It's that time of the year when publishers of major dictionaries bombard us with what they regard as the "words of the year". They rarely agree on the same offering, but there is one common theme -- nearly all words selected are frankly rather depressing.
PostScript has already reported on the Collins word of the year, "permacrisis" defined as "an extended period of instability and insecurity". Now that sounds like fun.
This week the online dictionary Merriam-Webster named "gaslighting" as its top word for 2022. It is a term frequently used for the process of manipulating someone so they become confused, distressed and start questioning themselves. It is a bit of a worry that it is being increasingly used in everyday language. The term originated from the 1944 film Gaslight in which an evil husband through psychological means makes his wife feel she is going insane.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) hasn't named its winner yet but has narrowed the choice to three -- "goblin-mode", "metaverse" and the hashtag "#Istandwith". The winner will be decided by an online poll.
The most worrying one is "goblin-mode" apparently used to describe the increasing number of people who are rejecting social norms and doing whatever they want usually not in a particularly nice way. Or as one newspaper put it: "embracing the comforts of depravity."
So be on the alert for goblins and other foul fiends. There might even be a few mischievous pixies out there eager to create trouble.
Home run
Cambridge Dictionary somewhat quirkily named "homer" as its top word, primarily because people unfamiliar with the baseball term for a home run made a lot of enquiries about it after it appeared in a Wordle game. A much better choice by Cambridge would have been one of their runners-up, "Shrinkflation'', when the price of product remains the same, but its size gets smaller. We've all experienced that.
In previous years Collins has come up with some interesting contenders. One that I could relate to as a reflection on my bad habits was "floordrobe", the pile of clothes left on the floor of your bedroom. Another possible candidate was "decruitment" a sneaky way companies avoid actually saying they are laying off staff.
Stricter "no smoking" rules have led to the act of "smirting", when smokers outside pubs and restaurants start flirting on the pavement. Nothing wrong in that. There's even a new language, "spinnish" which is necessary for understanding the vernacular of spin doctors, spokespersons and political campaign managers.
Take your pick
One of the joys of the English language is that if is so flexible. If you can't think of the right word for something then you simply make one up. Thus if you can't remember the name of an object it becomes a "whatsit" or a " whatchamacallit". Similarly if you are struggling to recall the name of a person they become "what'sisname?"
Another particularly useful word is "thingy". Admittedly it is not a very appealing word but if you ask the whereabouts of "thingy" the odds are someone will know. An extension of "thingy" is "thingamabob". This word was immortalised in Walt Disney's Cinderella when the fairy godmother casts her spell with the unforgettable "The thingamabob that does the job is biddiby-bobbidy-boo." Well, that explains everything.
Paying the penalty
It was reported this week that prison inmates in Thailand are being allowed to watch the World Cup on TV throughout the kingdom. A positive step, but just a few words of caution concerning the possibility of an own goal.
A similar arrangement was made for the 1998 World Cup and some prisoners in a Rayong jail took full advantage of this generous gesture but not quite in the manner the authorities had intended. The normally eagle-eyed Rayong prison guards found one match so engrossing that they didn't notice eight prisoners slipping over the wall during a penalty shootout.
Well, these things happen. At least the guards weren't playing cards.
Crocodile fears
It is not just the authorities in Thailand that have to be on their guard while watching the World Cup. During the 1990 tournament thieves raided a crocodile farm in Buri Ram and stole all of the reptiles.
While all this was going on the owner of the croc farm was happily watching England playing on TV, blissfully unaware of what was happening to his prize crocs. Many felt it served him right for watching England.
One wonders who in their right mind would steal crocodiles? It's not like pinching diamonds or something similar. You have to look after them.
Okay, they might end up as handbags or shoes, but they must be quite a handful in the meantime. And they do not exactly make cuddly pets.
I've got a feeling that most of the crocs ended up in Pattaya. After all, almost everything else seems to.
The Songbird
It was sad to hear the news that English singer/songwriter Christine McVie passed away this week at the age of 79.
She was best-known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and the excellent 1977 Rumours album.
If you feel like a brief moment of reflection take a couple of minutes off, sit back and have a listen to McVie perform "Songbird" from the Rumours album. Even better, listen to the whole album. That's what music used to be like.
