Its that time of year again- when the NOAD (or, for the uninitiated, the New Oxford American Dictionary) releases a number of new words to be printed in the newest edition...including their Word of the Year! As in, “I decided to unfriend my roommate on Facebook after we had a fight.”
Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program, gushes about the WOTY choice:
"Most “un-” prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar “un-” verbs (uncap, unpack), but “unfriend” is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of “friend” that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”
(sidenote- I think I might love this woman)
Other new words include:
intexticated – distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle
zombie bank – a financial institution whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support
teabagger -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)
The last one has caused some uproar, apparently from teabaggers themselves, after having (finally) discovered the ACTUAL definition of teabagging. Whoops!
Click here to read the other words and some of the nit-picky, incensed and just plain crazy comments.
...Is "Comment Troll" part of the new dictionary yet?
Apparently "teabaggers" have never heard of Urban Dictionary.
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