In 2010, ‘shovel-ready’ was deemed by the esteemed persons who put together the Macquarie Dictionary to be the word of the previous year. Yes, it was soooo 2009, but it was, according to editor Susan Butler, topical and visually graphic in structure. Those are the criteria required to get a guernsey in our national dictionary. It was on the tips of everyone’s tongues, it looked good – and it was raring to go.
This year’s field holds some worthy contenders. Brand slut in the fashion category. Koala ears (defined as ‘patches of pubic hair protruding from a swimming costume or underwear) also in fashion. Astroturf marketing (defined along the lines of marketing that looks as though it’s word-of-mouth but is run by a behind-the-scenes professional marketer) in the communications area. Sandbagging, not in the area of flood management as you might expect, but in the Politics category, and meaning an attempt to secure an electorate against a feared swing in the vote by making election promises targeted at that electorate.
You can read the entire list – and vote – here, and it’s worth the time to see just how far our language has evolved in 365 short days. Koala ears. Nothing more to say really…
Here in the Fibro, the language is also jumping ahead in leaps and bounds. If 2009’s word of the year was ‘bokkens’ (full story here), then the strong contender to take out the award this year is – drumroll please – fablious (pron. fab-lee-us). Usage: ‘Mum, you look FABlious.’ Origin: Mr4 (who else?).
It’s really taken off in these parts (that is, within the walls of the Fibro). Everything and everyone is fablious. So much classier than the overused ‘fabulous’.
I’m betting it will really catch on.
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