As someone who is fascinated with words and our ever changing language I not only adore the old (I’d rather use grucche for complain at certain times* it just seems better), but appreciate how the new sometimes gets its foot in the door. And after the foot, can force the entire body of the word in through opening and stay.
My recent favorite neologism is
Moon-basing – The act of a candidate or surrogate offhandedly proposing a policy so outrageous that it significantly harms the candidate’s electability
But there are others that politics have given us.. Â Misunderestimated–I’ve heard that used with not a smirk in site, and when I tried to point out that it wasn’t actually a word–well I didn’t win that battle, though I did exact a promise of a dictionary consult.
Reaganomics, Feminazis, and yes…Truthiness.
Think about it though. Do you look something up on the internet or do you ‘google it?” I know some folks refuse to say that, but I’m pretty sure that’s common usage now.
I may always call the net the Intertubes, because of Ted Stevens:
Ten movies streaming across that, that Internet, and what happens to your own personal Internet? I just the other day got…an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o’clock in the morning on Friday. I got it yesterday [Tuesday]. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the Internet commercially.
[…] They want to deliver vast amounts of information over the Internet. And again, the Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It’s not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes. And if you don’t understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it’s going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
And if you leave a comment, I will always comment back! It might take me a bit, but I will. I’m also trying like anything to read at least 5 blogs and comment each night. And some of you have already gone on my ‘keep reading’ list! I’m loving the #AtoZChallenge. Some days I’m more inspired than others, but I like being back inhabiting my blog!
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*What aileth you,thus for grucche and groan. ~Chaucer
You are so very right about this Jyllian. I hate when people make up their own words as they go along. If you’re watching them you can see them be smug at their own assumed cleverness. They’re not that clever. Love “Intertubes!” Mine got clogged and I can’t get on one of my credit card sites, now I’ll have to call! Makes me furious. Thanks for visiting BCDC. I will visit you again!
People tease me, I have a good old fashioned dictionary right by my computer. I much prefer flipping through pages then googling something!
Thanks for visiting.I’m glad I stopped by. I love words, and really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Google is common enough to be considered standard by now. I don’t mind making up words sometimes. To me that flexibility to create new meanings, to adapt to rapidly changing realities by tweaking at the edges of traditional words is the beauty and functionality of English. Sometimes, its great for laugh. I leave with my offer to the neologist deity: work-life balance.