Category Archive: News

The Top Words of 2014 (some of these might be U.S. terms)

1. The Heart Emoji (for love) — The Heart Emoji (for love) is the Top Word of 2014. Each emoji represents an emotion, expression, or state of mind, or a person, place or thing.

2. Hashtag — The re-invented pound-sign becomes evermore powerful.

3. Vape — Smoking an electronic or e-cigarette, shorthand for vaporize, or vaping. Vapers are banned from indoor vaping in New York and other locales.

4. Blood Moon — Four total eclipses of the moon in eighteen-month span. Some Christians see it as the presaging a “lunar apocalypse”.

5. Nano — From Greek for dwarf, small; now 1 billionth of a meter, and any number of words surrounding nano technology.

6. Photo Bomb — Breaking into a ‘pre-arranged” photograph without authorization resulting in often humorous outcomes.

7. Caliphate — Literally, a land ruled by an Islamic Caliph typically governed under Sharia Law.

8. (White) privilege — The alleged advantages of having lighter colored skin in a diverse society.

9. Bae — Term of endearment for one’s object of desire.

10. “Bash” Tag — Using a hashtag to undermine your frenemies.

11. Transparency — That state of government openness that is apparently unachievable in the Western World.

12. Sustainable — The Jimmy Carter of words; keeps getting stronger since it was WOTY in 2006.

13. Clickbait — A link you just have to click on, though its more of a paid-for bait-and-switch.

14. Quindecennial — Fifteen year anniversary; 2014 is the quindecinnal of the 21st century.

15. Comet — Comet 67p has a visitor from the Rosetta Spacecraft.

Source: The Independent (UK)