WORDS THAT NEED TO BE BANISHED THIS YEAR INCLUDE: “HACK” AND “SLAY”

Since it’s a new year, maybe it’s a good time to reboot our vocabularies.  Lake Superior State University in Michigan released its annual list of words and phrases that need to be banished in the New Year.  Here are the ones they say we should stop using or overusing in 2024 . . .

1.  “Hack”

2.  “Impact” . . . especially as a verb, instead of “affect.”

3.  “At the end of the day”

4.  “Rizz” . . . even though it was recently named the “Word of the Year” by the Oxford University Press.  It’s a shortened form of “charisma.”

5.  “Slay”

6.  “Iconic”

7.  “Cringe-worthy”

8.  “Obsessed” . . . The casual use of “obsessed” to describe routine interests.

9.  “Side hustle”

10.  “Wait for it” . . . If we’re watching a video, then we’re already waiting for it, right?  Plus, over-hyping something under-cuts the pay-off.

Speaking of words . . .

“Merriam-Webster” started the New Year off by asking people on social media which words they think should be used MORE in 2024.  They suggested “edifice.”

In the comments, people suggested others, like Healthy, peregrination, perfunctory, “disposable income”, unfathomable, kerfuffle, agog, indubitably, guffaw, peace, and “LOL,” which is probably a joke.