Banished words... or at least they should be...

[Aqua]

From the associated press...

Calling all metrosexuals: Get rid of that bling-bling — or at least find another word for it. In its annual compilation of language irritants, Lake Superior State University singled out 17 words and phrases that it says ought to be banned as overused, trite, euphemistic or just plain inaccurate. The 2004 losers were chosen by a university committee from more than 5,000 nominations from around the world.


"Metrosexual" topped the list. Coined in 1994 by British journalist Mark Simpson, the term refers to urban, usually heterosexual men with a keen interest in fashion, shopping and elaborate grooming.


But to Bob Forrest of Tempe, Ariz., one of many to nominate the term for banishment, it "sounds like someone who only has sex downtown or on the subway." Fred Bernardin of Arlington, Mass., asked, "Aren't there enough words to describe men who spend too much time in front of the mirror?"


As for "punked" — or "punk'd," as the MTV prank show spells it — the committee defined it as "bamboozled, duped, flimflammed, hornswoggled."


"Bling-bling," a term for flashy jewelry or other luxury goods, made its way into the mainstream from rap music. Said Todd Facklas of Chicago: "Yes, your mom might say it. Nothing could kill the mystique of a word faster."


The war in Iraq also produced a few entries on the list.


"I'm just waiting on `Shock and Awe Laundry Soap' or maybe `Shock and Awe Pool Cleaner,'" said Joe Reynolds of Conroe, Texas.


Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.-based Lake Superior State has been compiling its "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness" since 1976 to draw publicity to the small academic outpost. Past lists have lamented such words as "chad" (2001), "paradigm" (1994), "baby boomers" (1989) and "detente" (1976).


The complete list:

_Metrosexual: An urban male who pays a great deal of attention to appearance.


_X: As in "X-Files," Xtreme, Windows XP and X-Box.


_Punked: To dupe, popularized by the MTV show "Punk'd."


_Place Stamp Here: Printed on return envelopes.


_Companion animals: Also known as pets.


_Bling or Bling-Bling: Flashy jewelry.


_LOL: E-mail speak for "laugh out loud."


_Embedded Journalist.


_Smoking Gun.


_Shock and Awe.


_Captured Alive.


_Shots Rang Out.


_Ripped From the Headlines.


_Sweat Like a Pig: The problem is pigs don't sweat.


_In Harm's Way.


_Hand-Crafted Latte.


_Sanitary Landfill: Also known as a dump.

:rolleyes: :p

[jseal]

Aqua,

All are excellent candidates for oblivion.

[skipthisone]

So this Metrosexual was sitting in his room playing his Xbox when shots rang out. He looked out the window and all he saw was an embedded journalist drinking his hand-crafted latte and sweating like a pig. Well just as if it was ripped from the headlines an airplane zoomed by for a little shock and awe. The journalist, a little too bling bling for his tastes, ran off in harm's way towards the sanitary landfill. The metrosexual decided to follow him when shots rang out, but all that he could see was a companion animal holding a smoking gun.

The animal took the gun and put it in an envelope. He looked up at the Metrosexual told him to place stamp here and began to LOL. He just shook his head and said to himself "I've been punk'd".

:clown:

[Aqua]

Skip.... Seek help immediately.

LMFAO! :p :p

[dicksbro]

STO ... ROTF.

[Lilith]

:spank: for Mr.This One

[Scarecrow]

STO way to go ROTFL

[BIBI]

I live with teen girls........

They like some of my bling blings!

They also for some reason think calling something "ghetto" is a compliment.....

Oh give me back the days of really neat....far out.... peachy keen and the cat's ass! lol :)

[Aqua]

'Ghetto' is not a compliment! At least not where I live... If something is 'ghetto', that means it is run down, well used, barely working, held together with duct tape, or considered half-assed or mis-matched. It's also used as a synonym for jimmy-rigged. (I apologize if that offends any jimmies out there)

[Sharni]

LMAO@Skip

[LixyChick]

OMG! LMFAO@skip!

Tell me another story hun! And don't try and hornswoggle me cause I will know if I've been duped! I've been flimflammed before.....just one day after I was bamboozled! LOL!

*wonders why flimflammed, duped, bamboozled, and hornswoogled (though I tend to like that one cause it has "horn"...as in horny....in it!) didn't make the list?!*

[BIBI]

Originally posted by Aqua
'Ghetto' is not a compliment! At least not where I live... If something is 'ghetto', that means it is run down, well used, barely working, held together with duct tape, or considered half-assed or mis-matched. It's also used as a synonym for jimmy-rigged. (I apologize if that offends any jimmies out there)


I know it's not a compliment lol........but as it was explained to me by one of the dear hearts........ghetto means it's "cool" and after all I am just a dumb ass adult trying to tell them different! :)

[lakritze]

LSHIPMP................................

[PantyFanatic]

Can we have "SHADDUP" added to that list somehow?

[BIBI]

OK PantyFanatic..........SHADDUP!

Are you happy now??????? :) LOL

[PantyFanatic]

Thank you Bibi.:) I just needed to get the year started right.:D

[BIBI]

Anything to help PF ;)

You have to admit you walked into that with eyes wide open, feet firmly on the ground and chin pointed in the air!!!!! :)

[Catch22]

Originally posted by BIBI
I know it's not a compliment lol........but as it was explained to me by one of the dear hearts........ghetto means it's "cool" and after all I am just a dumb ass adult trying to tell them different! :)

We do not have ghettos as such in Oz. I guess we are not cool in that case.

[Ryan²]

One word I do hate is Bamboozle. Some words in this world are just mad.

[BIBI]

Originally posted by Catch22
We do not have ghettos as such in Oz. I guess we are not cool in that case.

WE don't have COOL ghetto's in Canada either......I was just relating to the misuse of the word with the kids I foster and the fact that THEY think something being "ghetto" is cool.

[Catch22]

Originally posted by BIBI
WE don't have COOL ghetto's in Canada either......I was just relating to the misuse of the word with the kids I foster and the fact that THEY think something being "ghetto" is cool.

Kids will be kids. I think 'rad' is the in word over here.

[BIBI]

My pet peeve is the use of.........BUD or BUDDY

Get a bunch of guys together and how do they know who the hell is who? :)

[Catch22]

Originally posted by BIBI
My pet peeve is the use of.........BUD or BUDDY

Get a bunch of guys together and how do they know who the hell is who? :)

lol. They all want to be alike, so it doesn't matter. When I was a teen it was surfing and disco. Boy what a sight I would make in a body shirt now! :D

[Lilith]

middle school boys~ the use of dude not to be confused with dood:spin:

[BIBI]

and who the hell decided that women liked to be called TOOTS??? :)

[Catch22]

Waynes world was what started the dude thing. The guy whatsitsname has a lot to answer for!

[Steph]

Thanks for posting the list, Aqua. I hadn't seen it yet.

Funnily enough, several co-workers and I had a debate about the def'n of "metrosexual" today. I am surprised it was coined several years ago.

ROFL Skippy! Gold!

I also have to say I've never heard "ghetto" used in a positive way, however, I just consulted a co-worker who actually grew up in a ghetto and he says ghetto can be used in an ironic way. You can call your car "ghetto" in an affectionate way, the same way you can say, "Lixy is a typing maniac" and mean it in a fun way (if you catch my drift).

Originally posted by Lilith
middle school boys~ the use of dude not to be confused with dood:spin:

Dood, don't do a search for the term "dood" on Pixies. I fear I would monopolize the list. :jester:

[Vigil]

Don't ever call me "Dude"

[Oldfart]

"Jimmy-rigged"?

What happened to Jury-rigged and Jerry-rigged?

Probably hidden by some metro-sexual.

My main hate at the moment are "bro" and "cuz".

Bro has connotations of "Brother from the 'Hood"

Cuz has connotations of "Cousin", an indigenous greeting.

[dancingrugger]

its seems like "hella" and "ja" have replaced the words really and very around here. "tight" is the latest version of awesome or cool. The worst though is "my bad" ... is it that hard to just say sorry? Also i'm afraid around here "ghetto" has begun to get a positive spin .... goes w/the "gangsta" image.

fo shizzle my nizzle

[Sharni]

The in word for awesome or something terrific around here is 'sick'

"Awww man thats so sick" :rolleyes:

Interesting use of words these kids come up with *LOL*

[Summer]

Good thread, I must say though, Skippy my man you take the cake.

The word **SNAP** can go. I notice alot of people walking around talking and then a guy will say "Aww SNAP!"

[jennaflower]

Celibacy... that one needs to be erased.. banished... gone... and take the reality of it with it toooooo!!!! ROFL ;)

[BIBI]

LOL @ Jennaflower :)

[Aqua]

Originally posted by Sharniqua
The in word for awesome or something terrific around here is 'sick'

"Awww man thats so sick" :rolleyes:

Interesting use of words these kids come up with *LOL*

I was using the term 'sick' in the late 80's early 90's... lol

If something was terribly good, it was;
"Dude, it was so Sick!"
"How Sick?"
"Puke Sick!!"

:p

[Bardog]

Originally posted by jennaflower
Celibacy... that one needs to be erased.. banished... gone... and take the reality of it with it toooooo!!!! ROFL ;)

Yeah, what she said!


I hate to hear any word that is followed by "izzle"

[Titgirl]

My friends daughter says to me, 'oh, that's fat' and I'm like, you called me FAT? but no, she means PHAT......which is good?

[Cabrylla]

um....actually the word "ghetto" is put with other words and make up things like "ghetto fabulous" and such to describe the cheesier of things like a pair of pleather pants I have with sparkles all over them has been called ghetto fabulous too many times to count...the word punked also isn't a new one though Ashton has made it more popular again with his tv show, it started with skate boarders years ago when one would "punk out" another by doing a trick better.