
If you’re thinking of taking a “deep dive” into a new subject or joking that you’re “asking for a friend” when it’s really you you’re talking about, please don’t. Lake Superior State University released its annual Banished Words List and you’re probably guilty of using some of these offending words and phrases.
The list is voted on by the Lake Superior State University English Department and pokes fun at the colloquialisms they say need to stop.
This year’s number one worst phrase: “Wait, what?”
“These two four-letter words should not go together under any circumstances, according to many nominators and the contest judges from the LSSU English Department, because the two-part halting interrogative is disingenuous, divergent, deflective, and other damning words that begin with the letter d,” said the university.
Here are the phrases they want to be banished for 2022:
- “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.”
“The only time to dive into something is when entering a body of water, not going more in-depth into a particular subject or book,” admonished a petitioner regarding the phrase “deep dive.”
The panel also took issue with responding to someone with “no worries.”
“Nominated by writers nationwide for misuse and overuse, this phrase incorrectly substitutes for ‘You’re welcome when someone says ‘Thank you.’ A further bungling relates to insensitivity. ‘If I’m not worried, I don’t want anyone telling me not to worry,’ a contributor explicated.”
Last year, COVID-19 topped the Banished Words List, which we are sadly still using in 2022. Other words from last year that needed to go included “social distancing” the phrase “I know, right?” and calling someone a “Karen.”