unwörter des jahres (13. 082)

The jury that selects the German Un-Word of the Year (see below) went with one of the candidates from Deutschland’s Word of the Year in Sondervermögen, meaning special assets and sparking a lot of political debate but whose nuance isn’t immediately apparent and is intentionally misleading or euphemistic language used for investment and public debt. Runners up include the metaphoric Zustrombegrenzungsgesetz, the “inflow limitation act” using terminology associated with low-flow shower heads and the like to address immigration concerns and Umsiedlung for the “resettlement” of Palestinians advocated by Israel and the US.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Unwort of the Year (with synchronopticæ), a non-alcoholic glossary, the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year plus assorted links worth revisiting

twelve years ago: a time cafe plus terms for family members

thirteen years ago: a trillion dollar coin 

fourteen years ago: monitoring social media 

fifteen years ago: winter flooding 

sixteen years ago: a devastating earthquake in Haiti 

mint and mentee (13. 073)

Whilst familiar with some of these eponyms and etymologies, like the off-spring of Aphrodite and Adonis, narcissism and tantalising, we didn’t know that the word money was also derived from the Greco-Roman gods—an epithet of the queen of the gods, Iūno Monēta, also the Latin equivalent of the Greek goddess of memory called Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses that give us music and museum, though in Juno’s case it probably meant singular rather than to remind, the mint (also of the same derivation) and treasury were housed in her temple on Capitoline Hill and she was regarded as the protectress of economic stability and her priests sought fiscal counsel through their prayers. We also did not recall the mythological character of Mentor—an trusted friend of Odysseus whom he entrusted his son, Telemachus’, care and education to during the decades he was absent fighting the Trojan War. Mentor is sometimes suspected to be Athena in disguise. More from Mental Floss at the link above.

slanguage (13. 071)

From New Orleans, the American Dialect Society is announcing its pick for overall informal word of the year for 2025 (see previously) but again their categories of contenders deserve special consideration with creative neologisms and portmanteaux ranging from amphifa (for frog costumed protesters) and affixes related to Charlie Kirk, to the political like DOGE, disappeared and the Kavanaugh stop referring to the supreme court justice’s option on a case that foreigners could be barred from entry into the US based on their social media history, to digitally rallying around a hypothetical movement known as the Great Meme Reset supposedly instigated by Gen Z at the turn of the year, with rage-bait among the most useful along with valid cashout for a justified mental breakdown and most likely to endure with glaze, bestowing effusive compliments, and -vibe as a combining form. What do you think will be the overall winner?

8x8 (13. 069)

leturfræði: an exploration of the graphic design heritage of Iceland through its greatest, recently departed historian  

shoyu-tai: a fibre-based soy sauce single-serve container as an alternative to disposable plastic droppers  

unfcc: Trump administration announces withdrawal from dozens of United Nations chartered organisations, saying their mission does not align with the US agenda  

i’m t?w?e?n?t?y?-f?i?v?e?: artist records one word per day for a reflection on the passage of time 

amour-propre: Chinese buzzword of the year 爱你牢记 (ai ni laoji, love yourself, my dear)—see previously 

hemlock: Texas university has forbidden a professor from teaching a course on Plato  

anodyne: a Singapore based technology company invents biodegradable, paper batteries that rely on no rare earths  

gobelins: the famed French school of animation has a YouTube channel that features student films

all things considered (13. 068)

Language Hat refers us to another expression that corresponds neatly with our recent exploration of words and phrases with a nautical origin in by and large, originally from sailing alternately into and with the wind, describing a ship that can do both well. The idiomatic meaning of one way or another in the whole phrase “full and by and large” has been made obsolete and on land signifies usually, mostly or generally.

three sheets to the wind (13. 066)

In the latest episode of the always engrossing History of English podcast by Kevin Stroud, we are treated to how nautical terminology has informed the language as it spread outward, naturally by maritime means coinciding with a boom in literature and romancing the life at sea, some of which we’ve encountered beforehand in fossilised expressions and figures of speech with the jargon of professionals and amateurs alike influencing the way we communicate. Whilst there are plentiful examples of scholarly consensus, like false flag and true colours (a vessel either disguising its nationality for subterfuge or displaying its allegiance) and to pass with flying colours—defeated and retreating ships usually furled their banners, our guide also warns of CANOE—not the five big personality traits of conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness and extraversion, but rather for linguists the folk origins of the Conspiracy to Ascribe a Naval Origin to Everything and the popular Jackspeak of the eighteenth century that tried to shoehorn sailor slang into any conversation. Other words and phrases genuinely attributed to seafaring and skirmishes that have taken on expanded meanings on land include above board, anything conducted on deck and in plain view for all, aloof, from the Dutch for windward, to be at loggerheads, an iron ball with a long handle heated and used to seal pitch and a handy weapon for quarrelling crew, close quarters, refuge of the enclosed and easily defended forecastle, the devil to pay, the onerous task of caulking the longest seam in the hull, dressing down, to refresh worn sails with oil and wax, slush fund, leftover slurry that the ship’s cook sold to make a little extra money for himself bought by sailors not satisfied with the rations, skyscraper, a small triangular sail atop the main mast used in light wind, filibusters, loose canon, pipe down and being under the weather, assigned to the worst watch station at the front of the bow and falling ill from the crash and spray of the waves.

pepperidge farm remembers (13. 049)

With acknowledgment to Tom Whitwell and other franchises that have gotten into the tradition, Nancy Friedman presents fifty two more things she gleaned week by week in 2025. Trivia facts and lessons, among our favourites meriting further investigation were the etymology of plonk—cheap, disappointing wine—coming from British soldiers stationed in France during WWI mispronouncing vin blanc, the Old English term for affable is wordwynsum, the industry awards for excellence in podcasting are called the Ambies—from “ambient sound,” Samuel Clements considered other pseudonyms before settling on Mark Twain, including Rambler and W Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, Elon Musk is named for a character in a novel by Wernher von Braun called Marsprojekt, an orphan-crushing machine is a shorthand term for human interest stories that praise resilience and charity (like retirees working at fast food restaurants or successful funding campaigns to pay for vital medical procedures) that fail to question the underlying societal conditions that make such heroism needed to begin with, the Kellogg’s brand has a rooster for its mascot—connoting a hale and hearty early riser—but also suggested by touring Welsh harpist as ceilog is a homophone for the breakfast cereal magnate and that Goldfish crackers were inspired by zodiacal sign the original Swiss creator’s wife, a Pisces.

woty (13. 045)

Corresponding with the reflections and partial closure of the last post, James Asher has assembled a pretty cromulent catalogue of Unworter leading up to his nominee for Word of the Year with daily honourable mentions spanning the entire month of December, phrases, nicknames and neologisms (which does carry another meaning aside from novel coinage for the nonce in psychiatric circles, for instance in schizophrenia patients substituting a word of their own invention whose meaning is only known to them—c.f., covfefe) sourced to the Trump administration. Do peruse the full listing but some standout runners-up so far have been MRI Reveal Party, Affordability, Bubba, 6-7, TACO, the $melania meme coin, Gulf of Mexico, cankles, A1 and WhiskeyLeaks.  What is your favourite?

might i suggest a nice solomonic compromiſe… (13. 040)

Notwithstanding splitting the difference, Canadian lexicographers and editors are taking exception to the sudden shift away from the standard -ize constructions of standard national orthography to the -ise of British English in official communication. PfRC admits feely to some level of affectation and can see why this move away from North American spelling, though the US does not, despite its hegemony and default settings that yield a more considered difference from time to time, hold a monopoly on the spelling—accredited in the main to Noah Webster as a distinguishing signifier with the gerund form or verbing closer to the Ancient Greek origins of -ίζειν (see also) with common usage considering both cases to be acceptable.

lexical innovation (13. 039)

Whilst we had known that the term meme was minted with Richard Dawkins’ couching of evolution accelerated by discrete units of cultural transmission in The Selfish Gene and that in general neologisms cycle through with the years, taking time for each coinage to garner recognition, we hadn’t appreciated that it’s approaching its fiftieth anniversary along with twenty other thoroughly modern sounding words and phrases reaching that half-century milestone in the coming months. Among others first recorded in 1976, we have wuss and wannabe, skeevy (from a Tuscan dialectical word for disgust), the Butterfly Effect describing a chain-reaction of accrued small events and trail-mix, re-christened by marketers from its customary name of gorp—with the completing etymologies of either to scarf down with relish or possibly a backronym for “good old raisins and peanuts,” core ingredients usually eschewed by contemporary purveyors. More from Mental Floss at the link above.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the Pop Tart Bowl (with sychronopticæ), assorted links worth revisiting plus Peter Pan (1924)

twelve years ago: chef surprise 

thirteen years ago: more year-end superlatives 

fourteen years ago: 2011 in review plus a tribute to those we’ve lost

fifteen years ago: mashups and remixing

seventeen years ago: too much online plus telepresence  

sign of the times (13.011)

The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation has announced its character of the year as 熊 (kuma, bear) for the surge in ursine encounters nationwide. Other trending logograms under consideration were were 米—rice, bei/kome—citing inflation in the price of the staple and general anxiety over stockpiles, exacerbated by tariffs, a homophone. As in past years (see previously below for more), the winner is unveiled before the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writing the character in large calligraphy by the chief priest.

synchronoptica

one year ago: Chinese buzzwords of the year (with synchronopticæ), kanji character of the year plus the first purpose-built communications satellite (1958)

twelve years ago: regrettable legal precedence plus canine translators

thirteen years ago: counter-narratives on internet regulation 

fifteen years ago: seasonal weather 

sixteen years ago: contemplating a Christmas canival 

7x7 (13. 003)

it cuts up a man’s youth and vigour most horribly: Jane Austen invented the wellness guy  

maplewashing: the deceptive practise of making things seem more Canadian than they actually are narrowly beat out “elbows up” for Canadian English Dictionary’s inaugural Word of the Year  

antipodes: Rothera Antarctic research station gets a new Royal Mail postbox 

genai.mil: Pentagon installs a chatbot on all DOD computers—immediately concludes that Hegseth is a war-criminal—via Super Punch  

dayton accords: a look back at the peace negotiations to end the war in after the collapse of Yugoslavia three decades on  

cut spelng: English orthographer Christopher Upward’s failed proposal for language reform through elimination of redundant letters—see previously, see also 

little wars: HG Wells’ contribution to table top role play games

synchronoptica

one year ago: Vince Collins celebrates the US bicentennial (with synchronopticæ), Intershop (1962) plus assorted links worth revisiting

thirteen years ago: IKEA instructions for that dapper monkey 

sixteen years ago: drug money helped banks weather the Great Recession 

chatgeppetto (12. 999)

The latest multi-panel comic of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zach Weinersmith (previously) shows an alternate version of Pinocchio’s transformation by the Blue Fairy through the lens of AI and the inscrutability of what’s going on under the hood, so to speak. “And now by magic, you shall be a real boy,” the fairy announces, in accordance with his maker’s wish. Attaining his final form, the former wooden marionette asks, “What was I before?” “A philosophical zombie—you had the outward manner of a conscience being but no internal conscious experience.” Pinocchio takes exception with that characterisation and the Blue Fairy is compelled to change him back into a stochastic parrot, albeit an immortal one. We too wonder why this “real boy” analogy is not more pervasive in the industry—more from Language Log and SMBC at the link above including a performative demonstration of a decision-tree advertised as showings one’s thought process.

künstliche intelligenz (12. 998)

Lexically predisposed to the formation of neologism and portmanteaux, the German Wort des Jahres (see previously) usually selects from terms in coming common parlance that reflect social or cultural phenomena and not necessarily driven by novelty or the reference desk. The jury of the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache in Wiesbaden has chosen KI-Ära (Artificial Intelligence Era) as its representative phrase for 2025. The shortlist of other contenders for the honour are illustrative as well—like Vertiktokung, to use the short format video platform, klimamüde to describe exhaustion over the existential environmental crisis, Sondervermögen for special assets or a shadow budget for projects whose funding bypass parliamentary rules, Wehrdienst-Lotto expressing fear and reservation over the return of mandatory military conscription in the country and two Trumpian inspired entries in Strafzölle—punitive tariffs—and “Deal.”

synchronoptica 

one year ago: the Raelians (with synchronopticæ) plus a photo jacket

thirteen years ago: winter sports, a bounty for tax-avoidance plus the Feast of St Lucy

fourteen years ago: the UN climate summit in Durban plus sweet potato tortillas

fifteen years ago: vuvuzelas 

6x6 (12. 994)

helm of awe: taboos, tattoos and load-bearing iconography  

esta: the White House will vet the social media history of tourists from visa-free countries  

🕯️: holiday borders and decorative elements from an old Ricatype catalogue  

forty winks: sleep habits in the animal kingdom—see previously  

association football: Trump suggests changing the America name for the sport from soccer (with adjustments to current franchises) ahead of co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico  

water of the sky: two thousand Japanese words for rain—see previously

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronopticæ) plus parental guidance suggested

thirteen years ago: people in space right now  

fourteen years ago: the 2012 US presidential race a year out 

8x8 (12. 990)

boîte aux lettres: a gallery of modernist mailboxes found around France—via Messy Nessy Chic  

áramótaskaupið: two decades of explaining the smells and bells of the holiday season in Iceland  

semiquaver: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is a fine carol but lacks punctuation—via Miss Cellania 

k-id: Australia begins to enforce the world’s first social media ban for under sixteen-year-olds  

there is consensus to merge republican makeup into this article: Mar-a-Lago face, a plastic surgery trend among American conservatives has its own Wikipedia entry—via Nag on the Lake 

zipf’s law: a collection of nearly universal facets of human language  

linus and lucy: A Charlie Brown Christmas premiered on this day in 1965—see previously here and here  

intermodal container: the history of compartmentalised freight and how one innovation in transportation can influence another

nth degree (12. 985)

Large amounts notoriously difficult to wrap one’s head around as it is (see previously here and here) and language attempting to sidestep contemplation of the practicably infinite, we enjoyed this gloss by linguistic anthropologist Stephen Chrisomalis of Wayne State University’s catalogue by first known publication of words used for indefinite hyperbolic numerals in English—placeholder names also called non-numerical vague quantifiers. The oldest examples dating from the mid-nineteenth century is umpty or umpteenth—used to describe an exponential difference and originally taken from a vocalisation of the dash in Morse code—dit and iddy were the dots. Zillion and its snow clones are first attested in print at the turn of the century.

dūstscēawung (12. 982)

A tenth century Old English term, the word carries the rather poetic meaning of contemplation of dust, the latter half of the compound evolving into the Middle English escauvinghe, shewing—in the sense of presentation or to examine or inspect, which comes down in the modern word of scavenge via scavage—that is a toll placed on imported goods, similar to a tariff. Whilst dustsceawung can connote a sorrowful occupation and a sort of nihilistic thanatopsis , it also, through its lexical lineage, refers to being caught up in minutiae but also the brighter and more reverential acknowledgement that such omnipresent motes (“suspended in a sunbeam”—crumbled empire but also stardust) once were and can be other things, a daydream of transience and the future.

10x10 (12. 973)

no time for dancing or lovey-dovey: David Byrne’s ensemble Tiny Desk concert—see previously  

bathing beauties: the nautical folk art of Kyler Martz—via Messy Nessy Chic  

ac/dc: the unlikely friendship of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla 

warrior ethos: the Canadian publisher of the beloved children’s book series Franklin the Turtle strongly objects to US Secretary of War’s depiction of him firing on boats of supposed narco-terrorists 

the downfall of joann: the US craft and hobby economy ruined by private equity—via MetaFilter—see previously  

steerage: turned upside down, this grainy photograph of a third-class cabin appears to expand into a grand stateroom  

not even a squib of an entry: a steeple chase of an etymological mystery that may have arisen out of a case of mis-division—see also 

exalting the beauty of an overcast sky: Luke Howard (previously) on cloud-modification and his correspondence with Goethe  

nuns on the run: a rebel sisterhood who escaped from a nursing home to return to their abandoned convent refuse to give up their social media accounts as it would deprive them from the protection of an interested public 

chanson pour tout le monde: “Song for the Children” was by Jimmy Buffet, released on his 1979 album Volcano

hook, line and sinker (12. 971)

Named the word of the year after a public vote for Oxford University Press (previously) recognises the rise of outrage-driven online content over contenders like aura farming and biohacking with rage bait. A survey of digital climate has found a three-fold increase of the term that refers to content deliberatively stoking anger by being frustrating or offensive as a proxy for engagement, attention commodified as emotional manipulation over the lexically related but somewhat dulled and less potent clickbait. The OED sources the first instance of the term in relation to the phenomenon of “road rage” in attempting to provoke a response from a Usenet forum in 2002 with the concept now migrating to standard use in news rooms and on social media.