Word of the Year 2006

132 Responses

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  • andrew llewellyn,

    extreme toothpaste

    Maybe it's just normal (orange flavoured) toothpaste for extreme teeth?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Hamish,

    has anyone noticed that you can't underline words in documents these days because people complain about broken hyperlinks? everything has to be bold or italic

    For computer text I think it's a good thing - but I find myself occasionally trying to handwrite italics... it really doesn't work does it.

    Has anyway said: "Decider"?

    The A.K. • Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report

  • hamishm,

    The revisionist swine at OUP have an alternative W.O.Y
    It's here.
    They have decided on Carbon Neutral, which, I think we can agree, is actually two words.

    Since Nov 2006 • 357 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    I find myself occasionally trying to handwrite italics... it really doesn't work does it.

    Mind you, I don't often expect a browser window to pop up if I click on handwriting...

    People, I'm assured, only started underlining type in the first place because typewriters couldn't do bold or italic. (See 'your Mac/PC is not a typewriter').

    And underlining does kind of suck as a means of emphasis - I'm of a mind that it draws more attention to the line than the words. And if you underline it twice, it actually gets worse.

    So it's not a big fuss for me if silly people get confused by underlining.

    Man, if we want a bitching about typography thread, I could stay all day.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    When I control all the keyboards in the world, people who put two spaces after full stops will be hit on the head with the automatedrubber mallet attached to their monitor.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye,

    extreme toothpaste

    Maybe it's just normal (orange flavoured) toothpaste for extreme teeth?

    Wouldn't that be extreme-tooth paste?

    Extreme is a good suggestion though. My gym just introduced "Extreme Fighting" which just means that now I get to punch people.

    ...underlining does kind of suck as a means of emphasis

    I dislike underlining now because of what Che mentioned earlier - I instantly lose track of the context to look up the hyperlink, even if there is none. It happens when I'm reading hard copy as well. That's probably a bad sign.

    Oh, has anyone mentioned "smoking gun" yet? I know it's two words, but it seems to be suddenly popping up all over.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    has anyone noticed that you can't underline words in documents these days because people complain about broken hyperlinks? everything has to be bold or italic

    Apparently the convention of underlining for emphasis came with the invention of the typewriter. It couldn't do italic or bold, but it was easy to backspace and under words.

    Besides, italics are sexier than underlining.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    When I control all the keyboards in the world, people who put two spaces after full stops will be hit on the head with the automatedrubber mallet attached to their monitor.

    I learned to do that when I was taught to type. It's another thing that specifically relates to typewriters and their fixed-width fonts. It helped visually differentiate between a space between words and a space between sentences.

    I had to force myself to get out of the habit, and it took a lot of effort, so have some pity on those who have been doing it all their typing lives.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    On hyphens (though not, I must emphasise alarming definiteness, dashes)...

    How about that movie 'Eight Legged Freaks'?

    OMFG! Eight freaks with legs!

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Emma Hart,

    One of my writing partners insists on describing her character as having 'chocolate brown eyes'. You can have all kinds of fun with a hyphen in that clause.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    How about anything with the -gate suffix.
    Not just an '06 thing, but with tiler-gate, speed-gate, painting-gate, email-gate & whatever, its getting ridiculous.
    FFS, the whole thing is derived from the name of a hotel, it had no significance to the original scandal, and tacking -gate on the end of something politically scandalous to compare it to a political scandal from 30-odd years ago in the USA is just sad.
    Why not use one of our own historical political scandals? Winebox, tiler-box, speed-box, email-box, gone-by-lunchtime-box...

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    How about anything with the -gate suffix.
    Not just an '06 thing, but with tiler-gate, speed-gate, painting-gate, email-gate & whatever, its getting ridiculous.

    oh yeah... if i could award the prize, you just got it. jesus that goddamned "-gate" thing shits me.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    It's been said that the widespread use of -gate to describe scandal was encouraged by a former Nixon advisor who wanted to make Watergate seem more commonplace.

    I've been hanging out for fencegate. If corngate had been called farmgate, I'd have been a happy man.

    I like the -box idea in principle, but if we gave, for example, Ian Wishart free use of that suffix, I worry about what he might come up with.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • David Slack,

    Why not use one of our own historical political scandals? Winebox, tiler-box, speed-box, email-box, gone-by-lunchtime-box...

    That's a great idea, especially when you consider that the Woodward/Bernstein of the Winebox scandal was, of course, TVNZ's very own Ian Wishart.

    Cast your mind back through sundry scandals, and consider just how often his name comes up. One might even say it goes beyond coincidence, but that's one for the conspiracy theorists.

    Devonport • Since Nov 2006 • 599 posts Report

  • hamishm,

    One might even say it goes beyond coincidence, but that's one for the conspiracy theorists

    Do you mean a conspiracygatebox??? Sorry that it's not hyphenated.

    Since Nov 2006 • 357 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    headline: "white people denied medical treatment"

    'crackerbox'

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Mark Thomas,

    When I control all the keyboards in the world, people who put two spaces after full stops will be hit on the head with the automatedrubber mallet attached to their monitor.

    damn this website! it removes all my double spaces! double spaces are the proper way to type. my 3rd form keyboarding teacher would have words with you, young man!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 317 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye,

    When National launch an investigation into which insiders gabbed to Nicky Hager, they should definitely call it "chatterbox".

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    Black Caps match fixing scandal - cricket-box
    Environment minister seen dropping rubbish - litter-box
    GM wheat used in ramen - noodle-box
    PM shoves puppy with foot - kick-box

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Lyndon Hood,

    This website also removes my double-spacing and replaces it with a (smaller) paragraph gap.

    Why oh why must we have this typographic elegance imposed on us?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    Sth Africa Cricketers paying bribes - boks-box.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye,

    This website also removes my double-spacing

    That's just how html is rendered - unless you specify an html non-breaking space character, it'll condense any run of multiple spaces into a single space. It's to my perpetual dismay, as yet another conscientious pupil of fourth-form typing.

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    LOL. rugby* paying bribes.... soz. my bad.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    Speaking about geeky discussions and perfectly cromulant words, did you see the latest Simpsons episode where "Intellectual Homer" is killed by "Serious Homer", but not before writing out "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" in his own blood. That's got to be the ultimate in geek humour.

    But there are two words I just have to put in a (ahem) word for: calenture and ultracrepidate. They both sound great; there are stories contained within them, and the latter is something I do all the time.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    my 3rd form keyboarding teacher would have words with you, young man!

    No she wouldn't. She'd be writhing on the floor owing to all the blows from the rubber mallet.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

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