2008 is not yet over, yet the final votes have been cast for the word of the year. When I think of the past year, I think foreclosure, but the New Oxford American Dictionary only crowns a word that is unique and was populated in the past year. For example, these four words were runners-up to the word of the year winner.
- Frugalista: Person who leads a frugal lifestyle but stays fashionable and healthy by swapping clothes, buying second-hand, growing own produce, etc.
- Moofer: A mobile out-of-office worker, as in someone who works away from a fixed workplace, via BlackBerry, a laptop, or Wi-Fi. Also can be used as a verbal noun, as in moofing.
- Topless meeting: A meeting in which the participants are barred from using their laptops, BlackBerries, or cellphones.
- Toxic debt: Mainly sub-prime debts that are now proving so disastrous to banks. They were parceled up and sent around the global financial system like toxic waste, hence the allusion.
To see the word of the year, read more.
- Hypermiling: To hypermile is to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one's car and driving techniques.
According to CNN Money, the term was coined in 2004. Hypermilers are described as drivers who keep their tires properly inflated, remove the roof rack from their vehicles, and turn engines off rather than letting them idle at stoplights.
Judith Leiber
Alexander McQueen
J Brand
I think my fave has to be topless meeting!
1I HATE the term "Frugalista" or "Recessionista"!! Who seriously uses words like that? I always see it in magazines when they're describing how -gasp!- shopping at Old Navy isn't the end of the world.
I have a term that I use for people who are able to be normal, fashionable people who don't spend their rent money on clothes--smart. You don't have to be a "Frugalista" to look cute in tough times, you have to have priorities.
Sorry. It's a pet peeve.
2I was rooting for "Staycation"
3These are all non-words.
4Nerdfighter should have totally made it. I'm sure we wrote enough letters...
5Actually, I like the word frugalista. It's like being frugal with flair.
6i'm rooting for 'moofer'.
7:]
The first one sounds great, I must swap my clothes more.
8i love moofer. i just wish it meant something more fun, cause i'd use it every day! :}
9some of those are FUNNY! i think that each year i really do see some interesting words coming into reality - so we'll have to see what the end result is.
10Oooh, I agree with 'Staycation' since it's the only word I've actually heard used a lot.
11..."and was populated in the past year."
Populated? Or popularized? Considering this is an entry about a new dictionary entry, the misuse of a word gave me a chuckle. That is, unless there's some other meaning of "populated" that Merriam-Webster doesn't know about.
12my fave is also "topless meeting" cuz its really annoying when calls interrupt a meeting. but i like the laptop part
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