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Russell Brown
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 5279
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Word of the Year 2007

It's Word of the Year time! Last year Public Address readers voted "unbundled" to the top spot - and created whole new words like "brouhaka". What'll it be for 07? Nominate and discuss your favourites here and be in to win an extremely festive $500 Ezi-Pay Gift Station voucher for Liquorland and two Heineken mini-kegs.

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Richard Llewellyn
From: Mt Albert
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 318

Its not one word, but I'm amazed how quickly 'its Business Time' has entered the common lexicon (courtesy of Flight of the Concords).

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

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Andy Milne
From: Christchurch
Since: Aug 2007
Posts: 34

I vote for "rotation" as the word of the year. I can't think of a word that packs so much promise, hope, and yet also pain, frustration and anger into just three short syllables.

Wot, me still bitter? Nah...

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Richard Llewellyn
From: Mt Albert
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 318

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.

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Andy Milne
From: Christchurch
Since: Aug 2007
Posts: 34

Yeah I hear that Richaard. OK so that's now a joint entry: "Rotation and Reconditioning". Never before was so much promised, and not delivered, by so few to so many. (Apologies to Churchill)

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Andy Milne
From: Christchurch
Since: Aug 2007
Posts: 34

Oh and sorry about the extra vowel in your name Richard, lazy typing there. Maybe my fingers need reconditioning?

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Ben Austin
From: London
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 552

Carbon is so in this year

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Joanna
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 379

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We've been using "sausage-wallet" at lot over at the Wellingtonista. You can take it as a large scale interpretation of the commercialisation of sex, and the sad state of the world when Girls of the Playboy Mansion is pretty much the most entertaining thing on TV...

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Jeremy Andrew
From: Hamiltron - City of the Future
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 591

"Sausage-wallet"? Dare I ask?

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andrew llewellyn
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 1692

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You probably don't want to know....

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Simon Bennett
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 12

'Migration'

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. We hope it works - the IT guys seem confident.

See: 'Telecom', 'Xtra'.

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TroyHoward
From: Christchurch
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 71

Wellingtonista has got me thinking.

Carbonista: A dedicated follower of all the carbon hype.

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

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Conor Roberts
From: Auckland
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 37

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For most Kiwi's, before 2007, they would have been like Urewherea?

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

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Alastair Jamieson
From: Auckland
Since: Jan 2007
Posts: 34

My vote's for the mulitilingual mashup of Te Qaeda. It's true definition remains to be written...

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BenWilson
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 1386

Net-Migration is a nice double entendre. As in, when you migrate the net, the net result is migration.

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

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

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Joanna
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 379

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Wellingtonista has got me thinking.

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

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Robyn Gallagher
From: Wellington
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 992

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I have two nominations: robust and random.

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 restructuring."

Random is... OMG, random is just totally random! It's like when something happens that's unexpected or surprising and so you call it random! Even though, scientifically speaking, it's not. Whoa! Random!!!!!

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Jacob Powell
From: Auckland, NZ
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 9

Probably only a word seen in the library world, but the terrifying term Guybrarian entered the NZ library vernacular in 07 c/o a NY Times article about 'next gen' librarians in the fashion section(?!)

The term clearly refers to poor sops like me: the sole male working in my particular corner of the library world.

Guybrarian received a bit of discussion on the NZ Libs list earlier in the year - mostly pleas by male librarians asking for others not to start using the word to describe them.

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BenWilson
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 1386

After a robust and random net migration of carbonista guybrarians Urewara Te Qaeda Terroristas rotated their reconditioned sausage wallets.

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Danielle
From: PAS Women's XV Strategic Headquarters
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 892

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! We're "knowledge brokers"! Look how jazzy and fashionable and Web 2.0 we are!' I don't need to be 'rebranded', thanks. Do. Not. Care. I might even start wearing my hair in a bun and shushing people, just to drive all the obsessive Next Generation librarians batty.

Not that I'm bitter about this, you understand. :)

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Jacob Powell
From: Auckland, NZ
Since: Nov 2006
Posts: 9

...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)...

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