Last week’s post included some of the Words of the Year (2022) determined by the American Dialect Society (actually voted on by their public). In this post, we conclude the categories of Words of 2022.
INFORMAL WORD OF THE YEAR
it’s giving (X): description of something exuding a particular vibe or energy (for example, “it’s giving rockstar”)
dickriding: currying favor or sucking up to someone
(the) ick: feeling of disgust about one’s date
menty b: mental breakdown
rizz: effortless attractiveness or style (short for “charisma”)
And the winner is . . . “it’s giving”
MOST CREATIVE WORD OF THE YEAR
-ussy: suffix from “pussy” (as in “bussy” = “boy pussy,” now humorously attached to many
words) – I still don’t really get this one.
blorbo : a person’s beloved fictional character from television or other media
-dle: suffix for Wordle-like games (Heardle, Absurdle, Foodle, Worldle, Redactle, etc.)
moid/foid: derogatory terms for men and women in incel culture
short king: positive or affectionate term for a man of modest stature
And the winner is . . . “-ussy” of course
EUPHEMISM OF THE YEAR
special military operation: Russian designation for invasion of Ukraine
camping: access to abortion, as used in informal networks circumventing state anti-abortion
laws
diverse-owned: said of a business owned by members of historically underrepresented groups
leg booty: algospeak substitution for LGBT (algospeak are words created to avoid being censored by social media filters)
pronouns: trans/nonbinary gender identities, as used in transphobic rhetoric to mock
pronoun choice
résumé embellishment: lying about one’s accomplishments (George Santos, for example??)
And the winner is . . .”special military operation”
*SNOWCLONE/PHRASAL TEMPLATE OF THE YEAR
not X: ironic framing device expressing an attitude of mock horror or incredulity
if I text you X, it means Y: explaining how to interpret an emoji or series of emojis
#IStandWithX: expression of solidarity
it’s the X for me: singling out a notable or funny aspect of something, or finding fault with
someone
she’s/he’s a 10, but X: pointing out a negative or quirky quality of someone
X hits different: describing an experience that is affecting in a meaningful way
And the winner is . . . “not x”
Snowclones are phrases where the principal words are changed while the structure of the phrase remains the same. These phrases are most often documented by replacing the variable words with letters (such as “X” and “Y”). So I guess you put a word or phrase in for the X. Sort of like algebra?
EMOJI OF THE YEAR
skull: expressing figurative death (from laughter, frustration, etc.)
melting face: expressing embarrassment or dread
saluting face: sign of respect or solidarity
dotted line face: feeling of invisibility
red flag: signaling danger or problems
colored boxes: for Wordle results
And the winner is . . . the skull
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