The American Dialect Society "Word of the Year" has been announced. By category, the winners are:
Word of the Year: red state, blue state, purple state, n., together, a representation of the American political
map.
Most Useful: 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.
Most Creative: pajamahadeen, n., bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media. 36/52
Most Unnecessary: carb-friendly, adj., low in carbohydrates.
Most Outrageous: santorum, n., the frothy residue of [redacted].
Most Euphemistic: badly sourced, adj., false.
Most Likely to Succeed: red, blue, and purple states, n., the American political map.
Least Likely to Succeed: 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.
Posted by Mark Liberman at January 8, 2005 03:00 PM