I am a big fan of words.
I am a journalism major, after all. And I got a Word of the Day calendar for Christmas.
My enjoyment of the English language is one of the reasons I was so pleased when Lake Superior State University released its annual list of language irritants. That is, words that are annoying, overused or just plain don't make sense.
Traditionally, most of the words on the list became popular the year the list is released. Some, though, like "LOL," just don't seem to go away.
Topping last year's list was the word "metrosexual," a trendy term used to describe an urban straight man who cares an awful lot about his appearance.
Interesting.
This word is no doubt a slant rhyme of "heterosexual" mixed with the stereotype that gay men primp and shop like females.
Or seeing as how "metro" comes from the Greek for "mother," one could very easily confuse metrosexual to mean someone who has carried the Oedipus complex a little too far, if you know what I mean.
Also making the list is the word "punk'd," made famous by trucker-wannabe Ashton Kutcher's now nonexistent MTV show.
What's with the apostrophe? Is this word possessive? Is it a contraction?
Perhaps someone should tell MTV that replacing an "e" with an apostrophe saves no time when writing a word.
"Bling bling" also made the list. Made popular by a song that was a hit during my senior year of high school, I seem to hear this phrase every time I come around your city.
"Bling bling" is also one of the few words that can be used as a noun, an adjective ("bling blinging") and an interjection ("Bling bling!").
"Shock and awe" made the list. No surprise there. This phrase, coined during the war with Iraq, described what the Iraqis would supposedly feel when America unleashed its fury in the war's opening weeks.
This just in: Iraqis, after hearing that pathetic phrase for weeks, were neither shocked nor awed when the bombs finally came.
If you are looking for another entry that doesn't make any sense, look no further than the cliche "sweating like a pig." This should be a perennial item on the list because it won't go away, despite the fact that pigs are physiologically unable to sweat.
One letter even made the compilation by itself. The letter "x," as in X-files, Xtreme, X Games and X-Box, ticked off the wrong people. New products today look like a Scrabble game gone horribly wrong.
This seldom-used letter was obviously trying to show its independence. What's next, "q" without "u"?
Meanwhile, millions of perfectly useful words (such as kakistocracy, according to my calendar) go unused on a daily basis.
It seems as though, when we can't think of a word to describe something, we make one up instead of look one up.
Blame the media. Blame the hip-hop culture. Blame Ashton Kutcher.
But don't blame me; I like the words that already exist.
The new ones are just too Xtreme.
Write to Jay at jdkenworthy@bsu.edu
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