Participants in an annual Michigan college survey of overused and misused words and phrases state that “ ” is considered “cooked” and should be brought to a complete halt as the new year approaches.
These are among the top 10 words on the 50th annual ‘Banished Words List,’ which was released Thursday by Lake Superior State University. This lighthearted compilation of overused slang began in 1976 as a New Year’s Eve party concept and is fondly referred to as the ‘List of Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use, and General Uselessness.’
Lake Superior State reports that approximately 1,400 submissions were received from all 50 states and several countries outside the U.S., including Uzbekistan, Brazil, and Japan.
Also in the top 10 are ‘demure,’ ‘incentivize,’ ‘perfect,’ ‘gift/gifted,’ ‘my bad,’ and ‘reach out.’ ‘My bad’ and ‘reach out’ also made the list decades prior — in 1998 and 1994, respectively.
David Travis, president of Lake Superior State University, stated, ‘The list certainly reflects the fads and vernacular trends of the younger generation. Social media provides a greater chance to misinterpret or misuse words. We’re using terms shared mainly via texting or posting without body language or tone context, making it very easy to misinterpret these words.’
Confounded parents, teachers, and others aged 40 and above are more perplexed by ‘6-7.’ Dictionary.com even selected it as their , while other dictionaries opted for and ‘ .’
But what does ‘6-7’ truly mean? It surged in popularity over the summer, particularly among Gen Z, and is regarded by many as having a nonsensical meaning — an inside joke fueled by social media.
The dictionary’s editors wrote, ‘Don’t worry, because we’re all still attempting to precisely figure out what it means.’
Each number can be spoken aloud as ‘six, seven.’ They can even be combined as the number 67; at , some fans go wild when a team attains that point total.
Placing ‘6-7’ at the top of the banished list aligns it with previous popular choices. In 2019, the was the most requested phrase to ban from common usage. In 2017, ‘ ‘ received the most votes.
Alana Bobbitt, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is unapologetic about using ‘6-7.’
Bobbitt stated, ‘I find pleasure in it. It’s a bit silly, and even though I don’t understand what it means, it’s enjoyable to use.’
Jalen Brezzell mentions that a small group of his friends use ‘6-7’ and that it comes up a few times each week. But he won’t say it.
Brezzell, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, said, ‘Never. I don’t really get the joke. I don’t see what’s humorous about it.’
But he stated that banning it, even in jest, might be somewhat far-fetched, and he added that he does use other words and phrases on the list.
Brezzell said, ‘I’ve always used the word ‘cooked.’ I just think it became popular online over the past year. It means, like, ‘give it up, it’s over.”
Travis stated that some of the phrases do have staying power.
He said, ‘I don’t think they’ll ever disappear, like ‘at the end of the day.’ I used ‘my bad’ today. I feel at ease using it. I started using it when I was young. Many of us older folks still use it.’
Travis stated that while some terms on the list ‘will endure forever,’ others will be short-lived.
He said, ‘I think ‘6-7′ will be gone next year.’