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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  • Jolisa, in reply to recordari,

    No no, after you! #etiquettejam

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to recordari,

    gold

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • recordari, in reply to Sacha,

    Thanks.
    But really I think I've over reached, and should now withdraw.

    ETA: Emma.

    My most recent commiserbration was the 'bottle of bubbles each' commiserbration of my losing my Metro job.

    That sucks!!! Sorry if it has been discussed here before, but hadn't heard.

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa, in reply to Sacha,

    Ag, missed that completely! (Going for the bronze now.)

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    My most recent commiserbration was the 'bottle of bubbles each' commiserbration of my losing my Metro job.

    What?! But but but... I had no idea. Commiserbrations are definitely in order. Much as it is entirely the magazine's loss.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __,

    One of my favourite terms of recent months has been “ground failure”. Our liquefaction-prone soils in Christchurch have failed to achieve the “greater competence” of the Banks Peninsula soils, which are based on nice reliable rock. In the early days post-eathquake the Council was using the term “pavement failure” to describe the gaping rifts in some of our roads and footpaths, but now all the trouble seems to be the fault of the ground. As it were.

    But don't worry, we can have "ground repair and remediation", which may or may not involve "vibro-rolling"! [Hey, if Pegasus Town can have it, why can't we?]

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • David Hood,

    can you provide a pronunciation guide please?

    Twa pronounced similar to Two, but with the a sound from tall
    tc is the plosive penultimate sound from hitch
    ock is pronounced like Jacques, but with the unused o from the earlier Two.

    I can also advise on how to pronounce Icelandic volcanoes, if your insurance is up to date.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Turned out it was just “He wears a disguise”.

    Does he “kiss this guy”?

    Get up in the morning, baked beans for breakfast
    Sold out to every monk and beefhead
    Woah-ohhhh, me ears are alight!
    Why find me kids, they buck up and a-leave me
    Darling cheese head I was yards too greasy
    Woah-ohhhh! Me ears are alight!

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Beard, in reply to David Hood,

    I can also advise on how to pronounce Icelandic volcanoes

    Twåtcøck?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    Whether intended or not, that was quite an effective put down, because, as the saying goes ‘I did not know that!’

    Oh sheez. That was totally unintended. I feel like a bit of a twatcock now.

    What?! But but but… I had no idea.

    That'll learn ya, Mr Contrarian-I'm-Not-On-Twitter-Pants.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    I'm not sure that Pike River and earthquake (or #eqnz) quite work as words of the year.

    While Pike River was a tragic event, you don't hear people using "Pike River" in other contexts. ("Man, that pavlova went all Pike River in my new oven!", cf 9/11.)

    Likewise, while the earthquake in Christchurch was devastating, it's not like suddenly we're faced with this cool new word "earthquake" that's become part of our vocab this year.

    But words like liquefaction and firedamp/afterdamp are those words that show up unannounced and jump around in our vocabulary.

    Perhaps we could have a subcategory for hashtag of the year. #lolz

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    I’ve been seeing “stakeholder” showing up more and more – I think “stakeholders” are the mates the govt or local govt bring in to support them to pretend they are listening and avoid having to have real public input – they are the guys who hold the stakes while the public are reamed by the govt

    They are also often a bunch of twatcocks

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    Out of interest, how many people are familiar with the slang verb usage of 'twat', meaning 'to hit'? As in, "Get the nail in position, then twat it wiv yer 'ammer." To be honest, in day-to-day conversation, that's how I'd use 'twat' most of the time.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    My favourite new word this year is the NZ Sign Language sign for Christchurch. It used to be fingerspelling 'c' twice but the new sign now graphically portrays movement.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    That sucks!!! Sorry if it has been discussed here before, but hadn't heard.

    Yeah, I hadn't mentioned it before. But, as commiserbrating might suggest, it's not all bad.

    Out of interest, how many people are familiar with the slang verb usage of 'twat', meaning 'to hit'?

    Yep. Mostly in a Red Dwarf context, to be fair.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Ackroyd,

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 159 posts Report Reply

  • Sam Vilain,

    Especially relating to the Christchurch earthquake, I think “shit volcano” does it for me :)

    (ahem, I can't actually find a link to the actual term, but you know, it relates to the liquefaction combined with the burst sewers and stuff... maybe you had to be there.)

    San Francisco (was Wellin… • Since Jun 2007 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • Sam Vilain,

    Apparently it has a sexual context also attached to it.

    I’m not sure. The results I found looked like they were just missing the appropriate punctuation.

    As in, “(subject) (verb) (posessive) twat cock (verb)…”

    Clearly there should be a hyphen before the last verb there. I’m not sure it’s an actual porn term, at least, not like say “Teabagging”

    Given that ‘twatcock’ is going to walk it, perhaps we should just stick it out of the way over in the corner and focus on the fight for second place

    +1

    San Francisco (was Wellin… • Since Jun 2007 • 24 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    Darling cheese head I was yards too greasy

    Platinum.

    Oh sheez. That was totally unintended. I feel like a bit of a twatcock now.

    It's not you, it's me.

    #highmaintenance

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Tony Kennedy,

    Going forward with #twatcock for 2010. And still worth a listen from 2009

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 225 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Beard, in reply to JackElder,

    Out of interest, how many people are familiar with the slang verb usage of ‘twat’, meaning ‘to hit’? As in, “Get the nail in position, then twat it wiv yer ‘ammer.” To be honest, in day-to-day conversation, that’s how I’d use ’twat’ most of the time.

    My most vivid memory of the use of the word "twat" was when a colleague in London said "If I punched [Manager X] in the face, would that mean I'd twatted a twat?"

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Cubey,

    Love the twatcockery, but the word must be "iPad". Remember the naysayers, the scorn, but now the ubiquity. Also the "thing" of the year, but that's incidental. "aftershock" a close second.

    Wellington • Since May 2008 • 66 posts Report Reply

  • Tony Kennedy,

    iPad, over hyped, over sold, over IT, second pick would be "unfriend"

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 225 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    The iPad could be a contender for Tool of the Year. There'd be a bit of competition, mind.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    This here is a prime example of twatcockery. When you read the morning paper, and it makes you choke with rage? Yes. Twatcockery.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

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