University

No more using ‘epic’ or ‘viral,’ university list says

Lake Superior State University releases annual list of banished words

Words like “epic” and “viral” may be a common part of students’ vernacular, but could get you shunned by Lake Superior State University.

The college, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, released its annual list of “banished words”, words that were nominated by voters to be “banished” from people’s vocabulary for being chronically overused and misused.

Topping this year’s list were the words “viral” and “epic,” followed by “fail,” “wow factor,” former Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s “refudiate,” and the expressions “man-up” and “I’m just sayin.”

“Every time I see a viral video on CNN or am asked to ‘Let’s go viral with this’ in another lame e-mail forwarded message, it makes me sick,” Lian Schmidt of Bandon, Oregon, commented on the “viral” nomination on the university’s website.

The university has put out the list since 1976, when “at this point in time” received the honour, and receives more that 1 000 nominations for words to be stricken from society each year through its website. Past winners include “24/7” in 2000 and “family values” in 1995.

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