Words and Phrases that Should be Retired

Happy 2009!  And now that we have said our goodbyes to 2008; it's time to deep-six words that the media and politicians used so much we now cringe at their mere mention.

Thanks to the every-present wit and forethought over at Rising Hegemon, we have a list of 10 overworked phrases and single words that need not see the light of day in the new year.  This list, I think, is a nice complement to the compedium of lists Max posted earlier.

1. Superdelegate  2. Bitter  3. Vet/Vetted/Vetting  4. Main Street, not Wall Street  5. Bipartisan

6. Bailout  7. Elitist  8. Cougar  9. Center-Right Nation (or "Govern from the Center")  10. Islamofacist 

BONUS: Race Card (or "Gender Card")

Yesterday, Lake Superior State University issued its 34th annual list of trite and useless verbiage.  This list took a swipe at the environmentally correct crowd and included "going green" and "carbon footprint."  Those don't grate on me as much as some others that merited spots on its list, like "First Dude" and "game changer."

I think these also need to find a place on the island of no return:  hockey mom, maverick, Hannah Montana, surge, any word that ends in "tini" and does not begin with "mar" (like apple-tini, pomegratini, chocotini) and Joe (as in Sixpack, the Plumber or Lieberman)

And if you're hankering for some more trite stuff that (regretfully) passes the test of time, check out The Dimwit's Dictionary: 5,000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them.