Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Word of the Year 2011 -- The Vote!

95 Responses

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  • Heather Gaye,

    I also didn’t think to associate “munted” specifically with #eqnz either.

    Is it a regional thing? Like – perhaps the people of Christchurch claimed it in a notable way, but that special use case didn’t necessarily filter this far north…? I vaguely remember hearing Bob Parker’s statement, but it didn’t strike me as particularly… well, anything, other than accurate.

    For my part, given the variety and relevance of the list to choose from, I decided to pick words that were informally appropriated into popular culture, rather than hashtags, people's names, or descriptions related to specific events (like Party Central or slutwalk). Just “munted” didn’t really resonate with me at all.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Heather Gaye,

    that special use case didn’t necessarily filter this far north...?

    it was in nearly every TV news story, let alone online discussions, etc

    Just “munted” didn’t really resonate with me at all.

    fair enough

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Heather Gaye, in reply to Sacha,

    it was in nearly every TV news story, let alone online discussions, etc

    OK, so not regional then, but hand on heart, I didn’t encounter it. I don’t really watch TV, and it probably wouldn’t strike me as a particularly standout choice of wording in online discussion, if I read it.

    Basically I just posted because I think it’s worth noting that a number of people are reporting the same confusion. I felt like a few people here were being unfairly attacked for basically existing in what’s evidently a bigger-than-negligible black spot.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason,

    Think about how you have a perfectly good cup and your drop it and it ends up in a million pieces.

    It's Munted.

    Importantly I suspect it is the sudden impact of the drop that gives munted it's joyousness in this context. IMHO the correct context..

    Wabi Sabi on the other hand - reading Ian's contribution - is a gradual degradation of the asthetics or the weathering of things. This implies a slow process.

    Years ago a friend talked of needing a new watch. The one he had needed to be nuked. I liked that. I had the same thought when I heard munted for the first time where it was used to describe a friends car that had been pranged. Instant understanding.

    Therefore I suggest Bob's use referring to the sewers is THE context. It worked. Then 1 minute later it didn't. Munted!

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • Isaac Freeman,

    I've always thought that munted differs from broken not so much in the suddenness as in the pointlessness of repair. It's much like a write-off but with more emotional intensity.

    Christchurch • Since Feb 2007 • 134 posts Report Reply

  • Martin Lindberg,

    I've only ever heard munted used in the meaning of really drunk. As in

    Jim was totally munted last night.

    Stockholm • Since Jul 2009 • 802 posts Report Reply

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    I've used munted (meaning broken) for years but it had not greater or lesser significance than a dozen or so other words I might have chosen. This year, when Bob Parker used in the sort of circumstances where a more formal term might have been expected, it gained a new level of meaning, expressing that things are too bad to be polite about.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Heather Gaye,

    hand on heart, I didn’t encounter it

    quite an achievement :)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Isaac Freeman,

    I've always thought that munted differs from broken not so much in the suddenness as in the pointlessness of repair.

    +1

    utterly rooted, if you will

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to Isabel Hitchings,

    This year, when Bob Parker used in the sort of circumstances where a more formal term might have been expected, it gained a new level of meaning, expressing that things are too bad to be polite about.

    Like for example this piece of fawning Dear Leaderism. Whether or not it's at the behest of his minders, these days we tend to get just Bob, minus the fluffy side-dressing of Her Ditziness.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler, in reply to Sacha,

    quite an achievement :)

    Ok, but we have a non-zero sample of people who have achieved it now, right? So is it time to stop with the eye-rolling yet?

    FWIW, I've always associated "munted" more with the act that produced the breakage - "to munt" being something like the application of excessive force, with insufficient precision. The corollary being that I've always thought it quite possible to fix something by, eg., munting it back into place, if nothing else seems to work.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to James Butler,

    munting it back into place

    Ah, percussive maintenance.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler, in reply to Lilith __,

    Ah, percussive maintenance.

    At one point I had a computer, a VCR and a car which all required this in order to reach peak performance. But on balance, I wouldn't call that munting, because the effect was more... subtle. What can I say. It's a subtle word, with many shades of meaning.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Ross Mason,

    left my city outside the dairy...

    It worked.
    Then 1 minute later it didn’t.
    Munted!

    nek munnited surely?
    ;- /

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Ross Mason,

    Think about how you have a perfectly good cup and your drop it and it ends up in a million pieces.

    It’s Munted.

    I beg to differ. I would argue that for a thing to be munted it must maintain some semblance of its original form. It should be beyond repair but still a thing.

    A smashed cup isn't munted, it's smashed into pieces.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    I agree that "munted" has achieved new currency in 2011 - world-wide, it's been that sort of year - but if you want real evidence of its longevity in general vocabulary, I remember very clearly a friend being bemused a few years back when he rang his bank because his eftpos card had stopped working, and the customer service rep with the strong Indian accent on the other end asked "Is the card munted?"

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • DexterX, in reply to Russell Brown,

    A smashed cup isn't munted, it's smashed into pieces.

    A smashed cup is shattered - something that is munted still retains its original form to a degree but is unable to be used or repaired.

    An example being "some friends", in an attempt to get wheels to go to a festival traded a worn out ford prefect engine for a similar working engine out of a ford popular - the transplant didn't work - cross members in different places meaning the new sump didn't fit.

    The offending sump was marked with a pencil and then an attempt was made to beat it into shape using mallets and hammers - it almost got there but split - the sump was munted retaining a semblance of what it was but had now been rendered unfit fit for any purpose except scrap metal. It was well and truly munted.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Lucy Stewart,

    the customer service rep with the strong Indian accent on the other end asked “Is the card munted?”

    It'd be fascinating to know what coaching these overseas call centre staff have in our dialect and idiom. I wonder what definition of munted they get taught? :-)

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart, in reply to Lilith __,

    It’d be fascinating to know what coaching these overseas call centre staff have in our dialect and idiom. I wonder what definition of munted they get taught? :-)

    Yeah, friend's response was basically: all the words in English and they took the time to teach you *that* one? (Although it's equally possible the rep picked it off after having customers call in and use it in their complaint.)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Ross Mason,

    How about broken into X** pieces. So that it might still resemble a cup looking at the bits.

    Millions might have been an exageration....

    The broken cup is unusable. That was my point.

    And it needs to be sudden.


    ** 2 to ....10 pieces?

    Upper Hutt • Since Jun 2007 • 1590 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to James Butler,

    So is it time to stop with the eye-rolling yet?

    I was serious in admiring Heather's not managing to have encountered the word. She knows I'd never roll my eyes at her. Well, not about that sort of thing..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Scott A,

    Does anyone else based their vote partly on how humorous / awkward the conversation between Russell and a slightly-confused pre-Xmas Geoff Robinson might be on Morning Report when the winner is announced?

    Fuckeulogy would have the shock value, but trying to explain #hipstersforGoldsmith would be endlessly entertaining!

    The wilds of Kingston, We… • Since May 2009 • 133 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Scott A,

    Does anyone else based their vote partly on how humorous / awkward the conversation between Russell and a slightly-confused pre-Xmas Geoff Robinson might be on Morning Report when the winner is announced?

    This year's can't top twatcock in that regard :-)

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

  • Islander, in reply to Lilith __,

    Struth! I forgot to vote for twatcock!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Lilith __, in reply to Islander,

    Struth! I forgot to vote for twatcock!

    S'alright. Twatcock is so 2010 ;-)

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report Reply

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