Wordsplash!

Urban Dictionary: The Internet's Unofficial Slang Authority

UrbanDictionary.com is a nifty website that attempts to define the ever-evolving world of slang. Among other things, they offer an expression each day. Today's is "power outage baby." Their definition:

"Years ago, the power went out in San Francisco for a long time. Nine months later, there was a certain increase in birthrate. If you were born nine months after a power outage, you are a power outage baby."

The website offers more than just definitions, though. Since there's no way to officially regulate slang, you can vote on whether a term and its definition is legit or not. (At the time I am writing this, "power outage baby" has 365 thumbs up, and 216 thumbs down.)

You can also submit your own terms and definitions, chat with other lovers o' slang, and, of course, order the book: Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined.

Tase the Cliches, Bro!

Lake Superior State University in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, has just published its annual list of words and phrases that should be banished from English because they are overused and irritating .

The list includes cliches such as "perfect storm," "It is what it is," "post-9/11," and "Don't tase me, bro."

Seattle's NPR affiliate, KUOW, used the list as a launch pad for yesterday's episode of their daily call-in program, "The Conversation." Host Ross Reynolds  invited listeners to share their least favorite expressions, as well as recent additions to their vocabulary. You can listen to the program or download the podcast on the KUOW website.

New York Times Lists Popular New Phrases of 2007

The New York Times has published a list of buzzwords and phrases it claims have soared in popular usage in 2007.

I'm not sure I agree all of the 37 phrases on their list have managed to "find a place in the national conversation." Before reading the article, I was only familiar with two of them: "i-reporter" and "forever stamp." Other words on the list, which are certainly not in my everyday conversation, include "astronaut diaper," "nose bidet," and "vegansexual." Nevertheless, it's a fun list to read.

You'll find all 37 phrases and their alleged definitions at nytimes.com.

Death of a Cliché

I held a funeral today. My VCR/DVD-player died.

As I hooked up a replacement model -- a multi-zone player that's compatible with DVDs from all over the world, but which will not play videocassettes -- I realized digital technology has made obsolete an invention that seemed revolutionary in the 1970s.

I am told some kids today don't know what a vinyl, 33-r.p.m. record is. I'm guessing the same will be true for the videocassette within a few years.

Later this afternoon, I was reading an article in a year-old copy of my favorite writing magazine, Writer's Digest. The following sentence caught my attention:

"Tech-savvy authors have an edge over their how-do-you-set-a-VCR brethren...."

I love Writer's Digest -- and the article I was reading, about how authors can get recognized in the high-tech publishing era, was brilliant. But I thought, "Shame on the author for using one of the stalest clichés of the 20th century! Shame on the editors for letting it slip into print!"

"More complicated than programming a VCR." That joke has been dreadfully overused for years. I'm hoping that with the looming extinction of the VCR, we will also see the death of this cliché.