Evan Birnholz over at Devil Cross has started an occasional blog series Fill That Must Die. The series covers common crossword entries that should be removed from the canon regardless of their fill value. The dubious sports abbreviations ALER(S) and NLER(S) get the cigarette and blindfold in the first installment. Check it out.
life as a puzzle 
Thanks for the shout-out, Todd. Any time you have a bit of crosswordese that drives you nuts, let me know and I might could add it to the series.