I haven’t updated my blacklist for a long time. But that’s ok. Because the head of one of America’s ailing media conglomerates has spent his time (that probably should have been used bailing out the company) writing a list of 119 words his employees are no longer allowed to use.
Here are some of them (and here are the rest).
- “Flee” meaning “run away”
- “Good” or “bad” news
- “Laud” meaning “praise”
- “Seek” meaning “look for”
- “Some” meaning “about”
- “Two to one margin” . . . “Two to one” is a ratio, not a margin. A margin is measured in points. It’s not a ratio.
- “Yesterday” in a lead sentence
- “Youth” meaning “child”
- 5 a.m. in the morning
- After the break
- After these commercial messages
- Bare naked
- Behind bars
- Behind closed doors
- Behind the podium (you mean lecturn) [sic]
- Best kept secret
- Campaign trail
- Clash with police
- Close proximity
- Complete surprise
- Completely destroyed, completely abolished, completely finished or any other completely redundant use
- Death toll
- Definitely possible
- Going forward
- Gunman, especially lone gunman
- In a surprise move
- In harm’s way
- In other news
- In the wake of (unless it’s a boating story)
- Incarcerated
- Informed sources say . . .
So in summary, avoid redundancy and cliche. But what about you – what words do you think should be taken out the back and shot? I’d say anybody over the age of 35 saying “funky” – I do not think that word means what they think it means…
Comments
My least favourite phrase is 'The people are in good heart.'
It is well loved in Presbyterian five-yearly congregational visitation reports.
Translated it usually means: 'No-one seems to have a firm grip on the Gospel; the place is dying on its knees, but at least they're not taking it out on each other.'
The only two times I would consider it permissible would be if a significant portion of the congregation has perished due to some sort of disease or they lost all their property to a natural disaster.
Other than that: no way.
What's the problem with 'laud' 'seek' and 'flee'? Or is it only for spoken news?