Even heard the CEO of a prominent corporate using it in a public forum recently – I'm sure Jemaine and Brett would have giggled.

Wot, me still bitter? Nah...

I vote for "rotation" as the word of the year.

Heh – I'm completely with you Andy, although my particular gripe was with that other horrible 'r' word, 'reconditioning' – i.e, having the best people for a particular job, and not letting them do it.

As in, we're going to try to change everything we do and the way we do it, in order to keep up with changes in technology that we really don't understand. We're going to market the bejesus out of these changes and promise punters a brave new technological world.?

Carbonista: A dedicated follower of all the carbon hype.

Terrorista: A "fabulously!" dedicated follower of all the terrorism hype.

Now, at the end of this year, the word everyone knows about is Urewera.

We've been using "sausage-wallet" at lot over at the Wellingtonista.

If you've got it, why not use it?

Wellingtonista has got me thinking.

That's what we like to hear! Now if only we could get Rex Nicholls to do the same...

When things are going badly in a situation, robust is used by someone in charge who wants to create a sense of calm.

"Despite the increase in offensive language, Parliament is still a robust forum."
"Consultants have establish a robust process for the?

The term clearly refers to poor sops like me: the sole male working in my particular corner?

a NY Times article about 'next gen' librarians in the fashion section(?!)

Derailingly, blurgh. Thanks for reminding me of this. There is nothing lamer than a group of librarians talking about how they reach out to Teh Yoof with their awesomeness and their faux-ironic terms like 'guybrarian'. 'We're cool! Honestly!?

...rotated their reconditioned sausage wallets

The idea of anybody doing either of those things with their sausage wallets (rotating or reconditioning) is truly disturbing!

Makes me think of Daniel Radcliffe on Extras (season two)...

Definition:
The state of simultaneously lobbying for two contradictory outcomes.

Common examples:
1. Marching to support freedom of speech while simultaneously lobbying for increased censorship.
2. Condemning child abuse while simultaneously offering support to people who beat their kids.

Its the vast economy of favours, discounts, cash jobs, free work etc that comes from people without much surplus cash, or those that deal with people without much surplus cash. ie, creative industries, and/or lower income demographics.?

For category one I second the nomination for Urewera, in category B, I think terrorist has been done?

I also think?

It's been around a little while. It's how the kids talk about who they're playing in a competitive event. eg "AGS is versing St Pauls in football"

I only suggest it as I was horrified to be asked by a 40 something recently who my son's cricket?

carbocred

What's the Waiheke take on spending NZD? I want to convert mine to Waiheke Green Dollars but don't know the rate

Normally 3 spot oz.

freshly minted currency

Minted?

I have a whole bunch of mint in my back garden if you're buying.

Minted?

That reminds me, around our way 'Munter' and 'Cheryl' are pretty good candidates for words of the year (depending on which couch you are sitting on).

I've also got a lot of mint in my garden, it grows like a weed. If only weed grew like a mint.

I didn't understand the "re" in "reconditioning", why not just call it something masculine and deceptively simple like "training". "Reconditioning"
is an ugly word to look at, is needlessly hard to say and would seem to be an injury-prone-making sort of process when applied to top athletes.

I don't find?

Surprisingly resistant to inflation! But I hear that it doesn't last long, freshly minted currency only seems to last about a month.

I think I might have given you the wrong exchange rate. There's apparently been a tangential, circumferential and parallax shift in the Waiheke.

And how about;
rareconditioning, Verb/trans.
Something you have done to make you seem cooler than you were before.
or; TARDIS; my girlfriends handbag ;-)

underwhelming.

It describes everything: the Rugby World Cup, anything involving the Black Caps or Michael Campbell, the real effect of repealing s59, the actual content?

"Underwhelming" (Emma's suggestion) – now there's a good word for the year.

Two further suggestions:

"**Common sense**" – as in the way the?

underwhelming.

I allways imagined the effect of Prozac to be totally "Whelming"
You could use it in conversation or in a greeting;
"How are you?'
"I am whelm, thank you"
Which would, in fact, mean you were crushed by a weight,
But as a descriptive word to sum up the?

My vote is 'Love-Truncheon'.

Seems to work in context with chicks involved in cop leisure time pursuits, as well as for residents of Opotiki.

And in defence, or at least explanation, of Stuff using 'Beltway' – it's kind of a joke which got out of hand. It's an imported word, yeah, but it kind of took off last year when?

Encrapt (v): convert ordinary language into meaningless technical (legal, ICT, psychological etc.) babble. Generally used by the public sector to ensure its actions are indecipherable, but sometimes used for political spin, public relations and so?

It sort of sums up all the yelling and screaming over the Electoral Finance Bill

demagogracy.

It sort of sums up all the yelling and screaming over the Electoral Finance Bill

Ooh. That is clever.

Anyway, carry on discussing and I'll pull together a list of finalists and organise a vote on Survey Monkey.

Dyslexia has been officially recognized as containing real meaning, by the new Zealand Government and for the first time in April this year. The altitude of denial had been considerable.

Dyslexia, the word with?

Coskriedictory (funny how so much lobbying on behalf of one set of "human rights" tends to be at the expense of another — a cruder and far less clever example than David's originals)

Robust (funny how this is always the adjective du jour to?

I think we need two categories – One for the word that really hits the zeitgeist of the year 2007; and one for the word wore out its welcome in the past year.

Well, for category B, I'd like to nominate iconic. I am sick and bloody tired of hearing?

Ahh....good to see someone else involuntarily screams at the TV whenever they hear the word 'icon' or 'iconic'.

It definitely head my list of terms against the wall when the linguisitic revolution comes.

I'll make a personal bid for "the prospect of wasting valuable free time with mundane and questionable activities: administrivia"

Other contenders for me would be historic, as in "historic allegations" – yes they were historic but I think they meant historical. I've always liked "Hystorical" (getting all worked up?

And G-mo, coz hybrid is the only way.

it's a word it's an event it's a website
;)

...if you're looking for a word that sums up '07 that'll still be handy in '08.

It is oxymoronic, jargonesque, represents our profound euphemismism and has surprising ubiquitiousness. What it lacks in superfluous syllables it makes up for in iconicism.

Yay Garth.

Su-prime! (Sub-prime: Ant. su-prime {supreme with a kiwi accent}).

It's a versatile term, a useful metaphor,, and it also stands as a symbol of unending human folly.

I mean, who would have thought lending money to people who were bad credit risks would be so, umm, risky?

I'm not sure if that's my nomination though. When do nominations close?

IRD xxx

State the nature of your disabiltiy:
Dys...

Sorry I can't even spell dioharreehahahaha – as?

Official National Party Policy.

e.g. Labour will continue to follow an independent foreign policy. Key too.

I'm not sure if that's my nomination though. When do nominations close?

End of the week-ish. It would be helpful if someone could list the contenders in a post here (I'm going to be kind of consumed by Thursday's party and am likely to be unwell on Friday) and then?

its Business Time
rotation
reconditioning
Rotation and Reconditioning
Carbon
sausage-wallet
Migration (as in bubble)
Carbonista
Terrorista
Urewera
Te Qaeda
robust
random
Guybrarian
Coskriedictory
mum and dad investors
broconomy
Sustainability
Wayne Barnes
versing
World Class
Fizzer
Créditos de carbono/carbocred
Munter and Cheryl
Tuhoe
going forward
Theatre
The?

My entry for most hated phrase is "World Class".

I missed this when Ben first listed it, but this is one of my favourite love-to-hate phrases.

My theory is that it's actually used when someone is comparing New Zealand with Australia but doesn't want to it look like petty trans-Tasman?

Thus far we have:

its Business Time

Can I please nominate "Apostrophe-catastrophe" for word of the year?

Can I please nominate "Apostrophe-catastrophe" for word of the year?

I's that cau'se you luuurrrvvveee the apo'strophe's or becau'se you hate's them?

Personally, I wouldn't shop at a greengrocer's that didn't have at least three gratuitous apostrophes – anything less shows a lack of professional pride in a historic mercantile?

It puts me in mind of our shift from a basic Sky TV package to Freeview earlier this year. Once we'd plugged everything back in I realised that we were now in a sub-prime state. Or perhaps that should be sans-Prime...

How could we have forgotten (so far)...

xtra service

yeah right

gutted

stoked

I would be delighted if I never, ever hear or read them again.

yeah right

someone you know tried to sneak that into a cabinet paper.

got pretty close, apparently.

Mr Litterick of the Fundy Post has an intriguing account of Protest Saturday in Auckland.

He goes to these things so you don't have to.

Interesting how recent events have brought out both the far-left and far-right elements in society. Maybe they all could do well to browse a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Cronulla_riots|Cronulla?

'Bombshell'. Something that a person drops, causing all manner of shock and surprise.

In the context of the terrorism business, shouldn't that be "Bombershell"?

It just feels like the year that "wasn't really".

Mr Litterick of the Fundy Post has an intriguing account of Protest Saturday in Auckland.

It reads like a sadomasochistic extravaganzas might be on the cards.
Im' thinking, horse mounted hippies disciplining the flock.

gutted

You know what's the weirdest thing about "gutted"? Some people spell it "guttered". I assume they're thinking it means "I felt so low, it was as if I had been kicked to the gutter," which probably makes more sense to them than feeling like you'd been disembowelled.

Some people spell it "guttered"

Oh, don't get me started on 'guttered' and its ilk. I seem to be surrounded by people who suffer from some weird pseudo-homonym dyslexia...

"One 'foul' swoop" (or even "one 'fowl' swoop") instead of "one fell swoop"

"On 'tenderhooks'" instead of "on?

I am speakerless.

Robyn Gallagher wrote:

Some people spell it "guttered"

Oh, don't get me started on 'guttered' and its ilk. I seem to be surrounded by people who suffer from some weird pseudo-homonym dyslexia...

"One 'foul' swoop" (or even "one 'fowl' swoop") instead of "one fell swoop"

"On 'tenderhooks'" instead of "on?

fillybusters

Personal hate in this field though: saying someone "flaunted the law". A few years ago someone?

It's what happens when you flog a dead horse.

"One 'foul' swoop" (or even "one 'fowl' swoop") instead of "one fell swoop"

Can't be bothered looking this up, but isn't "foul" the modern spelling of "fell" anyway?

MACDUFF: [on hearing that his family and servants have all been killed]

All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?

Kite = hunting bird, Fell = fierce, savage.

]]> Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:40:59 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/word-of-the-year-2007/?p=36941#post36941 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/word-of-the-year-2007/?p=36941#post36941

Can't be bothered looking this up, but isn't "foul" the modern spelling of "fell" anyway?

Foul is a bad smell. Fell is cruel or fierce. Fell has French origins and is the same place that felon comes from. Foul apparently comes from ful, which is Old English.

]]> Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:44:03 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/word-of-the-year-2007/?p=36953#post36953 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/word-of-the-year-2007/?p=36953#post36953

Oh, don't get me started on 'guttered' and its ilk. I seem to be surrounded by people who suffer from some weird pseudo-homonym dyslexia...

"One 'foul' swoop" (or even "one 'fowl' swoop") instead of "one fell swoop"

"On 'tenderhooks'" instead of "on tenterhooks"

Oh, you'll love this. The linguistic community?

I like fillybusters.

Oh yes. It's a very happy eggcorn.

SNAP!

For all intensive purposes, let's call it a drawer. ;)

Their PR spinmasters have tried to foist the term Celebutante on us, but no, let's stick with Celebutard. It's a more apt term for those that both stupidly famous and famously stupid.

and there's the Eggcorn Database, where you can revel in the linguistic craziness of others.

OMG! Ex-potential! I've been wanting a word for that. Y'know, like the way Chris Cairns had tonnes of potential and just needed to realise his potential and then he retired.

It's a more apt term for those that are both stupidly famous and famously stupid.

'pacific".

ie, "he wasn't being pacific in his answers, he evaded every major point."

uniquely new zealand in my experience.

I detest the misuse of 'literally' as a synonym to 'very' – i.e. 'I'm literally gutted.'

What, like a fish?

the misuse of 'literally' as a synonym to 'very' – i.e. 'I'm literally gutted.'

What, like a fish?

nah, just means they haven't got the ability to digest literature.

Nice one Che.

I'm literally in awe of you right now.

Maybe the entire nation's suffering from old timer's disease.

Maybe the entire nation's suffering from old timer's disease.

You mean like the prostrate problems I keep hearing about?

You mean like the prostrate problems I keep hearing about?

Well, you can't be literally buggered if you're supine.

horse mounted hippies disciplining the flock

I know that was way back on the thread, but thanks Steven Crawford for giving me the most bizarre mental image of my entire week (and I love bizarre).

Fell is cruel or fierce

Ta – you know, I realise I originally guessed it was related to foul at the time I was probably reading the LotR at age 13 or so (fell beasts etc). Been under the misapprehension ever since.

I was probably reading the LotR at age 13

ah.. the halcyon daze.

I seem to be surrounded by people who suffer from some weird pseudo-homonym dyslexia...

The linguistic community has a name for these – they're called eggcorns

I thought the word for this is was 'malapropism'. My wife does them all the time and they seriously crack me up. Some of?

The only thing you can't be literally buggered in is a chastity belt.

I really really hope that one day I'll be able to use that quote in a conversation.

...chastity belts...All I ask is that you relate how you pulled it off.

She's good at picking locks. With her tongue.

"Apostrophe Catastrophe" was the title of a mystery serial I wrote online with a Canadian co-author around 1999, just for a lark – someone gave it its?

Crikey. I was actually referring to the locks on your 6 bottles of [redacted]. But I'm glad to hear the [redacted] is all cleared up too.

I thought the word for this is was 'malapropism'.

I do that, I hold the computer spell check responsible. I'm crap at spelling, it should know better.

Grammar checking in MS Word used to do a sterling job for that...

I have nothing but obscenities for Grammar Checker. Allow me ( cause how're you gonna stop me) to share from Language Log on the subject:

For the most part, accepting the advice of a computer grammar checker?

But it did piss me off that it always pulled me up for using the passive voice, or any sentence with more than 15 words. Would have been good if you could turn certain warnings off, as 'my style' settings.

Umm, you can – Tools, Options, Spelling & Grammar, Grammar Settings.

Umm, you can

You can now. But I haven't used Word for years. Glad to hear they followed my (and a million other people's) suggestions, though.

Emma, despite the truth of all that, that doesn't make them useless. They're good at the subset of proofreading that they do.

Emma, despite the truth of all that, that doesn't make them useless. They're good at the subset of proofreading that they do.

Well, it's a combination of poor tool (in that they can't read context, which is the main thing that tells you whether you've used the right word or?

They're only useful if you have a functioning intelligence in the chair to begin with.

True of so many things in life...

Not wishing to be too negative, I'll also throw my vote behind "sub prime". It just seems to mean anything below par, dodgy or all-round stupid. Like lending to people with insufficient funds.

Just so we're clear – it wasn't 'stupid', just dodgy.

And as if by magic these CDO's are given a positive risk rating, because for some reason the CDO is rated according to the strongest link in the chain, not the weakest. And those CDO's can be bought and traded?

In a similar calcium-rich vein, I've always been tickled by: lactivist.

But if you're wanting to describing the year of politics, the word must surely be dragonic

Dragonic [drag-ON-ic]: Used?

– to be acting with either verbal or physical aggression
– normally restricted to the species politicus ridiculous

"Mallardorous"

Seriously, I think everyone in Labour must have had their head in their hands by yesterday. Watching it on the news, it seems only plain stubborn _and_ bad politics that he hasn't fronted up and said "sorry". This whole waiting for whatever inquiry they're having, is only going to?

Have they though? I could be wrong but I haven't seen any reports of local institutions buying them.

This is a rather good animation explaining how CDOs work.

I thought the word for this is was 'malapropism'.

I suppose it's a species of malapropism (or possibly just a more homely version of the technical term).

The best ones being so close you only notice when people get to writing them down, and being mostly non-standard versions of phrases or?

But it did piss me off that it always pulled me up for using the passive voice, or any sentence with more than 15 words. Would have been good if you could turn certain warnings off, as 'my style' settings.

Umm, you can – Tools, Options, Spelling & Grammar, Grammar Settings.

?

"The savings generated by our system cannot be underestimated".

"Sub prime" does it for me

Not for me. It's just too, well, foreign. I mcuch preferred Emma's "underwhelming". Such an understated, NZ way of saying that it's been a poor year. Of course, if you were a cricket commentator, you would talk about it being "very average". I just?

Of course, if you were a cricket commentator, you would talk about it being "very average". I just don't understand that construction at all.

Its fairly simple. In fields where one is expected to excel, an average result is a bad thing.

See the rugby world cup and americas cup?

The Society of the German Language (GfdS) has picked ?Klimakatastrophe? (climate disaster) as its ?word of the year?, an annual honour awarded to the term the prestigious Wiesbaden-based group feels has captured the spirit or dominated the headlines and public discussion of the year.

I do like the way the?

It might provide hope to people who think of NZ as a nation of?

"Sub prime" does it for me too!

I can report that "sub prime" is indeed in the leading group.

Have you voted?

Of course, if you were a cricket commentator, you would talk about it being "very average".

Ah, a sport I can care about in December... I wrote a blog once about the unique vocab of cricket commentary. I think we're beyond 'very average' and into 'decidedly average' at this point,?

I can report that "sub prime" is indeed in the leading group.

Objection, your honour. Leading the witness !

How come "underwhelming" didn't make the list – I thought it was the best on offer !

How come "underwhelming" didn't make the list – I thought it was the best on offer !

Me too!

McClarkthyism: a moral panic which causes the afflicted to suffer excessive fear of a minority group and see members of said group under every bed. In extreme cases, sufferers may use their?

How come "underwhelming" didn't make the list – I thought it was the best on offer !

Um, not quite sure, but it's a bit late now. Sorry.

I do like the way the German language can pack a whole sentence into one word.

Like "Donaudampfshiffahrtselektricitatenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamptengesellschaft"?

The longest word I've ever tried to say. Something about the Danube and boats I think.

Oops and I missed a 'c'...see if you can spot where.

Beside that 's'?

In a related vein, am I the only person who find Radio NZ National's new favorite word incredibly grating -?

This just in: Merriam-Webster's have just nominated w00t as their WOTY. W00t! for WOTY!

As someone who both plays a fair amount of games and also likes English, I find this incredibly lame – firstly because no one says woot in a non ironic fashion anymore, and secondly because it?

"Te Qaeda" comes a natural second, followed by "the beltway" – which is so openly American-imported and ludicrous it's got to be emblematic of something.