Word of the Year 2006

  • David Slack,

    Stumbled across the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year site. Voting is about to close for 2006.

    The site also lists the Top 10 from the past few years/

    Vote for the 2006 Word of the Year.

    (Moderator's Note: we liked this suggestion by Jon Knox so much, we've moved it over to the main board to make sure no-one missed it.
    Whatever might qualify for word of the year here in New Zealand will only get swamped over there. Let's vote for it here.)

    Vote for our own local version here.
    DS

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report

132 Responses

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  • David Slack,

    Transferred post by Jeremy Andrew

    suppression
    injunction
    exclusive


    Does anyone else know people who belong to the brethren? Not the exclusive ones, just the standard, run-of-the-mill brethren? Have you noticed the poor folks have pretty much had to change the name of their sect to "The Brethren-not-the-exclusive-kind-the-other-ones-that-don't-try-to-pervert-the-course-of-democracy".

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report

  • David Slack,

    A few thoughts:
    stadium
    lafo
    spider
    unbundling
    P

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    How about the obvious?

    brash
    key
    starkish

    waterfront
    mallard
    fiasco

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    Truthiness

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Hamish,

    Amen, tomorrowpeople.

    Truthiness is a good one, but NZ Specific? Some nominations:

    Hollow
    Cancerous
    Coddingtonswallop

    ...and although this makes me super square, all time favourite word (at the moment):

    Soniferous

    The A.K. • Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    Cancerous?

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • hamishm,

    pwned
    And no one knows how to pronounce it.

    Since Nov 2006 • 357 posts Report

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    Best not to hi-jack this thread with a rant about PR companies or diss the hand that feeds/gets paid to push the 'product' - LOL

    {:P

    er, so do the likes of 'Tomkat' etc count as words?

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    Ooh... sorry, typo... I meant starfish

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Michael Savidge,

    Six words?

    "to the best of my knowledge"

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    pwned
    And no one knows how to pronounce it.

    Po-n'd. As in "My Little Pwnies" (my favourire World of Warcraft gild name.)

    Or "owned", either works.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • David Slack,

    As in "My Little Pwnies"

    I've heard it used differently - to rhyme with twinned.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    I've heard it used differently - to rhyme with twinned.

    As usual, Wikipedia has more on the topic than anyone will ever need to know.

    I'm asking TotalFark too, this mystery must not go unsolved!

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    Given its etymology as a typo of owned, then Andre's in the right. However, as always, popular use defines the "correct" use. And the main use of that particular word is written on the interweb, so probably whatever it sounds like in your head is the correct option - until you speak it in public and get ridiculed as a n00b.

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Compie,

    bollocks

    re the ARC's decision

    Dunedin/Vancouver • Since Nov 2006 • 114 posts Report

  • Tomorrowpeople,

    Given its etymology as a typo of owned, then Andre's in the right. However, as always, popular use defines the "correct" use. And the main use of that particular word is written on the interweb, so probably whatever it sounds like in your head is the correct option - until you speak it in public and get ridiculed as a n00b.

    So, how does one pronounce 'teh'?

    'the' or 'teh'?

    ;)

    The Craps tables at the B… • Since Nov 2006 • 188 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    So, how does one pronounce 'teh'?

    'the' or 'teh'?

    ...did I mention I'm still having nightmares about that "Should 'anal retentive' have a hyphen?" thing? :(

    I usually say "teh" because I like to inject a little Te Reo into the World Wide Web.

    Another word up for consideration:

    unbundling.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    "stolen"


    On the pwned thing, I think it's an interesting case to illustrate that the written language isn't a mirror of the spoken one but something independent (if strongly connected).

    It's fun to see words starting as written without any particular reference to how or whether it might be spoken - hence the confusion.

    I saw someone recently on (non-Total) Fark complaining about a kid who, on leaving a room, said "BRB" (bee arr bee) by way of indicating his intention to return immediately.

    And then there's when you pronounce the word much the same but spell it funny as an in-group thing...

    I'm suddenly reminded of something I read in Bill Bryson's Made in America. By the time of the pilgrim fathers (and Shakespeare), all those verbs ending in -eth would have been pronounced -s like we do it now. Bit of almost irrelevant info there, but it shows this kind of thing isn't a new problem.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye,

    Have you noticed the poor folks have pretty much had to change the name of their sect to "The Brethren-not-the-exclusive-kind-the-other-ones-[...]"

    FWIW, they've always referred to themselves as the Open Brethren, I assume to distinguish from the EB. I lived in a brethren-managed hostel for a year at university, perfectly normal happy clappy church group.

    Personal preference: I always pronounce "pwned" as owned, and "teh" as tay.

    As for word of the year, "blogger" in its new context as a political slur. I reckon it could really take off.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Mark Thomas,

    there's a more visual explanation of the term pwned here
    all a bit computer geeky really

    to divert the subject again, does anyone else find logging in to this site is a bit hit and miss with firefox?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 317 posts Report

  • Mark Thomas,

    **thoroughgoing**
    as in,

    so many of them are such thoroughgoing prats

    great word, well used. it just rolls off the tongue!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 317 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    "so many of them are such thoroughgoing prats"

    great word, well used. it just rolls off the tongue!

    It's a beauty, ain't it?

    arrant(a): without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers; "an arrant fool"; "a complete coward"; "a consummate fool"; "a double-dyed villain"; "gross negligence"; "a perfect idiot"; "pure folly"; "what a sodding mess"; "stark staring mad"; "a thoroughgoing villain"; "utter nonsense"; "the unadulterated truth"

    http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=thoroughgoing

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    last week i was introduced to 'gam'.

    it is alternately the shapeliness of a woman's leg, or, a bunch of whalers talking at sea.

    i've had trouble trying to establish any connection between the two definitions.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    last week i was introduced to 'gam'.

    it is alternately the shapeliness of a woman's leg, or, a bunch of whalers talking at sea.

    i've had trouble trying to establish any connection between the two definitions.

    When you're at sea, you really miss the shapeliness of a woman's leg?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • hamishm,

    What I really like about pwn is that
    1) The meaning is unclear
    2) The pronounciation is unclear
    3) It may be nothing more than a typo.
    It's the word of the millenium, already. It sort of defines G W Bush, or maybe it doesn't...

    Since Nov 2006 • 357 posts Report

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