No lie: `truthiness' gets picked as Word of the Year by Merriam-Webster

[wicket]

No lie: `truthiness' gets picked as Word of the Year

With no end to the controversy over the war in Iraq and plenty of political wrangling and scandal in this midterm election year, thousands of people were left trying to get to the truthiness of the matter.

That's right. The truthiness.

Coined and defined by Comedy Central's satirical political commentator Stephen Colbert as "truth that comes from the gut, not books," the word "truthiness" best sums up 2006, according to an online survey by Springfield dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.

Once derided by Colbert as the "word police" and a bunch of "wordinistas," the folks at Merriam-Webster fully embrace his peculiar term, even if it can't be found in the pages of their dictionary.

"We're at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become up for grabs," said John Morse, Merriam-Webster's president. "`Truthiness' is a playful way for us to think about a very important issue."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

1. Made my day!

Thanks for posting!

[wicket]

4. You are very welcome!

:hi:

[bryant69]

2. It's a good choice

I mean the idea behind it is a sharp one and a timely one, like the quote from Morse says.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Ms. Clio]

3. yay, my vote counted! n/t

[hootinholler]

5. This should be on the greatest page. n/t

[TahitiNut]

6. Just one of the joys of a living language.

I recall being derided by my 4th grade teacher for pronouncing 'often' with a hard 't' sound. She made me look it up in the dictionary while the rest of the class watched. Sure enough, the dictionary did not list any acceptable pronunciation with a hard 't'. Times have changed. "awf-tuhn" (ôf'tən) is now an accepted pronunciation. 'Ain't' is now listed as "non-standard" instead of vulgar slang.

It's a living language ... where the people who speak it are the ultimate arbiters of what's "right" and what's "wrong" - not some autocratic board. There's something very "democratic" about that which I like.

[Bucky]

7. I thought "truthiness" was the word of the year last year.

Why does this article fill me w/ deja vu? I could've sworn it got the honor for 2005.

[wicket]

8. It was the American Dialect Society's Word of the Year last year

LINK

Glad I'm not the only one with deja vu hehe :D

[SeattleGirl]

9. I love it!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Lisa]

10. stand by for another "Who's Honoring Me Now" spot by Stephen! (n/t)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

11. I love it and Stephen too!!!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Laurab]

13. Me, too!

And Stephen deserves this - this administration perfected it, and Stephen coined the word! It certainly does define the alternate reality of bushworld.

I LOVE Stephen Colbert - ever since the Correspondents dinner, he's been one of my heroes (Jon is too) - they are just brilliant!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. When I heard Stephen was doing the Correspondence dinner I thought,

what they heck were they thinking, but never, in my wildest imagination did I think that he would do what he did. That was probably one of the most important events, and truly bravest performances, in my lifetime (55 years) that I ever witnessed on tv. My sons, in their teens couldn't get enough of watching it! They both have, along with me, been watching The Report from the beginning..which was so easy as we've been Daily Show devotees (and of course Jon fans) for several years now.

Have a fantastic weekend!

[Laurab]

16. You're lucky -

I didn't know who Stephen was, and really didn't know much about Jon and the Daily Show, either. I probably watched the video of the Correspondents dinner on here (DU), and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was an incredible feeling - I watched it over and over, too.

Since then I've learned a lot about both Stephen and Jon, watched old shows before they started pulling them off YouTube, and listened to interviews. I think they help so much in educating young people about what's really going on in the country, and in turn, we get informed young voters.

We didn't get Comedy Central on our basic cable, but I discovered that a Canadian station we got had the shows, and haven't missed one since. Eventually, I changed my service JUST to get Comedy Central.

I too think it was an extemely important event - one of those things I'll always remember, and my lifetime is almost as long as yours (51 years). I finally even broke down and bought the DVD from CSPAN despite their ridiculous $7.00 shipping charge, because I just thought it was a historic moment, also I wanted my dad to watch it, and he won't watch things on a computer. He loved it.

You have a great weekend, too!

[progressoid]

12. Brilliant!

[wicket]

14. kick

:kick:

[ComerPerro]

17. Colbert is brilliant, and his hardcore fans are phenominal