb2003]

"loose" in place of "lose"

AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!! FReepers do that one all the time!!

< / e-o-rant>

[aculeus]

One of my favs: wreckless (when they don't mean accident- free).

[general_re]

I'm still waiting to see someone confuse "noose" and "nose" - it's the next logical move.

Speaking of which, why is it that nobody seems to understand the difference between "its" and "it's"? "The monkey scratched it's butt." "Its time to go!"

Or there/they're/their? "Their going to be in trouble!"

Or "to" and "too"? "He's been gone to long."

Or "who's" and "whose"? "Who's car is this?" "Let's freep Congress! Whose with me?"

Maybe I should just give in and see if the handle "Unreconstructed Elitist Bastard" is still available ;)

[general_re]

"We need to close the boarders now!"

[Mark17]

who are these people?

I don't know, commies maybe?

[HIDEK6]

"Flammable" and "inflammable" have perplexed me.

The confusion there started when gasoline trucks would be labeled, "Inflammable."

Some barely educated person decided that the meaning was, "fireproof", so the gas companies started using the label, "Flammable."

[HIDEK6]

"Flammable" and "inflammable" have perplexed me.

The confusion there started when gasoline trucks would be labeled, "Inflammable."

Some barely educated person decided that the meaning was, "fireproof", so the gas companies started using the label, "Flammable."

[Billthedrill]

Tautologies such as "frozen tundra," which by definition is frozen, and "an undisclosed, secret location," as in references to Vice President Dick Cheney's position, repeat themselves.

These are not tautologies, but redundancies; not tautologies at all, rather, they are redundancies, that is, redundancies, not tautologies. Or, in other words, not tautologies at all. Redundancies.

[freedumb2003]

Their/They're -- no excuse

whos/whose to/too -- might be chalked up to typing problems. I am a 2-finger typist (type-quan-do?) and every now and then oddities creep in.

Never give up, never give up, never give up (boom boom)

The ship!

[avg_freeper]

Ok, I would like to suggest that liberal reporters TRY!! to use the word "zeitgeist" less often. It's over use is starting to get really, really annoying.

From "The Princess Bride":

Vizzini: He didn't fall! Inconceivable!
Inigo: [looking confused] You keep using that word? I do not think it means what you think it means...