I love when I’m right. Not that it happens all the time. But it does happen.

In this case, though, I predicted that “fake news” would be atop the list of words up for banishment by Michigan’s Lake Superior State University, and indeed, it turns out it was.

At least I’m not the only one annoyed by this particular phrase, which has become essentially meaningless thanks to its redefining by the president to mean any news with which he doesn’t agree.

Spokesman John Shibley told the Sault Star in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., “It’s been used as a political club. Politics in the States, it’s become so tribal. So partisan.”

Still, he said most of those who nominated the phrase didn’t point fingers. “I think most people who just nominated it saw past the people who use it and said this is one of those words or phrases that just is designed to take free will away from you. What surprised me was that it wasn’t a partisan reaction to it. In the grand tradition of [George] Orwell, people try to come up with words or phrases that make up your mind for you.”

Collins Dictionary earlier dubbed “fake news” its word of the year based on definition searches. In the Marist College poll of the most annoying words, only “whatever” outpaced “fake news.”

But “fake news” wasn’t the only thing related to the Trump administration that appeared on the list this time. (No, weirdly, “believe me” and “that I can tell you” didn’t make the cut.) “Nothingburger,” uttered by former chief of staff Reince Priebus to describe a meeting between Donald Trump and Russians, now has been overused by so many hyperpartisans in response to any allegation involving the administration that I’m sure even those hyperpartisans are sick of it. And when so much is dismissed because “no evidence” has been released, it shows that these people have no concept of how investigations work. Where’s the beef? Wait for it …

And “covfefe,” that strange non-word tweeted out by the president one early morning (as is his wont), is the first non-word to make it onto the list, now nearly 900 words long, since it began in 1975. The Sault Star quoted Shibley: “Most of the time autocorrect will garble the message, but not quite like this.” No matter the intent with “covfefe,” many of the president’s most ardent followers incorporated it in their Twitter profiles.

Yeah, don’t do that. Shibley told The Associated Press that “covfefe” was the equivalent of the pet rock on this year’s list. Like a pet rock, I’m pretty sure that soon “covfefe” will paint its proponents as hopelessly stuck in the past. It’s even more annoying than “wassup,” and I didn’t think that was possible.

And no, I never had a pet rock … we had plenty of rocks to adopt if we wanted to. Only my brother Corey showed any inclination for collecting rocks. The rest of us just chucked ’em.

The rest of the list from Lake Superior State:

Unpack—This one is often misused to mean “analyze.” The university noted that “Concepts or positions are not packed, so they don’t need to be unpacked.” For those of us who dislike both packing and unpacking, this is especially egregious.

Tons—You don’t really need “tons” when you can just say “lots.” Unless actual tonnage is involved.

Dish—I’m also not crazy about this one, used in place of “talk about.” You eat off dishes. Hopefully someone else will wash them.

Pre-owned—Yes, my vehicle was labeled as “pre-owned.” I know it’s a used car.

Onboarding/Offboarding—The university called this one “Creature from the HR Lagoon.” Instead of the hiring process, it’s now onboarding, and offboarding is the opposite. C’mon, leaving a job is not the same as getting off a train or other form of transport. Especially if it isn’t by choice.

Let that sink in—I don’t want to think about anything sinking in anywhere. Oozing isn’t optimal.

Let me ask you this—As the university said, “Just ask the question already.” I’d add, “Dammit.”

Impactful—Ugh. Just ugh. It’s bad enough when people use “impact” when they mean “affect.” “Impactful” makes me want to smack every PR type upside the head and then smack their mamas.

Drill Down—Just expand on whatever it is. You’re not drilling for oil.

Hot Water Heater—Seriously? How did this not make any previous list?

Gig Economy—Unless you’re a comedian or a musician or other such performer, it’s not a gig. It’s called temp work or freelancing. Live with it.

📰📰📰📰📰

In response to my earlier column about “fake news” and the university’s Banished Words List, reader Roger Williamson wrote: “I’m suspicious about the quality of an institution that has faculty members who want to banish words, a useless exercise anyway, as you noted. Maybe Lake Superior State should reconsider, and call the list overused words or hackneyed phrases if they’re intent on making something of that sort. Seems a waste of time to me. Those of us who read newspapers and magazines and watch television don’t need a university English department, or a newspaper column for that matter, to tell us which words and expressions are bankrupt.”

He’s absolutely correct, but sometimes you just need an outlet to rant about words that drive you up the ever-lovin’ wall. (And in next week’s column, you’ll get just that from other readers. I live to serve my fellow word nerds.)

Another university in Michigan (the alma mater of one of my favorite professors at ASU, Dr. Richard Wang), Wayne State University, takes the opposite tack, with its Word Warriors releasing lists of old words “especially worthy of retrieval from the linguistic cellar.”

How did I just now find out about these people?

Its 2018 list hadn’t been released in time for me to write about it in my newspaper column, but among its 2017 nominees were “blithering” (one of my favorite words for “babbling,” and much more fun to say), “bombinate,” which means to buzz or hum, and “mugwump,” yet another fun word to say, this one meaning “a person who remains aloof or independent, especially from party politics.”

The 2018 list, was released Tuesday morning, though, and included such words as “frangible” (fragile, brittle), “nugatory” (of little value or importance), and “bilious” (spiteful, bad-tempered). Seems some people in Michigan may be making a wee bit of a statement about a certain “leader.” Hopefully he won’t be another word on the list: “insuperable,” or impossible to overcome. Lordy, we must overcome.

While they probably wouldn’t ban words, I think the mugwumps from last year’s list would be up for banishing bilious hyperpartisans, if just for a few moments of peace and quiet. All that screeching gets to be tiresome, and I’m all out of pacifiers.