Words That Need to Go Away

Honestly, there are just some words that have stop wording. They’re either overused, nonsensical, gross, or some combination of all three. And of course I’m going to list them for you because come on. It’s both words and complaining. It’s pretty much the crux of what this blog is about.

Ginormous

Oh, hell. It doesn’t even get the squiggly red line under it in Word. It’s not necessary. You have gigantic and enormous. There is nothing that needs to be described that can’t be done with either of those words! Or how about titanic, massive, great, grand, huge, momentous, etc. Just go on Thesaurus.com and find the synonyms, dammit! It’s not hard!

Sweetie, Honey, or any other term of endearment in placement of a name

Please never call me sweetie or hon. Because I don’t want to go to jail for your disappearance. Ahem. Sorry, I just don’t like terms of affection in general, but especially when the speaker is a stranger. I know Mr. or Ms. or Ma’am seem overly formal, but I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing.

Pleaded

I hate this word. Just hate it. I like pled, even though it’s the less common incarnation these days. But every time I read “pleaded” I want to bash my skull through a wall. I mean, we don’t say “readed”, do we? Although I am the one who’s always saying that language evolution doesn’t make sense. Hm.

Special

This one needs to go away because it’s just way overused. Everything is special these days, which pretty much leads to the conclusion that nothing is special. Conversely, “average” is seen as a forbidden word rather than being human. So I say stop using the word special. Think of new, creative ways to describe things. You’re writers. It shouldn’t be too hard.

Moist

I’m not making this one up. It actually won a contest of words that need to be banned. It’s not a great word, I have to agree. The “moi” part feels wrong on the lips. Adding the “st” gives it a hard ending that doesn’t match the softness of the moi. Plus whenever you say it, it brings to mind damp, foul-smelling places, stuffed with moldering brown-gray fungoids that crumble into slippery, cheesy fragments in your hands while the particles drift up into your nose and down your sinus cavity, finally landing on your tongue to pollute every meal you eat for the rest of your life. And even if it hasn’t, it will now.

Okay, that’s my list. What words do you want to go away, leave no forwarding address and disappear into the bowels of the Earth?

Ooh. Bowels. Yeah, that should go too.