Birth of a nova--not?

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On 1/19/06, RonButters at aol.com <RonButters at aol.com> wrote:
>
> In a message dated 1/18/06 8:32:18 PM, AAllan at AOL.COM writes:
>
> > New revelations about James Frey's partly made-up best-selling memoir about
> > his addiction to alcohol and crack and arrests make "truthiness" sound
> > timely and downright prophetic. Frey admitted last week that he embellished
> > some details of his life in "A Million Little Pieces," such as serving time in
> > prison.
>
> Nah, TRUTHINESS is not a lexicological nova, it is a cute, stunt-wordy flash
> in the lexicographical pan and will go the way of BUSHLIPS, and about as
> quickly.

This may very well be true. Even the blogospheric usage has dropped
precipitously, as can be seen from this graph:

http://blogpulse.com/trend?query1=truthiness&days=100&x=17&y=8


--Ben Zimmer

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