2008 word of the year and finalists

From New Oxford American Dictionary

New Oxford American Dictionary announced its 2008 Word of the Year and the finalists:

2008 Word of the Year

• Hypermiling — Coined in 2004 by Wayne Gerdes, who runs the web site Cleanmpg.com. “To hypermile” is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, hypermilers seek to push their gas tanks to the limit and achieve hypermileage, exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon.

Word of the Year Finalists:

• frugalista — a person who leads a frugal lifestyle, but stays fashionable and healthy by swapping clothes, buying secondhand, growing their own produce, etc.
• moofer — a mobile out-of-office worker-i.e., someone who works away from a fixed workplace, via Blackberry/laptop/wi-fi, etc. (also verbal noun, moofing).
• topless meeting — a meeting in which the participants are barred from using their laptops, Blackberries, cellphones, etc.
• toxic debt — a term used to describe certain types of debt (e.g. subprime ones) that are now causing major problems to financial institutions. The bad debts were parceled up and sent around the global financial system like toxic waste, hence the allusion.

Word of the Year Shortlist:

• CarrotMob, carrot mob — a flashmob type of gathering, in which people are invited via the Internet to support and reward a local small ethical business such as a grocery market or cafe by all patronizing it at the same time. Also as noun, carrotmobbing.
• ecohacking (also known as geoengineering) — the use of science in very large-scale projects to change the environment for the better (e.g., by using mirrors in space to deflect sunlight away from Earth as a response to global warming).
• hockey mom — patterned after “soccer mom,” a mother who is actively supportive of her ice-hockey-playing kids.
• link bait — content on a website that encourages (i.e., baits) a user to place links to it from other websites.
• luchador — a performer of lucha libre [Mexican Spanish, literally 'free wrestling'], a form of professional wrestling originating in Mexico and popular in Latin America, with spectacular moves, showy costumes, etc.
• rewilding — 1. the process of returning an area to its original natural state by reintroducing and protecting its native flora and fauna. 2. the process of giving up one’s domesticated lifestyle in favor of a more primal interaction with the natural environment.
• staycation — a vacation taken at or near one’s home, involving day trips, etc.
• tweet — a short message sent via the Twitter service, using a cellphone or other mobile device.
• wardrobe (verb) — provide someone with clothes, especially a particular fashion line (she has been wardrobed by Calvin Klein Collection many times).

Source: Oxford University Press