Kwanhanamas Is History

Recently, I reported that "woot" was chosen as the new word of 2007 by the Merriam-Webster folks. If you haven't read that post, go back and do it before continuing to read this one. Honestly, do you think I just do this for fun? In my continuing quest to educate the public, I attempt to pass along only the most useful information so that everyone can be conversant at their social gatherings. Nobody wants to be standing around the water cooler at work or the buffet table at a party and admit to being totally ignorant as to the current state of things. Only by being cognizant of the world around you can one manage to fool everyone into believing that he or she is far more erudite than originally thought. Anyway, enough of that...pay attention.
The American Dialect Society recently (as in last Friday) concluded their annual convention in Chicago. This group has been around since 1889 though some of the members have been replaced: the group now contains at least 80 members, and, sadly, I am not one of them. The group is comprised currently of linguists, grammarians, historians and other scholars (see why I'm not included?). Each year, the group decides on a "word of the year" which they feel embodies American culture in the most significant way. Last year, for example, the group selected "plutoed" which means "to be demoted or devalued." Uh...sure. Anyway, this year's list includes such things as
The Most Outrageous: "toe-tapper" in honor of Idaho senator Larrry Craig following his debacle in the airport restroom.

The Most Unnecessary: Happy Kwanhanamas as a combination of Kwanza, Hanukkah, and Christmas (what about athiests and Wiccans?)

The Most Creative: Googleganger which defines the person who shares your name when you google yourslf and find that you're not the only one!

The Most Likely To Succeed: Green, which, of course, has environmental connotations.

While words like "facebook" (as a noun, verb or adjective) got big play from younger voters, words like "waterboarding" were deemed more important in earlier years and not given serious consideration.

Oh yeah, the word of the year: "SUBPRIME" I'll admit that this was a big year for that somewhat oxymoronic term. After all, "sub-" means "below standard" and "prime" means something like "the best." Together, they indicate something that is far below the best, and not just in mortgages. Students have begun to say things like, "I really subprimed that test."
There you have it. Rest assured that any SuperBowl party can be your time to shine. Armed with words like "subprime," you can now castigate a team's performance as you pluto their chances of making a comeback and gain unending cache as well.
And you owe it all to me.