Wed 21 Dec 2005
The Words of The Year 2005
Posted by Erin under Arts and Culture, Quizzes
[3] Comments
Yes, literally. The ten most looked up words at Merriam Webster in 2005.
Here’s a quiz. Was the top word for 2005:
a) blog
b) integrity
c) insurgent
d) by-pass
Click here to find out, then come back and read the rest of this post.
If you wanted a quick way to sum up the big events and ideas of the year, this is one way to do it. I wonder where “insipid” came from, though. It makes a nice threesome with “integrity” and “inept” (by the by here’s a Not Totally Inept blog… great post on Walmart).
It’s kind of a sad list, isn’t it? Full of fear and disillusionment for the most part. I wonder why more people don’t look up, say, “slurry” or “whimsical” or “transmogrify.”
I have received a challenge to include all the words in the list in one sentence. I’m going to go for it. Wanna have a contest? Post your entry in the comments section. I will award an appropriate virtual prize to everyone who enters.
Here’s mine:
A conclave of insipid bigwigs decided to filibuster the leader of the refugees to show their contempt for his well-meaning but inept attempts to turn the tide of public opinion into a tsunami of passion; but the wave didn’t even test the integrity of the metaphorical levee, what with the apathy pandemic laying waste to goodwill everywhere.
(Huh! I couldn’t escape the depressing tendencies of the words! They have weighed down my sentence so much that I’m considering deleting it! But, no. Let it stand.)
