"catfishing"--early WOTY candidate?

[Joel S. Berson]

Another WOTY?  "Te'o-ing", to succeed "Tebowing"?  And both LDS phenomena.

Joel

At 1/16/2013 08:05 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>So we know about the hoax allegedly perpetrated on Manti Te'o, in
>which the celebrated Mormon linebacker from Notre Dame, who finished
>second in the Heisman Trophy competition in part because of the
>heartbreaking human interest story involving the simultaneous deaths
>of his beloved grandmother (of something) and girlfriend (of
>leukemia, following a car accident), which inspired him as he led
>the Fighting Irish to their top-ranked position in the college
>football polls and the national championship game (where they
>eventually got blown out).  It now develops that the girlfriend who
>heartbreakingly died never actually existed, although Te'o evidently
>was unaware of this (although there are conflicting stories).  What
>makes all of this backstory WOTY-worthy is that this practice of
>perpetrating such a hoax was known, at least on ABC's World News
>Tonight, as "catfishing".  When I check this verb in
>urbandictionary, however, what turns up is a gloss that strikes me
>as unrelated:
>
>==============
>To have one large pubic hair protruding from one's zipper, whether
>purposely or by accident. The term comes from the long barbels, or
>whiskers that stick out from the mouths of catfish. While the
>whiskers of catfish house their taste buds and are used to search
>for food in murky waters, the act of catfishing will only serve to
>make you look like a complete slob, oblivious airhead, or creepy perv.
>
>"So I was giving a presentation the other day, and I looked down and
>realized that I was totally catfishing! I was so embarrassed, so I
>spent the rest of the time with my back to the audience!"
>==============
>
>A very useful verb to be sure, but nothing to do with hoaxes
>involving non-existent girlfriends.  And the only other listed
>meaning has to do with emulating the catfish in laziness and
>bottom-feeding, again unrelated.  So what gives?  Should I be
>checking "catphish"?
>
>Ah, I just noticed that the original report that broke the hoax--
>
>http://deadspin.com/5976517/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-and-inspirational-story-of-the-college-football-season-is-a-hoax
>
>
>  --does refer to a recent movie "Catfish" that had some of these
> plot element. I guess I'd have gotten the reference if I'd ever
> seen the movie. So this is evidently a demovie verb formation of
> the kind along the lines of "Gaslighting" someone.  Most creative, perhaps?
>
>LH
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org