Aussie slang among one of the world’s ‘Banished Words’ of 2021 — here are some of the phrases that made it at the top of the list
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Aussie slang among one of the world’s ‘Banished Words’ of 2021 — here are some of the phrases that made it at the top of the list
Aussies are famous for their unmistakable twist on the English language and creative slang. It seems that we have another way of saying almost anything.
Petrol station becomes servo, the sandwich becomes sanga, afternoon becomes arvo, the list is endless.
Aussie slang may not be in the dictionary, but it's certainly something that has become part of the everyday vocabulary of most Australians. Credit: Getty Images.
However, on the other side of the pond, Lake Superior State University in the USA conducts an annual survey of terms that they deem to be overused yet useless.
The school has notably conducted the survey since 1976 and has been publishing the results at the end of each year.
The survey, which amassed responses from English speakers around the globe, including Australia, Canada, Norway, Belgium, England, and Scotland, revealed that the phrases that dominated this year's list are more conversational compared to last year's list which was dominated by phrases related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LSSU Executive Director for Marketing and Communications Peter Szatmary said that the results may be a reflection of how Western society has adapted to the ongoing pandemic.
LSSU President Rodney S. Hanley in a statement: "Say what you mean and mean what you say. Can't get any easier, or harder, than that."
"Every year submitters play hard at suggesting what words and terms to banish by paying close attention to what humanity utters and writes. Taking a deep dive at the end of the day and then circling back make perfect sense. Wait, what?"
If you're curious which phrases made it at the top of the list, here are the top 10 phrases that need to be banished.
“Wait, what?”, “supply chain”, and “no worries” are some of the phrases that made it to the list of Banished Words of 2021. Credit: Getty Images.
1. 'Wait, what?'
The phrase is used to convey surprise or uncertainty. The survey suggests that some found this phrase to be "inexact", with one person complaining "I don't want to wait" whenever they hear this phrase.
2. 'No worries'
This classic Aussie slang is a substitute for "you're welcome" or "sure thing". But did you know that a number of English speakers nominated the phrase for its ubiquity?
The school noted that this phrase is "truly meaningless".
Check out some of the classic Aussie slangs in this video:
Credit: mmmEnglish
3. 'At the end of the day'
The phrase first appeared on the Banished Words list way back in 1999. However ‘at the end of the day’ nothing seems to have changed.
4. 'That being said'
Nominators argued that this phrase is a redundant verbal filler.
One person said: “Go ahead and say what you want already!"
5. 'Asking for a friend'
This phrase has been used as a joke on social media, mainly by users who don't want to admit that they are asking the questions for themselves.
Although the phrase is meant to be humorous, some nominators said that the phrase is overused.
6. 'Circle back'
The school said: "It's a conversation, not the Winter Olympics."
7. 'Deep dive'
A number of people pointed out that diving is for bodies of water and not subjects or materials. Hence, the reason why they think this phrase is useless.
A person asked: "Do we need 'deep'? I mean, does anyone dive into the shallow end?"
8. 'New normal'
This phrase emerged to describe the societal changes that we're going through as we try to cope with the impacts of COVID-19. But, did you know that the phrase was actually banished back in 2012?
The nominators argue that the pandemic isn't "new" anymore so there's no reason for this phrase to still exist.
9. 'You're on mute'
As we shift from physical meetings to virtual conferences, this phrase has been used numerous times since the start of the pandemic.
10. 'Supply chain'
We are guilty of this. We used this term a lot last December, as the pandemic made supply issues over Christmas a bit of a hot topic.
The nominators pointed out that the phrase has been used as a scapegoat for any kind of shortage. Meanwhile, others argued that the term has been used as a buzzword.
Do you think that banishing common terms such as ‘no worries’ is important? We would love to hear your thoughts. ‘At the end of the day’, if you're getting the message across kindly and clearly, it shouldn't be an issue.
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