Word Spy: Fascinating Facts Friday

Words fascinate me. But I have to admit, I'm a traditionalist. I don't like "new" words. I trust Webster, the original, much more than fly-by-night pretenders. Words that didn't make the original cut should be slang, in my mind.

Still, I find some of the new words interesting, and I find many of them through Paul McFedries Word Spy site.

Some fun ones I've run across there recently...

mansplaining pp Explaining in a patronizing way, particularly when done by a man who combines arrogance with ignorance of the topic. [Man + explaining.]

 

fiberhood n. A neighborhood that has Internet access via fiber-optic cable. [Fiber + neighborhood.]

 

twitchfork n. An angry or  aggressive protest on Twitter, particularly one seeking justice or vengeance. [Twitter + pitchfork.] —twitchfork mob n.

 

shtick lit n. A writing genre in which the author undertakes an odd or stuntlike project with the intention of writing about the experience. Also: schtick lit, shtik lit. (Note: Love this one!)

 

binge viewing n. A period of excessive indulgence spent watching previously broadcast episodes of a TV show. —binge viewer n.

And one I'll definitely be watching out for...

 

gynobibliophobia (gye.noh.bib.lee.oh.FOH.bee.uh) n. A dislike of women writers.

What do you think of "new" words constantly flooding our beautiful language? (okay, that wasn't at all a loaded question. he he)