'Viral' tops 'banished words' list

(CNN) -- "Viral" leads this year's list of "banished words" from a Michigan university seeking an antidote to over-used expressions.

The word -- often used to describe popular one-hit wonders on YouTube -- garnered numerous nominations for the annual list, released by Lake Superior State University on Friday.

"This linguistic disease of a term must be quarantined," wrote Kuahmel Allah of Los Angeles wrote in nominating "viral" on the university's website.

The university says it receives more than 1,000 submissions each year on its website for the playful list, which a public relations official created in 1976 to draw more attention to the school.

"Viral" wasn't the only digital-age term in the cross-hairs of linguistic sticklers this year. "Fail" and "BFF" made the 2011 list, which also included a proposal to ban using Facebook and Google as verbs.

Political expressions that popped up during intense mid-term elections also took a hit. The list included the often-used campaign phrase "the American people" and "Mama Grizzlies," a term Sarah Palin coined to refer to women with similar political views.

Past nominations for the "List of Word's Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness" have included "sexting," "staycation" and "carbon footprint."