‘Wait, what?’ quip tops school’s annual banished words list

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — The judges of a Michigan university’s cheeky annual “Banished Word List” have a message for texting and tweeting Americans: Your “wait, what?” joke is lame. The phrase topped Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula lighthearted list of 10 “winners” chosen from among more than 1,250 submissions of overused, misused and generally groan-inducing words or phrases. “Wait, what?” irritated nominators who felt the phrase intended to show astonishment or disbelief is overused. The second slot went to another misused and overused phrase: “No worries.” Nominators said it’s dismissive.