GITMO — The US military’s shorthand for a base in Cuba drives a wedge wider than a split infinitive.

“When did the notorious Guantanamo Bay Naval Base change to ‘Gitmo,’ a word that conjures up an image of a fluffy and sweet character from a Japanese anime show?”  — Marcus W., St. Louis, Missouri.
 
COMBINED CELEBRITY NAMES — Celebrity duos of yore — BogCall (Bogart and Bacall), Lardy (Laurel and Hardy), and CheeChong (Cheech and Chong) — just got lucky.

“It’s bad enough that celebrities have to be the top news stories. Now we’ve given them obnoxious names such as ‘Bragelina,’ ‘TomKat’ and ‘Bennifer.’” — M. Foster, Port Huron, Michigan.

“It’s so annoying, idiotic and so lame and pathetic that it’s ‘lamethetic.’” — Ed of Centreville, Virginia.

See more banished words by clicking the link below:

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You can view all our banished words at http://www.lssu.edu/banished/archived_lists.php

Overused cliches, wordy redundancies and hyperbolic phrases — including “make no mistake about it” from President Bush — were declared banished Wednesday by the university overseers of an annual list of banned words. http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/01/01/banned.bushisms.reut/index.html

Each year Lake Superior State University releases its “annual installment of Words and Phrases to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness”. We talk with John Shibley… Visit their website at: http://spartanpodcast.com/?p=80

SURREAL – One part opiate of the masses, 13 parts overuse. Oddly, news anchor and television small talk is becoming more surreal. “Dreams are surreal, not daily adjectives.” – Tracy from Murray, Ky.

HUNKER DOWN – To brace oneself, in anticipation of media onslaught. Trotted out in reports about everything from politics to hurricanes. “I have a hankering to ban all of this hunkering.” – Kate Rabe Forgach, Fort Collins, Colo.

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