Instead of the usual brain-busting quiz, I’ve decided to do something different for the end of the year. In an effort to keep you up-to-date on the new words that have come out of the texting and tweeting we do, here’s a list of a few of the more unusual ones. Enjoy!
1. Black-ops (noun): secret military missions usually performed by elite soldiers.
2. TWD or drexting: the abbreviation and word meaning “texting while driving.”
3. Bobblehead (noun): a “yes man,” i.e., “The new regional director likes to surround himself with bobbleheads.”
4. Workation or Fakecation (noun): a vacation during which one performs work-related tasks (such as responding to calls or email).
5. Bipondal (adjective): relating to both America and Britain.
6. Sidequest (noun): a task or mission other than the primary one (such as an optional action in a video game).
7. Christmatize (verb): to decorate for Christmas.
8. Manify (verb): to make more masculine or manly.
9. Hacktivism (noun): activism using information obtained illegally from computers or electronic networks.
10. Cubiquette (noun): etiquette for an office with cubicles.
11. Unitedstadian (noun): a citizen or resident of the United States of America.
12. Busticate (adjective): to damage or destroy, i.e., “The window had been busticated by bricks.”
13. Palinize (verb): tendency of a political candidate to be criticized in a manner resembling critiques of Sarah Palin, especially through perceived sexism and the questioning of qualifications, i.e., “And now Palin thinks she has been Palinized by Newsweek for last week’s cover image of her looking fit and posing in running shorts, even though she has been photographed and filmed more than once in aerobic gear, most recently on Oprah.” – Julia Baird, Newsweek, November 21, 2009.
14. eBully (noun): one who uses email, blogs, forums, etc. to insult or threaten another person.
15. Textative (adjective): given to text messaging.
16. Shelfware (noun): computer software that has little or no use, and ends up on a shelf without ever being installed.
17. Hashtag (noun): the pound sign #, especially when used to indicate the subject of a comment on Twitter, i.e., “The convention of grouping a topic or event by the hashtag — #hackedu or #inauguration — was spontaneously invented by the Twitter user base, as was the convention of replying to another user with the @ symbol.” — Steven Johnson, Time Magazine, June 5, 2009.
18. Liquor goggles (noun): perceptions altered due to drunkenness and especially the belief that a potential romantic partner is more attractive.
19. NASL (abbreviation): name, age, sex, location.
20. Blogorrhea (noun): excessive and often incoherent postings to blogs.
21. Twihard (noun): one obsessed with the “Twilight” series.
22. Technopark (noun): a business campus designed for technology and research companies.
23. Game (verb): to play a video game. “I game online.” Surgeons who game statistically make fewer mistakes in surgery.
24. Texican (adjective): Mexican and Texan.
25. Fracking (noun): a means or method for extracting natural gas during well drilling, i.e., “A controversial method of natural gas drilling — known as fracking — has begun to tap the energy-rich Marcellus Shale, a huge geological formation that underlies much of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.” — Martha T. Moore, USA Today, 8/23/10.
26. Forrizzle (adjective): “For real?”
27. Vape (verb): to inhale vapor from an electronic cigarette.
28. Jeggings (noun): leggings that look like jeans.
29. Appiphilia (noun): love of smart phone applications.
30. e-cquaintance (noun): a person known via email or Internet social networking.
31. Jump-the-shark (adjective): no longer interesting or relevant, i.e., “I also wonder if you think there’s a jump-the-shark danger here for Stewart and Colbert.” — David Brooks, The New York Times, October 27, 2010.
32. Promistician (noun): a politician who makes promises to get elected.
33. Stinkeye (noun): a dirty look.
And last but not least:
34. Obamacare (noun): health care proposed by President Barack Obama.