Every year movie fans get excited about the Oscars Awards Show while television enthusiasts do the same when the winners of the Emmys are announced as do the theatre fans with the Tonys.
So for avid reader and writer word nerds like me our excitement comes when the Merriman-Webster Dictionary announces the new words they add to their publication every year. Their reason for doing it is the English language is constantly evolving, meaning the dictionary is a living document that is always expanding like it did this year with 455 new words added to its pages.
However, like most years if you hear a thumping sound coming from the cemeteries where old Daniel Webster and the other founders of this great dictionary are buried, it just might be the sound of them turning over in their graves. In fact, in some instances this year it may be more of a booming than a thumping.
Merriman Webster bases these additions on new and familiar words that, in their opinion, have shown extensive and established use in the English language.
The categories they added words from this year were “Words from Online Culture and Communication,” “Coronavirus words,” “Tech and Science,” “Politics,” “Food,” “Medicine,” “Pop Culture” and “Other Notable Terms.”
I noticeably winced when reading they had an Online Culture and Communication category; haven’t they butchered the English language enough? Upon telling this to a good friend of mine, she looked me right in the eye and said “LOL.”
There is one in every crowd.
One of the unique ones in that category was “amrite” which is slang for “am I right.” My answer is “ugotkidme” which is Grabowski slang for “You got to be kidding me” Hey, if everyone starts using that it might make it on the Merriman Webster list for next year — well, maybe not.
Of course, there maybe more use for another word from that category: “deplatform.” It means to remove and ban (a registered user) from a mass communication medium such as a social networking or blogging website.
Now there is a word I can get behind for some social media outlets that spread false information. You spread lies or misinformation, then prepare to get deplatformed my friend.
The COVID-19 words were pretty familiar and are ones we have heard often like breakthrough medical, superspreader, long COVID and vaccine passport.
However, the tech and science category brought about some new gems like bit rot. Sounds like it could mean what happens to power drill bits when not used, but it means the tendency for digital information to degrade or become unusable over time.
Kind of makes you wonder if someone gets a terminal case of bit rot that they might wish they kept a paper copy of those records before the get deplatformed right off their computer. Hey, look at me bobbing and weaving with the new computer words.
Another fun one from that category was copypasta which sounds like something the gang on America’s Test Kitchen dreamed up for dinner. Sorry, but there are not many calories in what this means; it is data that has been copied and spread widely online.
Speaking of television cooking shows, I haven’t witnessed many of them working some “fluffnutters” which has been added to the dictionary. It is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow crème between two slices of white sandwich bread. It comes complete with a roll of Tums as a chaser.
Another new word in the food category was chicharron, which is a small piece of pork belly or pig skin that is fried and eaten usually as a snack -- in other words a pork rind. So how many puzzled looks will you get from store clerks if you ask for a bag of chicharrons or, better yet, if they have any barbecue ones?
The political category had some interesting ones like “vote-a-rama.” It means an unusually large number of debates and votes that happen in one day on a single piece of legislation to which an unlimited number of amendments can be introduced, debated and voted on.
OK … this is a word that may never get used. After watching the circus sideshow that has taken place with the infrastructure bill when have you witnessed Congress voting on anything lately?
One of my personal favorite new political words is whataboutism. This is the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse
Wow, ever see anything like that happening in Lansing of Washington? People from either party get caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar and the first line of defense is “Well, what about what so-and-so from the other party did?
We also are seeing a lot of astroturf in politics today. No they haven’t taken up lining their offices with the stuff sports teams play on. Merriman-Webster said “astroturf” is a new word used to describe political efforts, campaigns or organizations that appear to be funded and run by ordinary people but are in fact backed by powerful groups.
Well, knock me over with a feather. I can’t believe that ever happens in politics today – do you?
One of the new words from the pop culture category that is never going to happen to me is faux-hawk. It is a hairstyle resembling a mohawk in that it has a central ridge of upright hair but with the sides gathered or slicked upward or back instead of shaved.
Come on people, look at my picture; I have nothing for the mohawk part and not much more to slick back on the sides.
New words just keep on coming into our lives on a daily basis, and I am sure they will continue to do so long after I see you again on Thursday.
Ken Grabowski is the retired associate editor at the Manistee News Advocate who spent more than 36 years in the newspaper business.
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