“It has both currency and potential longevity,” notes Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program. “In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year. Most ‘un-’ prefixed words are adjectives (unacceptable, unpleasant), and there are certainly some familiar ‘un-’ verbs (uncap, unpack), but ‘unfriend’ is different from the norm. It assumes a verb sense of ‘friend’ that is really not used (at least not since maybe the 17th century!). Unfriend has real lex-appeal.”

Word of the Year Finalists:

Technology

• hashtag – a # [hash] sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets (postings on the Twitter site) that contain similarly tagged items and view thematic sets
• intexticated – distracted because texting on a cellphone while driving a vehicle
• netbook – a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory
• paywall – a way of blocking access to a part of a website which is only available to paying subscribers
• sexting – the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by cellphone

Economy

• freemium – a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, with the aim of enticing users to pay for additional, premium features or content
• funemployed – taking advantage of one’s newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests
• zombie bank – a financial institution whose liabilities are greater than its assets, but which continues to operate because of government support

Politics and Current Affairs

• Ardi -(Ardipithecus ramidus) oldest known hominid, discovered in Ethiopia during the 1990s and announced to the public in 2009
• birther – a conspiracy theorist who challenges President Obama’s US birth certificate
• choice mom – a person who chooses to be a single mother
• death panel – a theoretical body that determines which patients deserve to live, when care is rationed
• teabagger – a person who protests President Obama’s tax policies and stimulus package, often through local demonstrations known as “Tea Party” protests (in allusion to the Boston Tea Party of 1773)

Environment

• brown state – a US state that does not have strict environmental regulations
• green state – a US state that has strict environmental regulations
• ecotown – a town built and run on eco-friendly principles

Novelty Words

• deleb – a dead celebrity
• tramp stamp – a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman

Notable Word Clusters for 2009

Twitter related:

• Tweeps Twibe
• Tweetup Sweeple
• Twitt Tweepish
• Twitterati Tweetaholic
• Twitterature Twittermob
• Twitterverse/sphere Twitterhea
• Retweet

Obamaisms:

• Obamanomics
• Obamaeur
• Obamarama
• Obamanator
• Obamasty
• Obamaland
• Obamacons
• Obamalicious
• Obamanos
• Obamacles
• Obamanation
• Obamania
• Obamafication
• Obamacracy
• Obamamessiah
• Obamanon
• Obamamama
• Obamalypse

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Winners will be announced June 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Here are the nominees in the major categories:

Play
Dividing the Estate; God of Carnage; Reasons to Be Pretty; 33 Variations

Musical
Billy Elliott, the Musical; Next to Normal; Rock of Ages; Shrek the Musical

Revival of a Play
Joe Turner’s Come and Gone; Mary Stuart; The Norman Conquests; Waiting for Godot

Revival of a Musical
Guys and Dolls; Hair; Pal Joey; West Side Story

Leading Actor in a Play
Jeff Daniels, God of Carnage; Raul Esparza, Speed-the-Plow; James Gandolfini, God of Carnage; Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King; Thomas Sadoski, Reasons to Be Pretty

Leading Actress in a Play
Hope Davis, God of Carnage; Jane Fonda, 33 Variations; Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage; Janet McTeer, Mary Stuart; Harriet Walter, Mary Stuart

Leading Actor in a Play
David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliott; Gavin Creel, Hair; Brian d’Arcy James, Shrek; Constantine Maroulis, Rock of Ages; J. Robert Spencer, Next to Normal

Leading Actress in a Musical
Stockard Channing, Pal Joey; Sutton Foster, Shrek; Allison Janney, 9 to 5; Alice Ripley, Next to Normal; Josefina Scaglione, West Side Story

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Here’s a list of Friday the 13th facts, compiled by Thomas Fernsler, a math specialist at the University of Delaware, and LiveScience.com.

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date’s digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

4. Fear of Friday the 13th – one of the most popular myths in science – is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).

6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend. “They only had food for 12.”

11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn’t support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn’t get Congress to sign. (The ship’s crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.

12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number – 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle’s head, 13 war arrows in the eagle’s claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there’s been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

To read more about Friday the 13th and the number 13, visit LiveScience.com.

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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

Lake Superior State University “maverick” word-watchers, fresh from the holiday “staycation” but without an economic “bailout” even after a “desperate search,” have issued their 34th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. This year’s list may be more “green” than any of the previous lists and includes words and phrases that people from “Wall Street to Main Street” say they love “not so much” and wish to have erased from their “carbon footprint.”

“Green” and “going green” received the most nominations. Here is the list, with comments from people who nominated the word:

Green – The ubiquitous ‘Green’ and all of its variables, such as ‘going green,’ ‘building green,’ ‘greening,’ ‘green technology,’ ‘green solutions’ and more, drew the most attention from those who sent in nominations this year.

Carbon footprint / carbon offsetting – “It is now considered fashionable for everyone, tree hugger or lumberjack alike, to pay money to questionable companies to ‘offset’ their own ‘carbon footprint.’ What a scam! Get rid of it immediately!” Ginger Hunt, London, England.

Maverick – “The constant repetition of this word for months before the U.S. election diluted whatever meaning it previously had. Even the comic offshoot ‘mavericky’ was terribly overused. A minimum five-year banishment of both words is suggested so they will not be available during the next federal election.” Matthew Mattila, Green Bay, Wisc.

First Dude – “Skateboard English is not an appropriate way to refer to the spouse of a high-ranking public official.” Paul Ruschmann, Canton, Mich.

Bailout – “Use of emergency funds to remove toxic assets from banks’ balance sheets is not a bailout. When your cousin calls you from jail in the middle of the night, he wants a bailout.” Ben Green, State College, Penn.

Wall Street / Main Street – “When this little dyad first came into use at the start of the financial crisis, I thought it was a clever use of parallelism. But it’s simply over-used. No ’serious’ discussion of the crisis can take place without some political figure lamenting the fact that the trouble on Wall Street is affecting ‘folks’ on Main Street.” Charles Harrison, Aiken, SC.

-Monkey – “Especially on the Internet, many people seem to think they can make any boring name sound more attractive just by adding the word ‘monkey’ to it. Do a search to find the latest. It is no longer funny.” Rogier Landman, Somerville, Mass.

Icon / Iconic – Overused, especially among entertainers and in entertainment news, according to Robyn Yates of Dallas, who says that “every actor, actress and entertainment magazine show overuses this.” One of the most-nominated words of the year. “Everyone and everything cannot be ‘iconic.’ Can’t we switch to ‘legendary’ or ‘famous for’? In our entertainment-driven culture, it seems everyone in show business is ‘iconic’ for some reason or another. “John Flood, Bray, Wicklow, Ireland. “It’s becoming the new ‘awesome’ – overused to the point where everything from a fast-food restaurant chain to celebrities is ‘iconic.’” Jodi Gill, New Berlin, Wisc. “Just because a writer recognizes something does not make it an icon (a visual symbol or representation which inspires worship or veneration) or iconic. It just means that the writer has seen it before.” Brian Murphy, Fairfield, Conn.

Game Changer – “It’s game OVER for this cliché, which gets overused in the news media, political arenas and in business.” Cynthia, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Staycation – “Occurrences of this word are going up with gas prices.’Vacation’ does not mean ‘travel,’ nor does travel always involve vacation. Let’s send this word on a slow boat to nowhere.” Dan Muldoon, Omaha, Neb.

Desperate search – “Every time the news can’t find something intelligent to report, they start on a ‘desperate search’ for someone, somewhere.” Rick A. Hyatt, Saratoga, Wyo.

Not so much – “I wish that the phrase was used not so much,” says Tom Benson of Milwaukee, who notes that it is used widely in news media, especially in sports, i.e. ‘The Gophers have a shot at the playoffs; the Chipmunks, not so much.’ “Casual language usage is acceptable. ‘Not so much?’ Not so much.” David Hollis, Hubbardsville, NY. “Do I like concise writing? Yes. Do I like verbose clichés? Not so much.” David W. Downing, St. Paul, Minn. “A favorite of snarky critics and bloggers.” Jeff Baenen, Minneapolis, Minn.

Winner of five nominations – “It hasn’t won an Academy Award yet. It has only been NOMINATED!” John Bohenek, Abilene, Tex.

It’s that time of year again – Nominated by Kathleen Brosemer of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., for “general overuse and meaninglessness. When is it not ‘that time of year again?’ From Valentine’s sales to year-end charity letters, invitations to summer picnics and Christmas parties, it’s ‘that time’ of year again. Just get to the point of the solicitation, invitation, and newsletter and cut out six useless and annoying words.”

Read more comments on these words at the Lake Superior State University web site.

For the second year in a row, the top three resolutions remained the same.

Here’s the list:

1. Get out of debt or save money
2. Lose weight
3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g. healthy eating, exercise)
4. Get organized
5. Spend more time with family and friends
6. Develop a new skill or talent
7. Work less, play more
8. Other
9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g. smoking, alcohol, overeating)
10. Change employment

Kate Ryan — Eurovision Song Contest

Touch — Scroll

Big bags — Back packs

Sharp silhouettes — Mix & Match

Back-to-the-Basic Life — Accessory Life

Nigella Lawson — Desperate housewives

Bargain hunters — Personal shoppers

Toning down — Showing off

Salads — Appetizers & desserts

Jokes — Critique

Grey hair — Coupe soleil

Mono-tasking — Multi-tasking

Grace Jones — Studio 54 revivals

Comedy — Reality

Greenland — Iceland

Penguins — Teletubbies

Sessilee Lopez — Wannabe model competitions

Monopoly — Roulette

Beach wear — Street wear

Positive news — Negative news

90s house music samples — ’80s electro music samples

Meditation — Mediation

Vitamins — Carbohydrates

Coupe Stephanie de Monaco — Hair extensions

Humour — Glamour

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