Recently in the Washington Post, Outlook editor Carlos Lozada posted a list of words and phrases that reporters never use in the newspaper.

On our editors’ list , we often have conversations about the frivolity of language. Some of our editors even write about the derivation of such words and the development of this peculiar language called English. Several do so humorously.

In writing classes that I teach, we talk about words and phrases that might leave some readers out or make them wonder what the writer is saying. It could be those old tired cliches, or idioms or something your grandmother or people in your community say that leave strangers puzzling over the meaning.

If you’re a writer or an avid reader,  you likely have your own list of goofy phrases or words that make you scratch your head. Quick, before you read the  Washington Post list,  do you keep a list of such words? Share a few that annoy or puzzle you.

Read the Washington Post list here.