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3rd March
2007
written by beth

I was just listening to Sound Opinions on Minnesota Public Radio and a caller said she “fracking” loves Lily Allen. I love that “fracking” is a common-usage cuss word. The latest issue of Wired uses “grok” matter-of-factly. In fact, this little blog program’s spell-check didn’t even flag “grok” as a misspelled word (though it doesn’t recognize “frack” yet). Am I the only one who thinks it’s cool that nerdy little TV shows and books (no matter how brilliant) with, I imagine, fairly small, niche followings can still influence language and culture the way they do?

Any other words/phrases you think should go mainstream?

4 Comments

  1. 04/03/2007

    A real word:
    nostomania (nos-tuh-MAY-nee-uh, -mayn-yuh)
    An overwhelming desire to return home or to go back to familiar places.

    The following are all from UrbanDictionary.com :

    porch dog
    A person who frequently attacks others in speech or writing, but who poses no intellectual threat whatsoever. Origin: The phrase “porch dog” is used to refer to dogs that sit on front porches and bark (vigorously and fruitlessly) at passersby, but who pose no physical threat.

    hindspite
    Looking back on a situation or event, regretting that you didn’t do what you should have done, and developing malicious ill will because of it. Similar to standard regret, but someone else is gonna have to pay for it.

    a-whole-nother
    [this is something I say, one of the few “country” phrasings in my speech]
    Refers to a subject that is vastly or categorically set apart from the previous subject.
    Unique in the English language as one of the few ‘infixes’ (as opposed to prefix or suffix).

    Other infixes include re-donk-u-lous, which is already in use, at least among people I am interested in.

  2. 05/03/2007

    Also, “Tabasco” is the new “hot.” Try it out; you’ll love it.

  3. trevor
    13/03/2007
  4. 13/03/2007

    Ew, frothy.

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