Each year since 1976, Lake Superior State University has released a list in late December of words that should never be used again based on their overuse in the 12 months prior. This year's list largely revolves around the election and the economic crisis:
Maverick From Wall Street to Main Street Desperate search monkey, when used as a suffix game-changing carbon footprint or carbon offsetting green bailout "winner of five nominations." *3 - It's the first time an emoticon has made the list. First Dude icon or iconic staycation not so much it's that time of year againLeave a comment and let us know what 2008 word you think should be banned forever.
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http://agitationist.com/101-web-business-cliches-that-must-die-in-2009
And as for the effect of the olympics - we have new verbs "To medal" "To Podium", as in "He podiumed three times" (yecch) joining other awful verb converts like "dialoguing" and "main-streaming"