Accept no substitutes

Words of the Year 2004

Just now getting the finalists and the winners of the Words of the Year 2004 from the American Dialect Society (Thanks Connie). The votes were taken on January 7, 2005 in Oakland, CA.

Word of the Year

  • red state, blue state, purple state, n., together, a representation of the American political map. 36
  • Nominated:

  • flip-flopper, n, a politician who changes political stances; a waffler. 11
  • mash-up, n., a blend of two songs or albums into a single cohesive musical work. 2
  • meet-up, n., a local special interest meeting organized through a national web site. 2
  • wardrobe malfunction, n., an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts. 19

Most Useful

  • WINNER: phish, v., to acquire passwords or other private information (of an individual, an account, a web site, etc.) via a digital ruse. Noun form: phishing. 47
  • backdoor draft, n., the filling of military jobs through reactivation of former troops or through forced enlistment extensions known as stop-loss orders. 16
  • blog- as a prefix or combinging form in making other words: blogosphere, blognoscenti, blogarrhea. 1
  • fetch, adj., cool or stylish, from the movie Mean Girls. 11

Most Creative

  • WINNER: pajamahadeen, n., bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media. 36/52
  • hillbilly armor, n., scavenged materials used by soldiers for improvised bullet-proofing and vehicle hardening, esp. in Iraq. 11
  • lawn mullet, n., a yard neatly mowed in front but unmowed in the back. 29/27
  • nerdvana, n., geeks really geeking out; collaborative geekiness. 6.5

Most Unnecessary

  • WINNER: carb-friendly, adj., low in carbohydrates. 38/50
  • -based as in reality-based, faith-based. 14
  • erototoxin, n., a (nonexistent) chemical released in the brain of a person looking at pornography. 17/26
  • stalkette, n., a female stalker. 10

Most Outrageous

  • WINNER: santorum, n., the frothy residue of lube and fecal matter which sometimes is the result of anal sex. 3
  • clone and kill, n., raising a crop of humans for parts. 6
  • douche chill, n., interjection used to break a sudden silence after a verbal faux pas. 9
  • Jesusland, n., the country which will be the rump US after the blue states have seceded and joined Canada. 13

Most Euphemistic

  • WINNER: badly sourced, adj., false. 50
  • angel, n., a soldier killed in action. 7
  • partner reduction, n., divorce or severing of a romantic relationship. 2
  • wardrobe malfunction, n., unanticipated exposure of bodily parts. 15

Most Likely To Succeed

  • WINNER: red, blue, and purple states, n., the American political map. 21/46
  • krunked, n., cool, crazy. 2
  • mash-up, n., a blend of two songs or albums into a single cohesive musical work. 23/22
  • meet-up, n., a local special interest meeting organized through a national web site. 16
  • orange revolution, n., the recent Ukrainian political crisis. 5

Least Likely To Succeed

  • WINNER: FLOHPA, n., collectively, the states of Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, said to have been important in the 2004 American presidential election. From the postal codes for the three states: FL, OH, and PA. 41
  • holy toast, n., a grilled cheese with the image of the Virgin Mary, sold on eBay. 23
  • luanqibaozhao, n., Chinese for a complicated mess. 8
  • security mom, n., a female voter said to vote according to the protection of her family. 2

1 Comment

  1. Sally

    Reported earlier (with link to Slate article) here.

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