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The misused, overused and the useless

Varsity's list of annoying phrases, words out

DETROIT: A northern Michigan university has issued its annual list of annoying phrases and words that should be banned from the English language, with "person of interest" and "FEMA" — the acronym for the much criticised federal disaster relief agency — among this year's winners.

The 2006 "List of words and phrases banished from the Queen's English for misuse, over-use and general uselessness" was released on Saturday by Lake Superior State University.

The 17-word list was whittled down from a list of almost 2,000 nominations by a university committee.

The small academic outpost in the northern Michigan community of Sault Ste. Marie has been compiling the list since 1976 as a way to attract publicity. Among some 800 words banned so far are "metrosexual" (2004), "baby boomers" (1989) and "détente" (1976).

Heading into 2006, the committee has targeted such linguistic gems as "hunker down," which it noted is used by media "in reports about everything from politics to hurricanes."

Also, frequently heard on the news is "person of interest," a favourite of law enforcement agencies. Such a person is "seldom encountered at cocktail parties," the list's authors noted.

Not all the words came from the evening news, however. "Community of learners" is a phrase from the field of education. "Not to be confused with school," wrote a critic from Indiana.

Politics offered plenty of fodder for the list. The committee cited "up-or-down vote," a phrase uttered often in 2005 by Republicans eager to see President George W. Bush's judicial nominees move quickly through the Senate, without the threat of a Democratic filibuster: a technique used to stall debate on an issue.

The committee also banished "FEMA," the acronym for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were widely criticised as ineffective. — AP

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