The English language has somewhere around 50,000 words. Many
new words are created every year. Just as
often, new meanings are found for old words. But in the
world of words, as in so many things, nothing really matters
until they are used. So here is a collection of needed words
that are newly available for your use.
Absotively
Posilutely
(adjective) - Without a shadow of a doubt.
Transformation of "absolutely and positively."
I created these two words in the early 1970s. I have no idea
if I was first.
Bogo
(noun) - Buy One Get
One (free) - Any offer wherein a free unit is offered
with the purchase of a unit.
I created this word because it seemed so wasteful to say,
"Buy one, get one free." The offer is so pervasive that it
deserves an acronym. Bogo has been picked up by Payless
Shoes and others, and is spreading to the point where I
expect Webster to pick it up soon.
Dinged
(verb, past tense) - received an reminder from a superior,
especially an unnecessary or unwelcome reminder. e.g. "I got dinged
because I called the guy back at 3:00 PM instead of 2:00 PM."
This word was derived from the small dents that mysteriously
appear on your car in the parking lot. Through no fault of
your own, you suddenly notice a sickening new mark on your
car that is expensive to repair. You may just have to live
with it. This is similar to the kind of damage delivered to
your ego when you get dinged by your boss.
Fantabulous
(adjective) - More fabulous than fantastic.
I first used this word in the 1960s. Sorry, I can't prove I
was the first.
Freezin'
(adjective) - A much more cool way to say "Way
kewl."
This one is just an obvious extension. Why own a kewl car,
when your buddy already owns one that's freezin'?
Rippin'
(verb) - taking an extended nap. Derived from the
legendary napping prowess of Rip van Winkle (100 years).
Someone who sleeps in till noon is definitely rippin'.
Uber
(adverb) - to the max, as in Uber-cool.
The uber prefix strengthens the adjective to which it's
attached.
Got this one from the kids, who got it from Germany. Derived from the German word Über meaning "over." Can be
attached to nearly any adjective.
Whumper
(adjective) - a type of milk that has had its fat
content reduced to one percent.
When they first began offering skim milk, it was only a
matter of time until the whumper. The word tooper
may also appear for the slightly higher-fat product.
It will be a fair day indeed the first time I hear someone
offer bogo whumper
(sounds Australian, doesn't it?)
Got an original word that's catching on? Please
E-mail it to us and
we may include it!
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