Gimme Shelter: Words, words, words — 2025 edition

The Reporter Institute of Language and Semantics (RILS) has, after a unanimous vote by its esteemed Board (sleep-deprived cranks) deemed the 2024 Phrase of the Year as: “Oh, my God, no!”

Our distinguished colleagues in the profession (weirdos, flakes, etc.) have also weighed in with their words and phrases that kept us stupefied this past year. Merriam-Webster’s 2024 Word of the Year is “polarization,” which  is, well … yeah.  

Here at RILS  — if nothing else, we’re dedicated to keeping it RILS — we consulted the renowned scholars at Oxford University Press who came up with their Word of the Year and then took a break from throwing spitballs at each other in their dark office, which is so crowded with debris that one poor staffer was crushed recently by a collapsing tower of papers, books and Marmite jars.

Oxford’s word(s) is “brain rot.”

“In 2024, ‘brain rot,’” the team wrote, “is used to describe both the cause and effect of … low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society.”

The wit William Matta said: “Fear not, the term has no scientific basis and you do not need to worry about an NHS warning complete with graphic cigarette-packaging style images.”

The inmates at Cambridge Dictionary (scurrying here and there looking for power cords and half-eaten bowls of cold porridge) have settled on “manifest” as their Word of the Year. It’s used, the Cambridge crew said, “To imagine achieving something you want, in the belief that doing so will make it more likely to happen.”

We have a headache.

But also, we cringe from a game changer in this era when every new post and video is dropped. But really, sorry, not sorry. Are you with me here? I can hear you saying, “100%,” so utilize this if you must.

The italicized words and phrases in the paragraph above are ones that the hooded hangmen of language at Lake Superior State University have singled out for LSSU’s 2025 edition of their Banished Word List. The purpose is, the merry executioners say, to banish words for the crimes of “Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.”

We especially liked the death sentence on “cringe,” when it’s used as, “Someone is so cringe!” Good riddance to bad rubbish!

Come to order, please. As we do every year at this time, RILS turns for erudition to David Lozell Martin, the journalist, editor, best-selling author of a dozen novels, as well as one of the finest American memoirs, “Losing Everything.” Mr. Martin’s life’s work is diverting rivers of clarity to clean out the muck in the Augean stables of poor writing.

Mr. Martin has just completed his years-long anthropological mission living among the Delmarva People, who honored his leave-taking with two days of feasting and dancing.

Thomas Mann said, “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than other people.” Mr. Martin, our bodhisattva of good writing, can map a trail for everyone, even if it’s just to use in emails, memos for work, etc. Mr. Martin, if you please, step to the lectern.

Doing this one thing with your writing will make it better: Go on a hunt-and-kill mission against adverbs, especially those ending in “ly.” Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. But in their efforts to modify, adverbs can make a jumble of your writing. It’s often better to drop the adverb or to think of a more vivid way of expressing what the adverb is trying to modify.

The plane RAPIDLY descended. Or: The plane fell like an anvil from the sky.

She was VERY strong during negotiations. Or: She was a powerful negotiator.

He was BREATHTAKINGLY handsome. Or: He was a hunk.

The adverb “very” can be deleted or replaced at will.

He was VERY evil. Or: He was a monster.

The whiskey was VERY bad. Or: The whiskey was bad. Or: The whiskey went down like kerosene.

She walked VERY FLAMBOYANTLY. Or: She strutted.

The victim was VIOLENTLY chopped to pieces with a hatchet. (You can drop the adverb because if someone is chopped up with a hatchet, the violence part is understood. Stating it adds nothing but clutter.)

He whispered SEDUCTIVELY into her ear, “Come to my room.” (If an ear is being whispered into and if the message is come to my room, we can assume the seduction part.)

In some cases, you can’t simply remove the adverb: After the car accident, he NEARLY died. But you can replace the adverb with better details: After the car accident, he was placed in tertiary care for his burns.

Try getting rid of adverbs and watch your writing sparkle.

Thank you, Mr. Martin.

And thank you for your undivided attention (we see your glazed eyes). A last tip for 2025: Remember to avoid clichés like the plague.