Don’t Get Caught Using These Banned Words in 2012

(DETROIT) — Before passing comment on someone’s “baby bump,” take a pregnant pause. Likewise, give up promoting “shared sacrifice.” And if you’re tempted to proclaim your desire to “win the future,” you’ve lost it here in the present.

Michigan’s Lake Superior State University is featuring those phrases in its annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The 2012 list, released Friday, was compiled by the university from nominations submitted from across the globe.

What else do the syntactical Scrooges want to cast out with the good cheer in the new year? The list also includes “occupy,” “ginormous,” “man cave” and “the new normal.”

In all, a dozen words or phrases made the 37th end-of-the year list. The list started as a publicity ploy by the school’s public relations department on New Year’s Day 1976, and has since generated tens of thousands of nominations.

(LIST: Top 10 Buzzwords of 2011)

Read other related stories about this:

- These Words Are Now Banned from the English Language Gawker

- 'Amazing,' 'baby bump' among words added to Michigan school's banished list CNN

- List of banned words for 2012 includes 'man cave,' 'baby bump,' 'occupy' USA Today
Read More: TIME - December 30, 2011