Premier pestilence

Curtiss Pernice suggests these additions:

  • Premier. “So and so” is a premier speaker, a premier stunt skateboarder and a premier yo yo champion who runs a premier vinyl repair business. Journalists apply this word to too many people in too many situations in an attempt to
    assign a sense of importance to their subjects.
  • Unceremoniously. After working in the mail room for 4 years, Joe was unceremoniously fired by his boss. I’ve never heard of anyone being ceremoniously fired. Have you?
  • Last Bastion. Who in the hell uses the word “bastion” these days? Well, nearly every American journalist does when he or she, serving the purposes of the news story, is speaking about a group of people holding traditions or modes of thought perceived to be archaic or pass