Satire | The Un-word of the Year (part 2): The words we hate
The Hindu
Our vocabulary could do without ‘manifest’ and ‘babe’
It’s that time of the year again when dictionaries around the world try to sum up the year in a word or two.
Oxford English Dictionary has anointed ‘goblin mode’ as the word of the year. The most Googled word of 2022 is Wordle. Merriam-Webster has chosen ‘gaslighting’.
ALSO READ Satire | Word of the Year (part 1): forget ‘goblin mode’ and ‘gaslighting’, here’s some inspiration to make your own list
But instead of adding yet another ‘Word of the Year’ to our already verbose lives what we need is a way to eliminate words that we would rather never see anymore. Call it the Un-word of the Year.
Here’s an ABC to get the party started.
Artisanal. I don’t want to encounter anything ‘artisanal’ anymore especially not on my dinner plate. Also its close cousin ‘bespoke’ needs to be banished unless “you are at your tailor on Saville Row,” says Freddy Birdy, the complete Instagram guide to “nothing in particular”.
Bubble — After two years of COVID-19 lockdowns, the only bubbles I want to see are the ones that come out of a champagne bottle. Also speaking of COVID, RIP ‘New Normal’.
The Opposition Congress demanded that the government open the Gandhi Vatika Museum, depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and freedom struggle, built at a cost of ₹85 crore in Jaipur’s Central Park last year, during the Congress-led regime in Rajasthan. The museum has not been opened to the public, reportedly because of the administration’s engagements with the State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Almaya Munnettam (Lay People to the Fore), group in the Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese of the Syro-Malabar Church opposed to the synod-recommended Mass, rejected a circular issued by Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil and apostolic administrator Bosco Puthur on June 9 to implement the unified Mass in the archdiocese from July 3.
Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten stated that “not so great decision making” contributed to his side’s defeat to India in the Group-A T20 World Cup clash here on Sunday. The batting unit came apart in the chase, after being well placed at 72 for two. With 48 runs needed from eight overs, Pakistan found a way to panic and lose. “Maybe not so great decision making,” Kirsten said at the post-match press conference, when asked to explain the loss.