Words and Phrases to Ban in 2011

This is the time of year when those of us who love the English language wish for the elimination of the worst trite, clunky, and annoying expressions in the coming year.

Here are my top candidates.  If you have some to add, please leave a comment.

At the end of the day – Overused.  If you mean after something has been completed or after some period of time, say so.

Adult children – Stop it, please.  Try “sons and daughters.”

Enclosed please find – If you open an envelope and can’t find the piece of paper inside, there’s no hope for you.

Subsequent to – Try saying “after.”

Deliverable – This one belongs at ad agencies – nowhere else.

My bad – Please, somebody take this back to the movie it came from.

Optics – This term deals with light and related phenomena.  In the worlds of politics and journalism, though, it means appearances.  Say “appearances.”

One-off – We were happy with “one-time” and then this wandered over from the U.K. to confuse us.

Move to the next level – Why say something with one word (“advance”) when five words will do?