[lg policy] "Twitter" - the top word of 2009

[r.amirejibi-mullen at QMUL.AC.UK]

No less than the Global Language Monitor
(GLM) has declared "Twitter" the top word of
2009, beating out the likes of unfriend,
hadron, H1N1 and 2.0. It seems that next
generation words are now permitted to arrive
on the scene without any letters at all
(making them incredibly easy to spell).
Apparently, it doesn't take much to get into
the English language. It's the fastest growing
language in the world, adding a word every
98 minutes. By GLM's count, our language
topped the 1 million word threshold last
June. That's a lot of words. No wonder we
have so much trouble understanding one
another. To lessen the confusion, this page
has assembled its favorite words and
phrases of the past year and placed them in a
helpful glossary.

On the ground - The place where decisions
are made.

Shovel-ready - A chain of hardware stores
in several southwestern states.

Credit default swaps - Stupid things that
smart people do. (Left over from 2008; still
  not well understood.)

Boots on the ground - The reason decisions
must be made on the ground.

TARP - A piece of canvas used to cover up
mistakes.

Claw back - A major motion picture; Bernie
Madoff and Tom Petters hatch a plot to break
out of prison and start a business together.

Pandemic - A pathological fear of panda
bears.

Ponzi - A lovable cartoon character who
shows children how to increase their
allowance without mom or dad finding out.

Health care reform - Making a bad system
accessible to more people.

Apps - They provide answers you used to
know.

Takeaway - Your retirement savings, Michael
Jackson and the Minnesota Vikings.

Unallot - What Republican governors do
when they run for president.

9 iron - Commonly used on cheating

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/80370102.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

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