American Dialect Society's "word of the year" for 2009

[AisuruMirai]

The American Dialect Society is currently taking nominations for "word of the year" (WOTY) & "word of the decade". There are several different groups who select a "word of the year", including the Oxford American Dictionary, who chose "unfriend" as WOTY just a couple of days ago.

So what, in your opinion, deserves to be the WOTY? Note that multi-word phrases are acceptable, & that the American Dialect Society does not only select new words or phrases. To give you an idea of what they're after, here are their choices from previous years:

2008: bailout: government money given to a corporation to prevent financial failure
2007: subprime: risky or less than ideal mortgage, loan, or investment
2006: plutoed: demoted or devalued, as the former planet
2005: truthiness: "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true"
2004: red state, blue state, purple state: solidly Republican, solidly Democratic, or "up for grabs" in terms of American national politics
2003: metrosexual: a fashion-conscious heterosexual man
2002: weapons of mass destruction: the Bush administration (& others) claimed that they existed in Iraq, the major public impetus for the invasion
2001: 9-11: referring to the terrorist attacks
2000: chad: from the American presidential election recount in Florida

The ADS also has subcategories: "most useful", "most outrageous", "most euphemistic" (these tend to be military terms), "most creative", "most likely to succeed", & "least likely to succeed". Feel free to append the relevant tag(s).

My nominees for 2009:
too big to fail I think that this has a very good chance of "winning".
(These others, for the most part, only receive honorable mention.)
socialism/socialist. "Obama is a socialist." "This bill is the gateway to socialism." Etc.
swine flu
viral As in "viral video" or "...goes viral".
carbon footprint
supermajority
netbook A "most useful" nominee, but might be too old.
iPhone app Another "most useful".
frenemy Might be too old to be considered.
bromance This word became popular this year because of certain movies.
death panel Another American political entry.
enhanced interrogation Likely winner for "most euphemistic".
disco stick As in "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick." I only submit this because it's hilarious. (The woman in the pic, by the way, is Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, of "They don't love you like I love you" fame. I doubt that she would give Lady Gaga a ride.)

But anyway, what are your picks?

[Vile]

Going with the trend that uses sayings that are beaten to death I'd have to pick going green. Seems like that's everywhere these days in some form or another.

Edit: I'll try to think of some others but I'm drawing a blank right now.

[felix]

The lucky 4 in my opinion are,

1. swine flu
2. death
3. fail
4. economy

[Miyuki-ism]

I vote Swine Flu. XD

[AisuruMirai]

One I forgot to add to the initial list is Auto-Tune.

[synaesthetic]

Netbooks really started in 2007/2008 (with the eeePC Surf) but they took off in 2009. Netbooks are much more common now, so I'd say it has a pretty good shot at making it.

My word of the year is fail.

Because this year has pretty much failed.

[Spectacular_Insanity]

It's gotta be Swine Flu. I swear that half the conversations I have at college are about it.

[Tsuyoshi]

Recession, imho. Swine Flu's a good one too tho.

[Tyss]

1. Jobless
2. Swine Flu
3. Change
4. C-C-C-CO-COMBO BREAKER!!

[D-KLAC]

how about KLAC besides really i have used it some many times from WHAT THE KLAC & KLAC-ING

[risingstar3110]

Too much a bother to nominate, but i will choose moments of truth if i could....

2009, the year when global leaders will shape how the world turn out for at least next 20 years (or more), economically (GFC, future economy model), social ( health reform in the States, new swine flu vaccine, food and health risk in 3rd nations), political (international relations, efforts to settle Israel-Palestine/ African/ Plaestine-Iraq-Afgaistan conflict, Iran-N Korea nuclear) and of course environmentally (mostly climate change and the big Copenhagen Summit)

[LusterFlare]

Merriam-Webster's word is "admonish."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/...rd_of_the_year

[katiemirmo]

I vote for Swine flu..

[AisuruMirai]

Originally Posted by LusterFlare

Merriam-Webster's word is "admonish."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091119/...rd_of_the_year

My initial thought when I read this was, "That's retarded!" The word was used this year primarily in reference to Joe Wilson's outburst, the popular commentary upon which lasted 2 or 3 weeks. But Merriam-Webster's WOTY is based on web traffic--lots of people looked up the word--not on the role the word played in the English language this year. Even so, that's really surprising to me. I thought everybody knew what it meant.

(One word that I had to look up this year is risible, which, in my opinion, is a horrific word that should never be used again, unless you're a fiction writer who's creating a certain kind of pretentious character who might use it.)

* * *

Looks like swine flu's making a run for it.

[chikorita157]

Swine Flu, because it seems that it is the most overhyped virus that happen earlier this year and even now with universities overhyping it more by putting posters about swine flu and placing hand sanitizers dispensers in hallways.

[-KarumA-]

On Dutch news they said the word of the year was twittering, might be a Dutch election of "the word of the year" though
sauce: http://www.24oranges.nl/2009/11/21/t...the-year-2009/

[AisuruMirai]

Yeah, twitter & going green should definitely be added to the list of most notable words.

[Alchemist007]

"socialist agenda"

[Haak]

I would laugh, and laugh and laugh, if the word of the year turned out to be "lol".