All We Are Saying
All We Are Saying
NEW words are most happily received
when they arrive without fanfare. When they appear with “ta-da!” or
“look what I did!” and are touted as clever or cute, they feel like
impositions on our time. We resent that they exist mostly to exalt
their makers.
On the other hand, when we
revel in new words it’s often for the little jokes and puns implanted
by their coiners. We delight in coining them, too, especially goofy
throwaway blends in which two words combine syllables and meanings to
make one. (How about “bromance,” a strong relationship between two
heterosexual men, which combines “bro,” from brother, and romance?)
A
large part of the delight derives from the re-orientation that new
words make possible. They are fantastical transportation — portkeys and
improbability starships — into other cultures, workplaces, minds.
If
you work in fields like politics, soldiering, science or technology,
areas that frequently send new words bubbling up into the mainstream,
it can seem strange to hear a normal day’s vocabulary talked about as
if it were a novelty. For example, “bilat,” short for “bilateral,” is a
workaday term to diplomats and journalists when they’re referring to a
meeting of two sides, but it’s unusual to outsiders. The incongruity
can bring a sense of déjà fatigué, the stage beyond déjà vu: you’ve not
only seen it before, but it hardly seems worth remarking upon. It’s
ordinary.
What follows is by no means a complete list of the
words that took our attention this year, but rather a sampling from the
thousands that endured long enough to find a place in the national
conversation. Although many were not first said or written in 2007,
they are nonetheless the tattoos, scars and medals that differentiate
this year from any other.
astronaut diaper n.
A
garment worn by astronauts when they’re in pressure suits and can’t get
to a toilet. “We call them urine collection devices,” Mike Mullane, a
retired astronaut, told The New York Times. The term was brought to
popular attention when the astronaut Lisa M. Nowak
was said to have been wearing one in February while she was driving
across five states to confront a love rival. She denied she wore the
diaper.
bacn n.
Impersonal
e-mail messages that are nearly as annoying as spam but that you have
chosen to receive: alerts, newsletters, automated reminders and the
like. Popularized at the PodCamp conference in Pittsburgh in August.
boot camp flu
n.
An adenovirus that is usually
innocuous but in its latest strain has led to pneumonia and death. The
virus often occurs among military recruits, who are susceptible to it
because they live in close quarters under stressful conditions.
boom n.
Left of boom describes
the “before” strategy of the United States military, including efforts
to root out insurgents and prevent military attacks; right of boom describes
the military’s “after” strategy, including efforts to minimize the
effect of attacks with battle-hardened equipment and improved medical
care.
chief sustainability officer n.
A
business executive hired to meet environmental regulations and to find
ways to profit through environmentally friendly products and services.
colony collapse disorder n.
A
disease that has killed millions of pollinating bees nationwide and
threatens to harm the nation’s agricultural output. Suspected culprits
are a virus, mites and insecticides.
crowdsource v.
To
use the skills or tools of a wide variety of freelancers, professional
or amateur, paid or unpaid, to work on a single problem.
drama-price v.
To lower the price of a house so as to attract the attention of buyers. Also a noun.
e-mail bankruptcy n.
What
you’re declaring when you choose to delete or ignore a very large
number of e-mail messages after falling behind in reading and
responding to them. This often includes sending a boilerplate message
explaining that old messages will never receive a personal, specific
response. Although the Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig
is often credited with coining this term, at best he can be said to
have popularized it. Its first use was in 2002, two years before Mr.
Lessig publicly declared his own e-mail bankruptcy.
earmarxist n.
A member of Congress who adds earmarks — money designated for pet projects — to legislation.
exploding ARM n.
An adjustable rate mortgage with rates that soon rise beyond a borrower’s ability to pay.
forever stamp n.
A United States postage stamp that will cover a first-class letter regardless of future price increases.
FTW interj.
For
The Win. A bragging exclamation of approval, as in “K-Fed got the kids
FTW,” or “I was able to open the file with Photoshop. FTW!!!”
Originally part of the patter of the game show “Hollywood Squares” and
later found in online games like World of Warcraft. Now largely used
ironically and sarcastically.
global weirding n.
An increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming. This includes freakish weather and new animal migration patterns.
gorno n.
A genre of movies that are gory almost to the point of being fetishistic. A blend of “gore” and “porno.”
-hawk suffix
Indicates a haircut similar to a mohawk. Sanjaya Malakar, a contestant on “American Idol,” sported what he called a ponyhawk. Shawn Andrews of the Philadelphia Eagles described his haircut as a brohawk, something akin to a short mohawk on a black man. An older use is fauxhawk, in which the hair is styled in a vertical strip but none is cut.
hypermile v.
To take extraordinary measures toward achieving maximum fuel efficiency in an automobile. The term dates to 2004.
I-reporter n.
CNN’s name for citizen journalists who submit their own photographs and reports about news events.
kinnear v.
To
take a candid photograph surreptitiously, especially by holding the
camera low and out of the line of sight. Coined in August by Stephanie
Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot blog when she attempted to take a
photograph during an encounter with the actor Greg Kinnear at an airport.
life-stream v.
To make a thorough, continuous digital record of your life in video, sound, pictures and print.
lolcat n.
On
the Internet, an odd or funny picture of a cat given a humorous and
intentionally ungrammatical caption in large block letters. Originally
called a cat macro.
make it rain v. phr.
To drop paper money on a crowd of people, especially in strip clubs, nightclubs or casinos.
maternal profiling n.
Employment
discrimination against a woman who has, or will have, children. The
term has been popularized by members of MomsRising, an advocacy group
promoting the rights of mothers in the workplace.
mobisode n.
A
short version of a full-length television show or movie, suitable for
playing on a mobile phone or other hand-held electronic device.
mom job n.
Also known as a mommy makeover,
this is a package of cosmetic surgery procedures that will reduce the
visible effects of childbirth, like stretch marks or sagging.
multi-dad v.
Said of a woman who has children by more than one man. First popularized in Britain.
Navy shower n.
A very short shower in which you turn off the water while lathering up. This old term is also known as a G.I. bath, but it’s new to many in the drought-stricken Southeast. Its antonym is the Hollywood shower, a long, wasteful one.
Ninja loan n.
No Income, No Job or Assets. A poorly documented loan made to a high-risk borrower.
nose bidet n.
A neti pot or nasal irrigator, said to help with allergy symptoms.
pap v.
To
take a photograph of someone or something, usually used to refer to
paparazzi, from which the word is derived. Also as a noun.
post-kinetic environment n.
In military jargon, the site of an explosion, severe gunfire or a destructive engagement.
Super-Duper Tuesday n.
Feb. 5, 2008, the day that 23 states will hold primary elections. Also known as Tsunami Tuesday.
truther n.
Someone who espouses a conspiracy theory about the events of 9/11.
tumblelog n.
A
Web site or blog that is a collection of brief links to, quotes from,
or comments about things a person has encountered while Web browsing.
It is a sort of digital commonplace book.
vegansexual n.
A person who eats no meat, uses no animal-derived goods and prefers not to have sex with non-vegans.
wide stance, to have a v. phr.
To
be hypocritical or to express two conflicting points of view. When
Senator Larry Craig was arrested in a public restroom and accused of
making signals with his foot that the police said meant he was in
search of anonymous gay sex, Mr. Craig said it was a misunderstanding
and that he just had a wide stance when using the toilet. The incident
also popularized the derogatory term “toe-tapper,” meaning a gay man.
walkshed n.
The
area that can be conveniently reached on foot from a given geographic
point. Compare with foodshed, the area sufficient to provide food for a
given location, and viewshed, the landscape or topography visible from
a given geographic point, especially one having aesthetic value. All
are patterned after watershed.
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