Word of the Year

[BJCooperIT]

Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of a leading U.S. dictionary, is asking visitors to its Web site to pick:

The One Single Word That Sums Up 2006​

Get your vote in by December 4th. I have to give this one careful consideration. Your suggestions?



[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
My website: www.EmuProductsPlus.com

 

[Ladyazh]

I couldn't remember 'scientology' so I wrote Tom Cruise hoping you will get it and you did!!! WOW!

 

[snuv]

I voted for shambles


"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary

 

[danno74]

tumultuous

 

[traingamer]

Interesting. As in the purported Chinese curse,

May you live in interesting times.

Greg
"Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." - Winston Churchill

 

[karluk]

All good choices, but I voted for "polonium" as a symbol of the way the world has slowly started to spin out of control.

 

[mmrsupport]

Interesting story about the purported Chinese curse:

http://www.noblenet.org/reference/inter.htm

Which as according to the article lends itself to another appropriate phrase for the times:

"It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.

 

[traingamer]

mmrsupport - good reference. I'd never seen anything specific about the Chinese connection - I vaguely remember the RFK quote and people referencing that, most likely. (or maybe I even read the S-F story mentioned in the link-through).

Greg
"Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." - Winston Churchill

 

[SilentAiche]

Word of the Year?

Gotta go with Grobe!

as in, [blue]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2650035

[/blue]

Go Deacs!

Tim

[blue]
___________________________________________________________________________
Praises for Barbecue should only be spoken in Pig-Latin. That whole dead language thing...[/blue]

 

[RodKnowlton]

The one, the only:

Truthiness

- Rod

 

[drlex]

Just seen it now; I weep for the English language when what appears to be an utterance of Bill'n'Ted makes takes top honours.

soi la, soi carré

 

[guitarzan]

drlex,

I think you have missed the "tongue-in-cheekiness" behind "truthiness".

 

[drlex]

I didn't miss it; I just thought M-W had better ways to be considered as a dictionary of record.

soi la, soi carré

 

[RodKnowlton]

Please note that my post was before M-W announced the winner.

It may have only been coined in 2005, but it expresses, in a single word, the sad state of politics and journalism in the United States.

Before I'm accused of being Americentric, I would point out that said state has global ramifications.

- Rod

 

[Dagon]

Whatever it expresses, it's a truly horrible word. It sounds far too much like "toothiness" and makes me think of toothy grins. It does sound very american and I've never heard anyone use it in the UK.

 

[mmrsupport]

In my lack of delving into the world of pop culture and sticking to traditional news coverage (which isn't much better than the comedy central version), I have just learned about this through the post. And I just have to say, it's very lame and annoying. After getting my fill on Wiki, not impressed.

It goes in the right direction, I love anything directed towards Bush related comedy, but isn't very thoughtful or smart. Kind of like something from a Will Farrel movie, something Ron Burgandy from Anchorman would say. And the big deal made about it, why?

 

[KenCunningham]

The programme sounds much like the British comic Chris Morris' 'The Day Today' satirical show. Examples here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deqa1VFQtPA

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[guitarzan]

Just a few observations...

Dagon:
"it's a truly horrible word"
Why? Because it rhymes with "toothiness"? The M-W contest was not about the most commonly used word, or the the prettiest word, etc. It was the word voters felt represented 2006 the best.

It does sound very american...
(mmmm... I'll just leave that one alone)

...and I've never heard anyone use it in the UK
I've never heard the word used here in the states either, save for "The Colbert Report" and people talking about that show.

IMO, truthiness was an excellent choice, capturing what aggravates me so much about the Bush administration, and journalism in the US in general, without directly attacking either. It takes a word that should be an absolute (the truth), and adds a suffix that implies wiggle room, and contradicts "the truth".

mmrsupport:
...it's very lame and annoying... isn't very thoughtful or smart... kind of like something from a Will Farrel movie
Couldn't disagree more. I guess Stephen Colbert's humor is lost in text. I personally find his humor to be very clever and intelligent, a cut above any of his peers. But to each his/her own. You do understand that his whole persona is a put-on though, right?

 

[Ronster]

I was going to submit "paranoia" but I think that people might hate me for being too negative.


Ronster

 

[KenCunningham]

Simple really. Contempt will do for me.

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

 

[Dagon]

If it had been run with mainly a UK electorate, we'd probably have ended up with "chav" (or maybe even "minging") as word of the year. So maybe we should be grateful.