Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Public Address Word of the Year 2010

269 Responses

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  • caycos,

    I'm thinking Pike River has to be up there, for the event/words that are most evocative. or maybe that should be #pikeriver...

    Wellington • Since Jan 2009 • 29 posts Report Reply

  • Trish Anderson,

    Has to be Sarah Palin's 'refudiate' in her tweet about the Ground Zero Mosque that's not really at Ground Zero at all. It's a supposed mix of refute and repudiate. According to a tweet she later sent, she's joining Shakespeare in contributing to our living language. The Oxford American Dictionary has named 'refudiate' its 2010 word of the year. I'm sure we'll hear many more Palinisms in the next couple of years.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2010 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • chris,

    Wellywood/ Hobbit

    Not so high profile here but: zazzy

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    Double Rainbow
    Top Kill (BP Oil Spill)
    SBW

    Is there a limit?

    ETA: Palinism ;-)

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Megan Wegan,

    Can not believe there's been 4 comments and no one has said it yet.

    Alright, then, because Tom is far too humble to do it himself (Hah!), if I may:

    Twatcock.

    (And it's various usages, my own favourite being twatcockery.)

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Reeves,

    Was "twatcock" this year? Hope so!

    Near Donny Park, Hamilton… • Since Apr 2007 • 94 posts Report Reply

  • Raymond A Francis,

    Loved ones

    45' South • Since Nov 2006 • 578 posts Report Reply

  • chris,

    Nice Raymond, reminds me: aftershock...

    Mawkland • Since Jan 2010 • 1302 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Megan Wegan,

    And the winner is...
    Hardly seems worth playing any more.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • caycos, in reply to chris,

    Oh true - the earthquake was pretty huge.. I really think it ought to be a twitter tag though. #eqnz!

    Wellington • Since Jan 2009 • 29 posts Report Reply

  • David Ritchie,

    "vuvuzela"

    Since Nov 2006 • 166 posts Report Reply

  • Trish Anderson, in reply to Steve Reeves,

    But then #pikeriver is pretty big too

    Wellington • Since Nov 2010 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Luke Williamson,

    Contagion - for the economically-minded
    Dikshit - for the entertainment weekly crowd

    Warkworth • Since Oct 2007 • 297 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And how could we forget "real New Zealander" -- which came out of the mouths of people whose bitter estrangement from reality made the doom of the Atreidae look like a particularly dull episode of Father Knows Best.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Nick Kearney,

    Chilean Miners.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 73 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Has to be Sarah Palin’s ‘refudiate’

    The problem is that if you started on Palin's eye-watering GBH against the fabric of reality, you'd never stop.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    I guess we have had sufficient going forward with going forward?

    My daughter nominates squally showers

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • andrea quin,

    Liquefaction

    Auckland • Since Dec 2009 • 44 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    "Mexicans with cellphones"

    (nah, I'd go with twatcock)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Megan Wegan, in reply to recordari,

    Hardly seems worth playing any more.

    Indeed. Although as it has been pointed out, Aftershock is quite the contender.

    Perhaps we could make it a sentence? "Man, that aftershock was a bit of a twatcock"?

    Welly • Since Jul 2008 • 1275 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    I think that the liveliest linguistic invention is in twitter-style hastags.

    So I'm nominating #slutskirt.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    If it’s to be a twitter hash tag, then I’m surprised no-one has suggested #allwhites. Although that was probably more a 2009 thing, with the qualifying. The Cup was pretty big though too.

    Other football related words might include: draw, and undefeated/unbeaten.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • David Ritchie,

    "Actors' boycott"

    Since Nov 2006 • 166 posts Report Reply

  • Hadyn Green,

    I like "twatcock", but also the Ben Gracewood creation: "cuntbiscuit". A word I have used numerous times this year.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2090 posts Report Reply

  • David Ritchie,

    wikileaks

    Since Nov 2006 • 166 posts Report Reply

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