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Most Overused Word: 'Amazing'

by Kathy Jones on Jan 2 2012 6:32 PM

 Most Overused Word:
An annual list of words banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness has been released by Michigan university.
The 2012 list, released Friday, was compiled by Michigan's Lake Superior State University from nominations submitted from across the globe.

The list also includes 'occupy,' 'ginormous,' 'man cave,' 'the new normal,' and 'baby bump'.

In all, a dozen words or phrases made the 37th end-of-the year list.

The list started as a publicity ploy by the school's public relations department on New Year's Day 1976, and has since generated tens of thousands of nominations.

'Amazing' received more than 1,500 nominations, the most of any on this year's list.

University spokesman John Shibley said he and his colleagues were surprised that 'amazing' hadn't already graced the archive of about 900 banished words.

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"The simple ones are always the ones that get through the cracks - until this year," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

Other terms circulating for years that have finally raised enough ire to earn a spot on the list include 'blowback,' 'man cave,' 'the new normal' and 'thank you in advance.'

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Source-ANI


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