The New Oxford Dictionary has named "unfriend" as the word of the year. Many have complained about it. Frank Schell of the Chicago Tribune says, "In an act of wanton barbarism, the wordsmiths at New Oxford have named "unfriend" as the word of the year." I have to agree. There are better words out there. In the last few years it seems that many of the words of the year have been from Internet Technology.

It's time for a real word of the year!

I think the whole word of the year thing is a bit silly, but if you're going to do it, it should be something that is new and used a lot. Whether you or I don't like it has little to do with the matter.

[Fixed typo.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,

I was rather surprised to learn this until I noticed that it's the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Certainly I had never heard of the verb "unfriend" before I read this post.

The past participle unfriended has been around since the 17th century in British English, altho it's possible that unfriend as a verb is new. Friend has been a verb since Middle English.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

quote:

Originally posted by Richard English:
I was rather surprised to learn this until I noticed that it's the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Certainly I had never heard of the verb "unfriend" before I read this post.

How to put this delicately?

I don't think transatlantic difficulties are the issue, more transgenerational ones. Words like "unfriend" are largely the province of the facebook-twitter-youtube generation and sadly Richard, you and I, different ages that we may be, are not part of the "in" group. I've seen it because I spend a whole lot more time than you in random surfing of the web. I've never used it though.

I don't think it's an especially good choice because it's made little impact with the old-fashioned off-line language community, but it is a legitimate one.

If we have a mutual dislike but then settle our differences, is that to "unenemy"?

(As opposed to deciding not to have a rectal flush, which is to "unenema.")

This message has been edited. Last edited by: <Proofreader>,

quote:

Whether you or I don't like it has little to do with the matter.

Of course. I was merely expressing my opinion on the word and on the fact that many of the recent words of the year have been computer related.

Bob is right that unfriend is a widely accepted word, and I've found that it's a little sensitive. My daughter unfriended her ex-boyfriend when he began dating someone else. He then texted her, demanding to know why she had unfriended him.

BTW, here were some of the other considerations for the word of the year :

Technology

hashtag – a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) that contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets

intexticated – distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle

netboo – a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory

paywall – a way of blocking access to a part of a website which is only available to paying subscribers

sexting – the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone

Economy

freemium – a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, with the aim of enticing users to pay for additional, premium features or content

funemployed– taking advantage of one’s newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests

zombie bank – a financial institution whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support

Politics and Current Affairs

Ardi– (Ardipithecus ramidus) oldest known hominid, discovered in Ethiopia during the 1990s and announced to the public in 2009

birther – a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama’s birth certificate

choice mom – a person who chooses to be a single mother

death panel – a theoretical body that determines which patients deserve to live, when care is rationed

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)

Environment

brown state – a US state that does not have strict environmental regulations

green state – a US state that has strict environmental regulations

ecotown - a town built and run on eco-friendly principles

Novelty Words

deleb – a dead celebrity

tramp stamp – a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman

I just read about another new word today, though it wasn't considered for the word of the year: the Snackwell effect.

quote:

It's a cutesy term. Snackwells refers to those absolutely delicious cookies that everyone on a diet knows all about. You could eat a couple of them and enjoy their great taste, and you'd probably lose weight, too. The problem is that many people found it very hard to just eat the recommended serving of a couple of cookies, and we'd suddenly find ourselves eating most of the box. As you can imagine, this sort of defeated the purpose of losing weight.

The concept, unfortunately, applies to the way many people practice energy savings in their homes. I know from the mail I get that human nature often gets in the way of common sense, even when the topic is saving energy. So what this means is that a family may go out and buy energy-efficient appliances and put in the latest energy-saving features, then figure that they've done all the right things so it's OK to leave lights on in empty rooms, run the dishwasher when there are only a few things in it, or set the thermostat to its lowest point in summer and enjoy their freezing home.

I've only ever seen or heard hashtag and ecotown.

The ones I've seen or heard: freemium, birther, death panel, teabagger, brown state, green state. That's five out of fifteen. Hmm, not as up-to-date as I had hoped. I've heard ass antlers rather than tramp stamp.

Of course, teabagger has been around much longer than its current usage. See the Urban Dictionary for its erotic meaning. The Teabaggers failed to discover that meaning and claim that definition is a Democrat plot to undermine their organization.

Of course, teabagger has been around much longer than its current usage.

I had heard the older meaning earlier in John Waters' movie Pecker (1998) (see link).

Many of these I'd expect only Americans to have heard of, such as birther, green state, brown state, death panel, and possibly funemployed (because of our times) and zombie bank (because of our bank problems). Let's face it, teabaggers have been around since the Boston Tea Party, though they weren't called that.

quote:

teabaggers have been around since the Boston Tea Party

kThat puts John Adams et al in a whole new light.

quote:

Of course, teabagger has been around much longer than its current usage.

I had no idea until I read this thread and took the (considerable) trouble to find out what "teabagging" is (apart from the obvious act of putting a tea bag into a cup of hot water). Either it's peculiarly US slang or it is not used by members of the society in which I move.

I have to say that the whole concept rather worries me; were I to be the donor or the recipient of the "teabag", the thought brings tears to my eyes.