After looking up the top used words, phrases, and names in the English language for 2009 from my earlier post located here > http://initiativestain.multiply.com/journal/item/866/_Top_Words_for_2009_
I thought just for fun I would do a little research and check out their counterparts over the past years of the 21st century. In 2008 the top word was “Change”, the top phrase was “Financial Tsunami”, and the top name was “Barack Obama”, same as 2009. Looking at 2007 we see the top word to be “Hybrid”, the phrase was “Climate change”, still hanging around near the top two years later, and the top name was “Al Gore”. Back in 2006 the top word was, “Sustainable”, the phrase was, “Stay the course”, and the top name was “Darfur”. Top word in 2005 was” Refugee”, top phrase was “Outside the mainstream” and top name was “God (as in acts of). 2004’s word was “Incivility, top phrase was “Red States/Blue States” (referring to the U.S. Presidential election), and the top name was “Dubya”. In 2003 we had the word “Embedded” as in journalists on the war front, the top phrase was “Shock and awe”, and the top name was “Saddam Hussein”. 2002 gave us the word “Misunderestimate” (from Dubya), the phrase was “Threat fatigue”, and the top name was…..”Dubya”. In 2001 we had the word “Groundzero”, the phrase “Let’s roll”, and the name “Heroes”, all in reference to 9/11. Finally, in 2000 the top word was “Chad”, probably due to the thousands of Sudanese refugees from Darfur who had moved there. The top phrase was “Dot.com”, and the top name in 2000 was, you guessed it, “Dubya”.
The word "Dubya" ~ funny how it became attach to the ex-President Bush. I google it out and it says:
ReplyDelete~ its a noun denoting people.
Now here's a joke that goes with that:
Dubya's definition of "tragedy"
Borrowed from User Friendly
President Bush was visiting a primary school. One of the classes was in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy." So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy." One little boy stood up and offered, "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him, that would be a tragedy." "No," said Bush, "that
would be an accident."
A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy." "I'm afraid not." explained the president. "That's what we would call a great loss."
The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Bush searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of tragedy?"
Finally at the back of the room a small boy raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: "If Air Force One carrying Mr. and Mrs. Bush was struck by a "friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?" "Well," says the boy, "it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either."
... well, its only a joke. :)
A good one as well
ReplyDeleteWords can be fascinating interesting share..thanks
ReplyDeleteWords and what we right aside of this is really breath taking as I have been reading and there are an array words and how
ReplyDeletewe use them....it's really something.
Thanks Cinn...
ReplyDeleteRoot words denote a lot about a word as well. Have you ever taken Latin?
ReplyDeleteNo but I was immersed in the language. I can speak it but can't write it....I lived amongst an entire latin community.
ReplyDelete