After two days of debate, the American Dialectic Society has chosen its top words of 2007.
Most Creative honors went to “Googleganger,” a term for “a person with your name who shows up when you Google yourself.” Googlegangers for today’s humble Buzz correspondent, for instance, include a poker player, an actress with only one role and a girl honored by the Illinois General Assembly for 13 straight years of perfect school attendance.
The dialectic society’s choice for Word of the Year went to “subprime.” The word is known for its association with the mortgage crisis, but in strict linguistic terms, it means “far less than the best,” the group’s spokesman says.
This means “subprime” can also be used to describe other undesirable things, such as the weather, the Sonics’ record, and, according to a column in today’s Travel and Leisure section, airline food.
The writer suggests a visit to Airlinemeals.net, which features photos and reviews of actual airline meals by travelers. For instance:
Concerning breakfast: “The bagel was warm, the fruit plate cold. Not bad at all.”
About a breakfast of juice and a muffin: “At least the muffin was not stale, that’s something.”
About a lunch of cheese ravioli: “Wasn’t too bad, especially since they served a few Mai-Tai’s before dinner.”
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