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“As great minds have the faculty of saying a great deal in a few words, so lesser minds have a talent of talking much, and saying nothing.” — Francois de la Rochefoucauld
Hello, fellow word nerd.
Well, it’s that time of the year once again. The glorious season of the release of the Banished Words List.
This annual tradition, started by a fellow Baker Street Irregular and kinsprit at Lake Superior State University, is now in its 48th year.
If you’d like some history of this list, the brainchild of Bill Rabe, we have an exclusive interview with his son John:
Meanwhile, for the rest of us who want to know which of our friends require needling, here’s the 2024 version of the annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use, and General Uselessness, complete with the editors’ commentary.
And as usual, I’ll use all of these words in a sentence or two.
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