Oxford Dictionary's New Word 2

[2ffat]

If you had to choose a new word for your dictionary, would it be Birther, Death Panel (is that a word or a phrase?), or Unfriend?

Oxford University Press chose . . .


James P. Cottingham
^{I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!}

 

[CajunCenturion]

Given those three options, I would choose none of the above. I think birther is simply a fad word and will disappear from the vernacular rather quickly. I agree that death panel is not a word but a phrase.

As far as unfriend, I don't see it making much sense. The adjective unfriendly works very well but given that, I don't see unfriend working a noun or verb. I don't know what an unfriend is and I don't know what it would mean to unfriend something or someone. To put it another way, I just don't see unfriend being the opposite of befriend.


--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[jebenson]

From the article:

"unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook. As in, 'I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.'"

So, it seems unfriend isn't meant to be the opposite of befriend, but has a very specific meaning related to social networking websites.

Heh. We used to come up with words like 'antidisestablishmentarianism', but now we're down to 'unfriend'. Idiocracy, here we come....


I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day!

 

[CajunCenturion]

Good point - that would make unfriend a reasonable choice.

--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[stackdump]

"unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook. As in, 'I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.'"

Still don't think it deserves to be a word, why not just say;
'I decided to remove my roommate from my Facebook friends list after we had a fight.'"

Have we reached the point where people can construct no longer sentence a?

 

[BadBigBen]

I just unfriended Ardi, because of his funemployment and sexting, which ended up with an intexticating moment on the freeway...

Now, Scotty, beam me up there is no intelligent life down in the bowels of the Oxford Dictionary think tank...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[p5wizard]

I just * unthreadmindered * two forums that unwantedly appeared on my list... ;-)

p5

 

[SkipVought]

Pleeeeeese un-frend me, let me goooooooooo.

4 I don't U NE more.

Skip,

_{Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE!}

 

[kjv1611]

[ROFL]
[ROFL]
[ROFL]
[ROFL]

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[gbaughma]

And another runner up.... "Teabagger"

The definition of teabagging, according to Oxford, is "a person who protests President Obama's tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as "Tea Party" protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)." Oxford Senior Lexicographer Christine Lindberg explains the exclusion of the other definition, stating, "It should be noted that the term "teabagger" appears on the Oxford list because of the usage cited on that list, not because of any other meaning."

Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[2ffat]

Next year, maybe unfriend will become a noun.

"You are my unfriend!"


James P. Cottingham
^{I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!}

 

[CajunCenturion]

And who knows what comes after that - maybe an adjective like "unfriendly", which is now totally unrelated to the verb "to unfrend".


--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[BadBigBen]

gbaughma - I always thought that a Teabagger was something totally different...

I wont get into details here, as it's not very savory...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[gbaughma]

BigBadBen:

It is. And that's why it's so darned funny!



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[BadBigBen]

Greg - I thought so, but I wasn't brave enough to post it... ;-)

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[vb5prgrmr]

or frienamies ...