EVEN as vaccines are being rolled out in the United States to battle the coronavirus, wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula say they want to kick any trace of it from the English language.

“COVID-19” and “social distancing” are thrown in with “we’re all in this together,” “in an abundance of caution” and “in these uncertain times” on the school’s list of banned words and phrases for 2021.

Out of more than 1,450 nominations sent to the school, about 250 words and terms suggested for banishment due to overuse, misuse or uselessness had something to do with the virus.

Seven of the 10 selected are connected to the virus, with “COVID-19” leading the way. “Unprecedented,” which was banished back in 2002, has been restored to the list.

“To be sure, COVID-19 is unprecedented in wreaking havoc and destroying lives,” Banished Words List committee members said. “But so is the overreliance on ‘unprecedented’ to frame things, so it has to go, too.”

The school has compiled the list each year since 1976 to “uphold, protect, and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical — and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating.”

So far, more than 1,000 words or phrases have made the list. Nominations come from across the United States and a number of other countries. (SD-Agencies)