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Word of the Year - "Truthiness"

KingSkippus writes "Stephen Colbert calls it 'truth that comes from the gut, not books.' Merriam-Webster calls it their 2006 Word of the Year. The word, first introduced [Windows media] on 'The Word' segment of The Colbert Report, won by a five-to-one margin. In spite of Colbert's ironic dismissal of dictionaries and other reference books, will Colbert's coined word actually be added to those books? With media outlets like CNN and MSNBC covering it, the idea may very well have truthiness."

8 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. Poster needs to look up the definition... by Nrbelex · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ironic that the post here misuses the word...

  2. ironic dismissal? by macadamia_harold · · Score: 3, Informative

    In spite of Colbert's ironic dismissal of dictionaries and other reference books, will Colbert's coined word actually be added to those books?

    He doesn't just dismiss them. He views them as a direct threat to the only *true* primary souce, one's own gut instinct.

  3. Wait! What about good ol' YouTube? by denmarkw00t · · Score: 5, Informative

    The word, first introduced [Windows media]...

    Try:
    The word, first introduced...

    1. Re:Wait! What about good ol' YouTube? by evilviper · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why? Because Flash is now considered less proprietary than Windows Media?

      Guess which one works in MPlayer, Xine, VLC, ffplay, GStreamer, etc., and which doesn't?

      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  4. Re:Truthiness already made it to Wikipedia by Eideewt · · Score: 3, Informative

    And here's a link, as if my statement's truthiness needed augmentation.

  5. Colbert did not invent this word by westcoaster004 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Despite my unending devotion to Mr. Colbert, I must point out that he did not invent the word truthiness. He, like Microsoft did with their use of the word Genuine, gave it a new meaning.

  6. Grammar Nazi Alert!!! by Chineseyes · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Fo Sho" lost its appeal circa 2000 with the release of Snoop Dogg's The Last Meal but the term was not universally disposed as a term of affirmation until the release of Jay-Z's The Blueprint circa 2001 due to the popularity of the single Izzo(H.O.V.A) which borrowed heavily from Snoop Dogg's supposed "Crip Colloquialism". In actuality the proper terminology to express agreement with another party would be "Fo Shizzle" which is not "Crip Colloquialism" but a form of expression first invented by an often forgotten Funk band known as Gap Band

    What are they teaching people in school these days? ;-)

    --
    I think the invisible hand of the market has its middle finger extended

    --A wise old fart named SC0RN
  7. Mod parent DOWN for ignorance... by KingSkippus · · Score: 3, Informative

    You need to look up the definition. Or at least watch the FV that I linked to.

    Colbert says:

    That brings us to tonight's word: Truthiness. Now, I'm sure that some of the word police, the "wordinistas" over at Websters are going to say, "Hey, that's not a word." Well, anybody who knows me knows that I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist.

    The fact that the "wordinistas" over at Websters have made "Truthiness" their 2006 Word of the Year is about as ironic as it gets.

    Even if you don't watch the FV that I linked to, my own submission says:

    In spite of Colbert's ironic dismissal of dictionaries and other reference books, will Colbert's coined word actually be added to those books?

    sigh I hate explaining basic things such as what irony is, but since you didn't get it, allow me to direct you to one of those noisome reference books, Webster's online dictionary. Please pay particular notice to definition 3a: "incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result."

    It is possible (i.e. the "actual result of a sequence of events" is) that Colbert's word "truthiness" may eventually end up in one or more dictionaries. Colbert's satire (do I have to explain what that is, too?) dismisses books such as dictionaries precisely because they don't include words like "truthiness" (i.e. "the normal or expected result").

    Feel free to point out exactly why you don't think that's ironic. Surely you don't think that conspicuous sarcasm is the only type of irony that exists?

    If anyone who actually has a brain wants to mod the parent down and undo to the work of your unfortunate Slashdot peers who had mod points but no clue, it would probably be worthwhile. Meanwhile, I find your comment a little ironic as well. And in case you missed that, too, it's because you're using a definition of irony that must obviously be derived from "truthiness" (i.e. the actual result) instead of the real definition of the word (i.e. the expected result) in your comment. Are you starting to understand?