2018 Words To Banish: Covfefe, Fake News Top Annual List

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI — No one knows the meaning of “covfefe,” the word President Trump tweeted in May to his bewildered followers, but we shouldn’t use it. We should also banish “fake news,” a phrase whose meaning we do understand, according to the 2018 list of words we should banish from our speech released by Lake Superior State University in Michigan.

This is the 43rd time the wordsmiths at LSSU have releashed what they call the “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.” The first list of banishment-worthy words was compiled in 1975 by the late W.T. Rabe, a public relations director at the university, and his staff at a New Year’s Eve party. It was so popular among language purists that the university has kept it going. Released every New Year’s Eve since 1977, the list has been comprised solely of cringe-worthy nominations from around the world.

The collection of nominations for banishment now includes almost 900 entries. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, fields of education, technology, advertising, politics and more. An editor makes a final cut in late December.

Of “covfefe,” the list-makers said: “An impulsive typo, born into a 140-character universe, somehow missed by the autocorrect feature.”

Of “fake news,” which the president has tweeted at least 172 times since taking office, they said: “Once upon a time stories could be empirically disproved. Now ‘fake news’ is any story you disagree with.”

Tell Us: What words would you like to see banished from our speech in 2018? Tell us in the comments below.

Here are the other words on the list, along with the rationale for including them:

Unpack: “Misused word for analyze, consider, assess. Concepts or positions are not packed, so they don’t need to be unpacked.”

Tons: “Refers to an exaggerated quantity, as in tons of sunshine or tons of work. ‘Lots’ would surely suffice.”

Dish: “As in to dish out the latest rumor on someone. Let’s go back to ‘talks about’ and leave dishes in the cupboard.”

Pre-owned: “What is so disgraceful about owning a used car now and then?”

Onboarding / offboarding: “Creature from the HR Lagoon. We used to have hiring, training and orientation. Now we need to have an ‘onboarding’ process. Firings, quitting, and retirements are streamlined into ‘offboarding.’ ”

Nothingburger: “Says nothing that ‘nothing’ doesn’t already. I’ll take a quarter-pound of something in mine.”

Let that sink in: “One could say shocking, profound, or important. Let that sink in.”

Let me ask you this: “Wholly unnecessary statement. Just ask the question already.”

Impactful: “A frivolous word groping for something ‘effective’ or ‘influential.’ ”

Drill down: “Instead of expanding on a statement, we ‘drill down on it.’ ”

Hot water heater: “Hot water does not need to be heated. ‘Water heater’ or ‘hot water maker’ will keep us out of hot water.”

Gig economy: “Gigs are for musicians and stand-up comedians. Now expanded to imply a sense of freedom and a lifestyle that rejects tradition in a changing economic culture. Runs a risk of sharecropping.”

See Also: Feminism Is Merriam-Webster’s 2017 Word Of The Year

AP Photo/Peter Morgan