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'Plutoed' named word of the year

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Killick, Jan 7, 2007.

  1. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    Love stuff like this.

    http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/07/word.of.the.year/index.html
    (CNN) -- Pluto may no longer be a planet, but it has a new claim to fame: "Plutoed" has been chosen 2006 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society.
    The society defined "to pluto" as "to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet."
    The former planet had some tough competition in the voting, which took place Friday at the ADS' annual meeting, held in Anaheim, California.
    "Plutoed" won in a runoff against "climate canary," defined as "an organism or species whose poor health or declining numbers hint at a larger environmental catastrophe on the horizon."
    The runner-up was "macaca" or "macaca moment," defined as "treating an American citizen as an alien" -- a reference to a campaign remark by former Virginia Sen. George Allen that some say marked the beginning of the end for his re-election hopes.
    Also in the running for Word of the Year were YouTube; surge (referring to a large, but brief, increase in troop strength); and flog ("a fake blog created by a corporation to promote a product or a television show").
    Like any good awards show, the ADS meeting had multiple categories.
    In the "Most Unnecessary" category, "SuriKat" (the supposed nickname of the baby girl of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) beat out "the decider," President Bush's description in April of his position in relation to whether Donald Rumsfeld kept his job as secretary of defense.
    The "Most Outrageous" award went to "Cambodian accessory," defined as "Angelina Jolie's adopted child who is Cambodian."
    In the "Most Euphemistic" category, the winner was "waterboarding," defined as "an interrogation technique in which the subject is immobilized and doused with water to simulate drowning."
    The ADS has been choosing Words of the Year since 1990. The Word of the Year for 2005 was "truthiness," invented by Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," and defined by the ADS as "what one wishes to be the truth regardless of the facts." (Read the full list of winners for 2006 and past yearsexternal link)
    Winning words or phrases don't have to be brand new; what's important is that they gained new prominence in the past year.
    The society is dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and includes academics, writers, and others.

     
  2. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    I like "Munsoned" better.
     
  3. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    Among other nominees:
    to julie: to organize an event. Also as a noun. From Julie McCoy, the character of cruise director on the television show The Love Boat, which ran from 1977 to 1986.
    lactard: a person who is lactose-intolerant.
    snowclone: an expression whose structure is borrowed to create new, similar expressions. Examples: X is the new Y (“blue is the new black”) and X is dead; long live X! (“the king is dead; long live the king!”).
    Fox lips: lips colored and lined with makeup to seem more prominent, said of female anchors on Fox
    News.
    Cambodian accessories: Angelina Jolie’s adopted children, of which one is Cambodian.
    firecrotch: a person with red pubic hair.
     
  4. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    If it's the word of the year, why have I not heard/seen it anywhere?
     
  5. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    I guess we're just not hip enough, wicked. I haven't seen it anywhere, either.
    Oh, and... whatever. :p
     
  6. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    This is waaay off topic, but did you get my PM, Killick?
     
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Early candidate for word of the year for 2007: whatever.
     
  8. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    I did. Thanks. Mentioned that on another thread. Just got back into the office today, saw it. Think I'm probably going to dip my toe in, (maybe 10-20 shares) and see how it plays out before I move on.
    That is, before my paper gets Plutoed.
    (See how I got that back on topic? I'm slick...)
     
  9. Angola!

    Angola! Guest

    Lactard would have gotten my vote.

    Also, why are they acting like firecrotch is something new. I remember saying that in junior high, though that wasn't really that long ago.
     
  10. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    I'm still laughing about "Cambodian accessories." Just seems so cynical. Love it. Reminds me of me and my friends referring to mom and dad as "parental units" when we were in high school.
     
  11. ifilus

    ifilus Well-Known Member

    Romoed
     
  12. grrlhack

    grrlhack Member

    Parental units is cynical? Huh. Go figure. Of course, now it just gets shortened to the 'rents.
     
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