As in, maybe:

"You don't carry a gun? That is so European!"

Richard English

Oh, that comment is so European, Richard.

Many of us don't carry guns, and in fact they are outlawed in my village.

You've got a gay Prince? That is so European!

(Although, very frankly, our political climate would be vastly enriched if only someone would come up with some reliably incriminating photos of George Dubya and Dick Cheney!)

Oh, and we in the U.S. always say, "That's sooo Californian!" E.G., now, isn't it so Californian for that state to elect Arnold Schwarzenegger as their governor?

A cartoon predicted that the coinage for 2004 will be yogatronics. Two powerful trends will combine the complexity of electronics (can you figure out how to program your cell phone or your DVD player?) and the relaxation of yoga!

A recent political writer proposed the term "The Irene Szczecinski Factor" to mean the "You never know" factor in political polls. Irene had voted for a particular political party for 50 years; there is much more detail to this story, but it would be too long for this post. However, this year she is having many doubts, and her vote may change. After all, in the recent U.S. primary vote, the "Irene Szczecinski Factor" threw the pollsters into a tizzy!

In looking for the origin of "Go to Hell in a handbasket," I found this new coinage of the English used in and around London. What do they mean by "increasing social acceptability?"

This simply means that more and more people are prepared to accept this particular form of English without comment or criticism.

Remember, even now in our supposed egalitarian society, the words that Shaw put into Professor Higgins's mouth still ring very true:

"...An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him, the moment he opens his mouth he makes some other Englishman despise him..."

If EE is now gaining social acceptability then this simply means that those who despise it are becoming fewer in number!

Richard English

I was out to dinner last night and was told that the restaurant where I dined was a common place for Chicago foodies. When questioning the term, I was told that of course everyone had heard of it since it is used in the NY Times. I guess I am behind the Times.

Have you heard of it?

I wouldn't know about the NY Times, but it's used fairly often in newspapers over here.

quote:

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What do they mean by "increasing social acceptability?"

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Formerly there was a difference between an educated accent and an uneducated accent. If you were educated you learnt RP, and if you weren't you kept your local accent. These days a milder form of London accent is socially normal at all levels of society.

Arnie, thankfully, that is one piece of slang that I have missed along the way! However, I see you are right. The use of "foodies" is all over the Web, from Boston to San Francisco.

That is interesting, aput, because it's not the case in the U.S. Accents here are based on location, not on education, and I believe that has always been the case.

savior babies

I just read about this one today, and it is indeed a new coinage. These are babies who are born specifically to save the life of a dying sibling. Cutting-edge genetic tests are performed during in-vitro fertilization to produce compatible stem cells for the purpose of bone marrow transplants. Usually these older siblings are dying of leukemia, and compatible bone marrow donors aren't available.

newsetainment - Unfortunately, this is a valuable word now. It pertains to the reporting of news from celebrities & pop culture, as compared to spending more time on in-depth, serious news stories. This surely is happening now in the U.S. Currently, the rage is the Scott Peterson trial. Is this happening all over the world, or mainly in the U.S.?

Some of you may have seen the comics today (no, come to think of it, everyone here is probably too intellectual than to be reading comics!) where they were discussing borrowing a German word....uber (sorry, I can't do the 2 dots over the "u")...meaning "beyond," "above," or "over." They said, "You just shove it in front of any word, and it supersizes the word...'uber cool; uber outrageous.'" They saw it as replacing "totally," a much over-used word these days. However, I uber doubt it!

cybersquatting

It seems that in March of '02 a gentleman bought a very coveted domain name: kerryedwards.com. It is worth at least "five figures" now. He paid a mere $25 for it when he bought it, and his foresight caused him to hold onto it until an appropriate time.

Well, yes and no.

The whole story is that he set up the site to post pictures of his son whose name is (fanfare) Kerry Edwards. As I understand it, someone from the Kerry/Edwards campaign offered to buy it, for obvious reasons, but the asking price was too high.

Now, apparently, there are any number of anti-Kerry/Edwards camps willing to spend big bucks for the domain name so that they may use it to denegrate the Democratic duo (see "alliteration" in the OEDILF in about three months) with who-knows-what kind of political chicanery.

It's denirate, not denerate.

Quote: Now, apparently, there are any number of anti-Kerry/Edwards camps willing to spend big bucks for the domain name so that they may use it to denegrate the Democratic duo with who-knows-what kind of political chicanery.

Not apparent to me; speculative. However, according to the Washington Post, "Zach Exley, the former online chief of MoveOn.org, and now a Kerry-Edwards staffer, owns the anti-George Bush Web site www.gwbush.com."

Further to the point:

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The site http://bush2004.com/ might sound like an official campaign site. But it's typified by its first two headlines: "Bush Appoints Schwarzenegger Warden of Iraq" and "'Mission Accomplished,' says President As U.S. Moves From Saddam to Sodomy".

Who is taking a misleading "domain name so that they may use it to denegrate with who-knows-what kind of political chicanery"? (CJ's phrase)

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Googel-news gives about 21,400 sites for "George W. Bush". In total you'll find they are basically news, not commentary, and evenly balanced. But I'd suggest that someone is playing partisan games with the google rankings to move the negatives up to the top. I say this because you get a very different picture if you sort by "relevance". With that the top 11 are thus at the moment (this will obviously change from time to time):

• 4 from The Spoof, typified by "George Bush Asks Terrorists for Help to Postpone Elections" by "George Bush accidentally invades Canada.' and by "Building upon his earlier phrase 'upcoming erection' instead of 'upcoming election', George Bush has decided to speak"
  
• 2 from a site whose home page states its purpose: "George Bush has made a thousand mistakes. They began his first day in office, and they have continued, nonstop, until today. We expect more tomorrow. This site is dedicated to documenting his failures."
• another, beginning: "The Bush administration’s eroded credibility was further diminished this past week"
• another, beginning: "George W. Bush feeds us a steady diet of fear to boost his political fortunes and divert our attention from his failed policies"
• another: "George Bush and Ken Lay are Close and Personal Friends" (which it turns out to be a letter to a board, not a news source)
• another, negative, from Russia.
• Only one is hard news, and that is a negative one.

Do you think people of a particular view are making a conscious effort to move to the top items that share their view?

PS: As I finish writing this, still another item has gotten up to the top of the list. It is titled "Ten Reasons to Fire George W. Bush".

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

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Originally posted by Hic et ubique:
It's _den_i_rate,_ not _den_e_rate._

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Actually, it's denigrate. We were both wrong.

(...not that I'm judging you or anything.)


And regarding the website domain name political monkeyshines, I never meant to imply that this was primarily done by one party over the other. I'm sure that, politics being what it is, there's more than enough blame to go around.

"Foodies: Have you heard of it?"

Oh yeah, big-time. San Francisco considers itself the Foodie Capital of the World. I first heard it from my wife at least a decade ago.

Genesis Interruptus

It won't last, I am sure. But that's what our newspaper is calling the recent crash of NASA's Genesis spacecraft. I like it!

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I was reading a Web site today of a design firm, and I rather liked this coinage: "creatology".

_Creatology_
creativity and technology

Is there another word for this?

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Walt Disney Inc. uses the term "imagineering".

"Creatology" doesn't work for me because "ology" affixed to the end of "creat" doesn't prompt one to think of "technology" any more than "sociology" or "biology" or "psychology" or any other "ology".

"imagineering", on the other hand, joins the complete word "imagine" with "ering" which results in a coinage which can only be a combination of "Imagine" and "engineering".

I think a good coinage should exhibit this type of instant recognizability.

"Creatology", based on this analysis, doesn't make the cut.

"Createchnology" meets the technical parameters of this test but really doesn't add any zest or distinction to "technology", in my opinion. In any case, it's too bloated and pretentious.

If it ain't broke, don't affix it.

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

Oops!

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

I read a newspaper account enthusiastic about a new coinage.

Every now and then, the most unlikely sections of society throw up a term that transcends their own boundaries and becomes part of our everyday language. In recent weeks, a new phrase has emerged that will, I predict, take its place in the pantheon.

The term, still silvery and hot from the die-stamper, comes from a report of the internal inquiry into financial malpractice within the newspaper group Hollinger International, formerly chaired by Conrad Black. There are many active words in the 500-page report ("fraud", "manipulated", "looting" etc), but nothing with the immediacy and long-term potential of Part I, the executive summary, subsection A: CORPORATE KLEPTOCRACY.

An afterthought, just for fun. The article goes on to comment,

Perhaps the finest joy of all this is the exquisite irony that the term's main target is a man who relishes words - the longer and more confusing, the better. Elsewhere, Black has referred to his wife as "preternaturally sexy". Debbie Melnyk, who has made a documentary about Black, wrote of an email she received from him that concluded, " . . . the charette will arrive empty at the guillotine and the tricoteuses will have to stick to their knitting". "The what?" she asked. Came the reply: "I was using tricoteuses in the sense of Carlyle and other commentators on the French Revolution, as the ghastly, wretched, morbid women who knitted while the victims were steadily conveyed to the guillotine and executed."

oops!

If it ain't broke, don't affix it.

I agree completely, straightarrow.

Hic, is 'kleptocracy' all that new? Hasn't it been around awhile?

Now...here is a brand new one that I just made up in CJ's post about the use of 'none is' or 'none are;' that is: flexmarian - taking freedom with grammar rules.

What do you think? I like it!

Now...here is a brand new one that I just made up in CJ's post about the use of 'none is' or 'none are;' that is: flexmarian - taking freedom with grammar rules.

Flexmarian. Now that is a great example of metanalysis. I assume it's from something like flex[ible] [gram]marian. The r in grammar appears in the Old French word grammaire (whence also glamour) < Latin grammatica < Greek grammatikê < gramma 'letter'. Anyway, the analysis grammar + ian has been reanalysed as gram + marian. Drop the gram, replace with flex. Of course, one could argue—and probably will—that it's not a case of metanalysis, but of coining a good old-fashioned portmanteau word. Either way, it's cute. And as a flexmarian, I've decided not to argue against its coinage.

quote:

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Now...here is a brand new one that I just made up in CJ's post about the use of 'none is' or 'none are;' that is: _flexmarian_ - taking freedom with grammar rules.

What do you think? I like it!

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I like it too, Kalleh, and there is a real need for such a word ... which adds value to your contribution.

But, I think I can go you one better, Kalleh.

How about "pragmmarian"?

One can be "flexible" without acting on principles.

On the other hand, "pragmmarians" are flexible, but only when the occasion suits ... pragmatically.

[Love these 'smileys'.]

pragmmarian

Sorry to have to disagree with you, straightarrow, but I think pragmarians (NB preferred spelling) fall in between flexmarians and grammar nazis.

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

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Originally posted by jheem:
_prammarian_

... I think pragmarians (NB preferred spelling) fall in between flexmarians and grammar nazis.

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Agree, "pragmmarians" would fall between "flexmarians" and "grammar nazis". But that is what Aristotle would call "the golden mean", jheem, the mid-point between two extremes.

Also, I have to stick with my original spelling "pragmmarians" [with 2 m's, not 1].

There are 2 m's in grammar, so the coinage works best [ie. its recognizability is improved] if the "m" in "pragmatist" is joined up with one of the m's in "grammarian".

A good model for this is "imagineering". "Imagineering" would lose a lot of its punch if it was spelled "imaginering".

That's the way I see it, jheem. And I always give it to you straight 'cause I'm "straightarrow".

But that is what Aristotle would call "the golden mean", jheem, the mid-point between two extremes.

Ah, that's why people like wafflers, middle-of-the-roaders, and fence-sitters so much. I see now. Thanks.

A good model for this is "imagineering". "Imagineering" would lose a lot of its punch if it was spelled "imaginering".

It's from imagin(e) + (engin)eering. But I'll stick with pragmarians, cuz I like the way the gram/ma gets split. (Also, one's using vowels and the other's consonants.) Because as the great stand-up comedian and linguist Edward Sapir once quipped: "All grammars leak."

It seems as though we have coined 2 great words: flexmarians and pragmarians. I like them!

I have heard a coinage recently on TV, and I don't know if it is just used in the ads or if it is a coinage that I haven't heard of. It is fashion tweeners. It really makes sense. The teens and college-aged kids have their own fashions, and 35-year-olds and above are moms and true adults. However, those 23-34 year olds like to dress young, but not too young. They like to look sophisticated, but not like their mothers. So...they have a need for tween fashions, which really don't exist.

Has anyone heard of it?

fashion tweeners

I've known of the verb to tween. It used in animation to describe the process of drawing the cells between on major state (of the scene) and another. Usually tweeners do this. They are lower in the work/wage hierarchy than the other animators.

Quote "...Ah, that's why people like wafflers, middle-of-the-roaders, and fence-sitters so much. I see now. Thanks..."

As one who tries always to see every point of view and not to take sides, I am a true fence-sitter.

And my experience is that fence-sitters, being very visible on top of their fences, are shot at from both sides!

As one who tries always to see every point of view and not to take sides, I am a true fence-sitter.

Ahh, really, Richard? Somehow, having known you now for 2 years, I don't see that in you. Budweiser vs. cask-conditioned beer? Swan vs. Edison? British inventors? Bush? I could go on....

I don't think you are a fence-sitter, and thank you for that! Fence-sitters are often afraid to take sides because of worrying about what others will think of them. I see no one on this site who is like that. We weigh the evidence on both sides, yes; but we don't "waffle."

I think that what I am trying to say is that I don't try to take sides where there is dispute. Where the facts are not in doubt then I will certainly take a position.

Budweiser's "beer" is fizzy, sterile and served ice-cold to disguise its lack of character; cask conditioned beer is living and served at cellar temperature to allow its complexity to come through. Those are facts. Which drink you prefer is opinion.

Swan was selling incandescent light bulbs to British householders before Edison got a light bulb that worked. That is a fact. Which inventor did most to popularise incandescent lighting is less clear and there is room for argument.

Where I will always sit on the fence is where there is a complex situation such as conflict. In every conflict there is right and there is wrong on both sides. I suspect that it it unlikely that I will ever be asked to fight for my country but, were that ever to be the case, I suspect I would refuse on the grounds of conscience. And I would surely be attacked for that stance.

quote:

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I have heard a coinage recently on TV ... It is _fashion tweeners_. It really makes sense. The teens and college-aged kids have their own fashions, and 35-year-olds and above are moms and true adults. However, those 23-34 year olds like to dress young, but not too young. They like to look sophisticated, but not like their mothers. So...they have a need for _tween fashions_, which really don't exist.

Has anyone heard of it?

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No, I haven't heard of it Kalleh. But I've got a great slogan for the brand:

If you want to be IN
Be IN "BTWEEN".

quote:

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Originally posted by jheem:


Ah, that's why people like wafflers, middle-of-the-roaders, and fence-sitters so much. I see now."

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"Wafflers, middle-of-the-roaders, and fence-sitters".

Hey, that's 3 different types, jheem.

Republicans accuse John Kerry of being a "waffler", not because he is a "middle-of-the-roader", but because his position "waffles" [or "flip flops"], as they see it, on issues like the war on Iraq.

A "fence-sitter" isn't a "waffler", and he isn't a "middle-of-the-roader" either.

Gandhi was a "middle-of-the-roader" - he exalted freedom but eschewed violence - but no-one would call Gandhi a "fence-sitter".

Grammars aren't the only things which "leak", jheem. Sometimes comparisons "leak" as well.

Grammars aren't the only things which "leak", jheem. Sometimes comparisons "leak" as well.

The word like in the sentence above is not introducing a comparison, it is a verb. I was sarcastically saying that's why people like these three different kinds of people. Remember the Golden Rule, SA, don't discuss politics. Not even for comparisons.

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Remember the Golden Rule, SA, don't discuss politics. Not even for comparisons.

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OK, jheem. Didn't know I was discussing "politics".

I was using a contemporary example to make a point. I did not express any agreement or disagreement with the Republican take on Senator Kerry which is not a matter of surmise. It's on TV all the time.

Discussing politics is taking sides, or agreeing or disagreeing with a particular criticism. I didn't do that, jheem. I'm just sitting on the fence.

In any case, I'm sorry if my example was misinterpreted by you or anyone else.

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

I think that what I am trying to say is that I don't try to take sides where there is dispute. Where the facts are not in doubt then I will certainly take a position.

I stand by my original comment, Richard. You are not, in my opinion, a fence-sitter...and I respect you for that.

There is a difference of course between 'wafflers' and 'fence-sitters.' To me, it is absolutely essential that people change their minds in this day and age because of the changing dynamics in our present day life. Therefore, I am not at all put off by those who change their minds.

I am more put off by 'fence-sitters,' though, for the reasons already given.

Didn't know I was discussing "politics".

OK, I see: waffling is fun! I wasn't suggesting that you were discussing politics, SA. I was simply warning you not to get carried away in your discussion of words and start to. In my experience, the mere mentioning of a political candidate or some political hot potatoe [sic] issue is more than enough to set some people off. Let's err on the side of caution. (Apply emoticons as needed.)

quote:

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Originally posted by jheem:

Let's err on the side of caution. (Apply emoticons as needed.)

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What'err you say, jheem.

When I was in NY this week, I saw a great sign for a shoe repair store. I hope this catches on:

Shoetrician

BTW, this is off-subject a bit, but I also saw a sign that said "Millenium Hilton." Can "millennium" be spelled with one "n?" I looked it up online, and the Webster's Dictionary that cited it was no longer available, and the Wikipedia redirected to the word "millennium." I think Hilton just plain misspelled it.

Not a "modern coinage," Kalleh.

"milenium" has been spelled with one "n" for .... ages. In Spanish. And Milenium is the name of a radio broadcasting company in Neuquén, Argentina.

Maybe Hilton is trying, by using the Spanish word, to appear more ritzy.

Not a "modern coinage," Kalleh.

Jerry, I know it's not a "modern coinage;" that's why I said "this is 'off-subject.'" This was in downtown NY, and I doubt that it was the Spanish spelling. But, even if it was, it was still misspelled as it had 2 l's.

I was just surprised to see a large sign on a fancy Hilton Hotel misspelled...unless I am wrong about the misspelling. That's why I asked!

You are right, as usual, Kalleh.

I failed to notice the two Ls. It's definitely not Spanish.

Millenium Hilton

I apologize.

~~~ jerry

millenium

This is a common mis-spelling. In 1999, on checking the stats for my Web site, Greenwich Guide, I noticed that many people were searching using "millenium", and so I added it to the site's keywords with that spelling. Greenwich was, of course, the centre for the UK's year 2000 celebrations, based on the ill-fated Millennium Dome.

Question: when does a "mis-spelling" become an "alternative spelling"?