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Oxford chooses 'omnishambles' as apt Word of the Year for Britain
Source: Agencies |
November 14, 2012, Wednesday
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BRITAIN'S media are in a meltdown and its government is gaffe-prone, so Oxford Dictionaries has chosen an apt Word of the Year: "omnishambles."
Oxford University Press yesterday crowned the word - defined as "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations" - its top term of 2012.
Each year Oxford University Press tracks how the English language changes and chooses a word that best reflects the year's mood. The publisher typically chooses separate UK and American winners. This year's American champion is "gif," short for graphics interchange format, a common format for images on the Internet.
The editors said gif was recognized for making the crucial transition from noun to verb, "to gif:" to create a gif file of an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event. And, inevitably, to share it online. Cute kittens, Olympic champions, US President Obama - they've all been giffed.
Coined by writers of the satirical TV show "The Thick of It," omnishambles has been applied to everything from government public relations blunders to the preparations for the London Olympics.
Oxford University Press lexicographer Susie Dent said the word was chosen for its popularity as well as its "linguistic productivity."
She said "a notable coinage coming from the word is Romneyshambles" - a derisive term used by the British press after US presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed doubts about London's ability to host a successful Olympics.
Omnishambles was chosen over short-listed terms including "mummy porn" - the genre exemplified by the best-selling "50 Shades" book series - and "green-on-blue," military attacks by forces regarded as neutral, as when members of the Afghan army or police attack foreign troops. (For American English speakers, it's "mommy porn.")
The Olympics offered up finalists including the verb "to medal," "Games Maker" - the name given to thousands of Olympic volunteers - and distance runner Mo Farah's victory dance, "the Mobot."
Europe's financial crisis lent the short-listed word "Eurogeddon," while technology produced "second screening" - watching TV while using a computer, phone or tablet - and social media popularized the acronym "YOLO," you only live once.
The final short-listed term in Britain is an old word given new life. "Pleb," a derogatory epithet for lower-class people, was alleged to have been uttered to a police officer by British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell. He denied it, but still resigned.
Editors say there is no guarantee any of these words will endure long enough to enter the hallowed pages of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Oxford University Press yesterday crowned the word - defined as "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations" - its top term of 2012.
Each year Oxford University Press tracks how the English language changes and chooses a word that best reflects the year's mood. The publisher typically chooses separate UK and American winners. This year's American champion is "gif," short for graphics interchange format, a common format for images on the Internet.
The editors said gif was recognized for making the crucial transition from noun to verb, "to gif:" to create a gif file of an image or video sequence, especially relating to an event. And, inevitably, to share it online. Cute kittens, Olympic champions, US President Obama - they've all been giffed.
Coined by writers of the satirical TV show "The Thick of It," omnishambles has been applied to everything from government public relations blunders to the preparations for the London Olympics.
Oxford University Press lexicographer Susie Dent said the word was chosen for its popularity as well as its "linguistic productivity."
She said "a notable coinage coming from the word is Romneyshambles" - a derisive term used by the British press after US presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed doubts about London's ability to host a successful Olympics.
Omnishambles was chosen over short-listed terms including "mummy porn" - the genre exemplified by the best-selling "50 Shades" book series - and "green-on-blue," military attacks by forces regarded as neutral, as when members of the Afghan army or police attack foreign troops. (For American English speakers, it's "mommy porn.")
The Olympics offered up finalists including the verb "to medal," "Games Maker" - the name given to thousands of Olympic volunteers - and distance runner Mo Farah's victory dance, "the Mobot."
Europe's financial crisis lent the short-listed word "Eurogeddon," while technology produced "second screening" - watching TV while using a computer, phone or tablet - and social media popularized the acronym "YOLO," you only live once.
The final short-listed term in Britain is an old word given new life. "Pleb," a derogatory epithet for lower-class people, was alleged to have been uttered to a police officer by British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell. He denied it, but still resigned.
Editors say there is no guarantee any of these words will endure long enough to enter the hallowed pages of the Oxford English Dictionary.
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