Top ten buzzwords of 2007
According to Time magazine the top ten buzzwords of 2007 are:
(http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686303_1690344,00.html)
1 - COUGAR
An older woman who romantically pursues younger men. Example: Demi Moore, 45, snagging hubby Ashton Kutcher, 29. Although an offensive term to some, others consider it a positive sign of society's increasing acceptance of older women's sex appeal. This summer's reality show Age of Love went so far as to pit a team of Cougars, in or near their 40s, against a team of Kittens, all in their 20s, in a competition for the affections of a hunky 30-year-old. (Alas, a Kitten won.)
2 - SURGE
Influx of 20,000 U.S. troops to Iraq aimed at, among other things, quelling sectarian violence. Even if you don't know the specific details, the word itself has by now been drilled relentlessly into your head. "Is the surge working?" "Is the surge failing?" "What does Gen. Petraeus think about the surge?" Surge, surge, surge! President Bush's call for additional troops, which was announced in January, incited more heated discourse this year than almost any other issue save immigration.
3 - PREVIVOR
A person who does not have cancer, but has precancerous cells or a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of developing it: a pre-survivor. With the rise in genetic testing and groups like FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) that encourage women to find out whether they're likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer, some previvors are taking such drastic measures as getting preemptive mastectomies or hysterectomies
4 - POPCORN LUNG
A rare, life-threatening lung disease that can be caused by inhaling diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavoring. It's normally not a problem if a) you don't work in a microwave-popcorn factory or b)you're not Colorado resident Wayne Watson, who ate approximately two bags of microwave popcorn a day for 10 years and became the first-known consumer to develop the disease. In September, as word of Watson's condition prompted the FDA to investigate diacetyl, ConAgra — the nation's largest microwave-popcorn produce — vowed to remove the food additive from its products.
5 - COLBERT BUMP
Similar to the Oprah effect on book sales, the boost in popularity ratings a political candidate gets after appearing on The Colbert Report, such as Ron Paul's stunning 100% increase in horse-race polls from 1% to 2% in June. The fact that the term was coined by satirical genius and Report host Stephen Colbert — who originated TIME.com's No. 1 buzzword last year, "truthiness" — speaks to his continued impact on American political culture. Fingers are crossed that the writers' strike ends in time to bring Colbert back for the primaries.
6 - GRASS STATION
As Webster New World Dictionary's Word of the Year, the term does not describe an outpost for smoking marijuana, but rather a theoretical alternative to today's fossil fuel–based gas station. As Americans become increasingly eco-conscious and as more consumers look for alternatives to rising prices at the pump, the idea of using ethanol and other biofuels — some of which are made from, you guessed it, grass — to power automobiles might gain a wider appeal. Until then, stick with your Prius.
7 - LOCAVORE
Another dictionary, another semi-green term. The New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year, this term refers to the trend of eating fresh, locally grown ingredients. It was coined by a group of San Francisco women promoting a diet consisting solely of food harvested within a 100-mile radius of practitioners' homes, which would reduce not only the fossil fuels used for shipping, but the variety of foods adherents get to eat.
8 - BACN
Similar to Internet spam, this term covers news alerts and other email that individuals signed up to receive but may never get around to actually reading. Much like the pork product it is named after, bacn is something we desire even though it clogs our (electronic) arteries. And like many techy terms, it is willfully misspelled. Bacn was coined in August at a gathering of new media experts dubbed PodCamp Pittsburgh. That's right — something hip started in Pittsburgh.
9 - VAJAYJAY
How can we possibly write about this in a dignified way? Well, it's funny, foolish slang for "vagina." Yes, we can print that. The term, popularized in 2006 by Grey's Anatomy and more recently by Oprah Winfrey, is fairly indicative of where we are linguistically as a nation. Borne out of a network's fear of mentioning an anatomically correct word too frequently during a primetime medical drama, "vajayjay" demonstrates that in some ways, Americans are still immature about many things, including penayays.
10 - FREEGAN
A combination of the words "free" and "vegan," the term describes an anti-consumer who shuns mainstream materialism and only makes purchases as a last resort. The most sensational and often discussed practice of freeganism involves Dumpster-diving for food, clothing or other essentials, which freegans refer to as "waste reclamation." Many freegans are vegans and thus refrain from eating any animal products, but there are some "meagans" who consume meat that would otherwise remain unused.
时值年终岁末，美国《时代》杂志选出2007年十大热门字，而荣居榜首的，竟然是用来形容追求年轻帅哥的熟女「cougar」（美洲豹、亦有人取谐音译为「酷格格」）。似乎女人「三十如狼、四十如虎」之说，中外皆然。有人认为这个词侮辱女性，毕竟老男人哈幼齿的例子所在多有，大家却见怪不怪。但也有人认为，这是正面肯定那些熟女的性吸引力。
其他的2007年热门字分别是：
2、surge（速增）
名词，为缓和伊拉克濒临内战紧张局势，美国总统布希提出名为「surge」的争议性增兵计画，短期内将驻伊拉克美军增加2万人。
3、previvor（有癌症基因的人）
名词，指没有罹患癌症，但其基因中具有发生癌症倾向的人，也称presurvivor。
4、popcorn lung（爆米花肺
名词，一种罕见肺部疾病，用微波炉制作爆米花会散发出带有奶油香气双乙醯（diacetyl），长期吸入会上瘾，如果制作或吃下分量多到不像话的爆米花，可能导致爆米花肺。
5、colbert bump（科伯起落）
名词，指政治人物如果出现在《科伯报告》（The Colbert Report，美国一个讽刺性的电视喜剧节目），其声望短期内会急剧上扬，就像电视脱口秀主持人欧普拉在她节目中提到一本书，也会拉抬该书销售业绩一样。
6、grass station（加草站）
名词，一种有别於传统加油站的理论性代替品，可以让驾驶人为其汽车加「生物能源」，这些能源有些是从一般野草提炼出来的。
7、locavore（在地吃）
名词，指为了环保和节约能源而尽量只吃当地生产之食物者。
8、bacn（白啃）
名词，指网友自己要求接收的垃圾电邮（spam）。有些网友加入某些网站之后，定期会收到该网站寄来的电邮，但却从不阅读。
9、vajayjay（八姊姊）
名词，阴道（vagina）的代称。因为在电视影集《Grey’s Anatomy》和《欧普拉》脱口秀经常使用而风行起来。
10、freegan（福利埂）
名词，意指「反消费者」，这种人极端坚持物品循环利用，只有在万不得已时才会买东西。
According to Time magazine the top ten buzzwords of 2007 are:
(http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/top10/article/0,30583,1686204_1686303_1690344,00.html)
1 - COUGAR
An older woman who romantically pursues younger men. Example: Demi Moore, 45, snagging hubby Ashton Kutcher, 29. Although an offensive term to some, others consider it a positive sign of society's increasing acceptance of older women's sex appeal. This summer's reality show Age of Love went so far as to pit a team of Cougars, in or near their 40s, against a team of Kittens, all in their 20s, in a competition for the affections of a hunky 30-year-old. (Alas, a Kitten won.)
2 - SURGE
Influx of 20,000 U.S. troops to Iraq aimed at, among other things, quelling sectarian violence. Even if you don't know the specific details, the word itself has by now been drilled relentlessly into your head. "Is the surge working?" "Is the surge failing?" "What does Gen. Petraeus think about the surge?" Surge, surge, surge! President Bush's call for additional troops, which was announced in January, incited more heated discourse this year than almost any other issue save immigration.
3 - PREVIVOR
A person who does not have cancer, but has precancerous cells or a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of developing it: a pre-survivor. With the rise in genetic testing and groups like FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) that encourage women to find out whether they're likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer, some previvors are taking such drastic measures as getting preemptive mastectomies or hysterectomies
4 - POPCORN LUNG
A rare, life-threatening lung disease that can be caused by inhaling diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavoring. It's normally not a problem if a) you don't work in a microwave-popcorn factory or b)you're not Colorado resident Wayne Watson, who ate approximately two bags of microwave popcorn a day for 10 years and became the first-known consumer to develop the disease. In September, as word of Watson's condition prompted the FDA to investigate diacetyl, ConAgra — the nation's largest microwave-popcorn produce — vowed to remove the food additive from its products.
5 - COLBERT BUMP
Similar to the Oprah effect on book sales, the boost in popularity ratings a political candidate gets after appearing on The Colbert Report, such as Ron Paul's stunning 100% increase in horse-race polls from 1% to 2% in June. The fact that the term was coined by satirical genius and Report host Stephen Colbert — who originated TIME.com's No. 1 buzzword last year, "truthiness" — speaks to his continued impact on American political culture. Fingers are crossed that the writers' strike ends in time to bring Colbert back for the primaries.
6 - GRASS STATION
As Webster New World Dictionary's Word of the Year, the term does not describe an outpost for smoking marijuana, but rather a theoretical alternative to today's fossil fuel–based gas station. As Americans become increasingly eco-conscious and as more consumers look for alternatives to rising prices at the pump, the idea of using ethanol and other biofuels — some of which are made from, you guessed it, grass — to power automobiles might gain a wider appeal. Until then, stick with your Prius.
7 - LOCAVORE
Another dictionary, another semi-green term. The New Oxford American Dictionary's Word of the Year, this term refers to the trend of eating fresh, locally grown ingredients. It was coined by a group of San Francisco women promoting a diet consisting solely of food harvested within a 100-mile radius of practitioners' homes, which would reduce not only the fossil fuels used for shipping, but the variety of foods adherents get to eat.
8 - BACN
Similar to Internet spam, this term covers news alerts and other email that individuals signed up to receive but may never get around to actually reading. Much like the pork product it is named after, bacn is something we desire even though it clogs our (electronic) arteries. And like many techy terms, it is willfully misspelled. Bacn was coined in August at a gathering of new media experts dubbed PodCamp Pittsburgh. That's right — something hip started in Pittsburgh.
9 - VAJAYJAY
How can we possibly write about this in a dignified way? Well, it's funny, foolish slang for "vagina." Yes, we can print that. The term, popularized in 2006 by Grey's Anatomy and more recently by Oprah Winfrey, is fairly indicative of where we are linguistically as a nation. Borne out of a network's fear of mentioning an anatomically correct word too frequently during a primetime medical drama, "vajayjay" demonstrates that in some ways, Americans are still immature about many things, including penayays.
10 - FREEGAN
A combination of the words "free" and "vegan," the term describes an anti-consumer who shuns mainstream materialism and only makes purchases as a last resort. The most sensational and often discussed practice of freeganism involves Dumpster-diving for food, clothing or other essentials, which freegans refer to as "waste reclamation." Many freegans are vegans and thus refrain from eating any animal products, but there are some "meagans" who consume meat that would otherwise remain unused.
时值年终岁末，美国《时代》杂志选出2007年十大热门字，而荣居榜首的，竟然是用来形容追求年轻帅哥的熟女「cougar」（美洲豹、亦有人取谐音译为「酷格格」）。似乎女人「三十如狼、四十如虎」之说，中外皆然。有人认为这个词侮辱女性，毕竟老男人哈幼齿的例子所在多有，大家却见怪不怪。但也有人认为，这是正面肯定那些熟女的性吸引力。
其他的2007年热门字分别是：
2、surge（速增）
名词，为缓和伊拉克濒临内战紧张局势，美国总统布希提出名为「surge」的争议性增兵计画，短期内将驻伊拉克美军增加2万人。
3、previvor（有癌症基因的人）
名词，指没有罹患癌症，但其基因中具有发生癌症倾向的人，也称presurvivor。
4、popcorn lung（爆米花肺
名词，一种罕见肺部疾病，用微波炉制作爆米花会散发出带有奶油香气双乙醯（diacetyl），长期吸入会上瘾，如果制作或吃下分量多到不像话的爆米花，可能导致爆米花肺。
5、colbert bump（科伯起落）
名词，指政治人物如果出现在《科伯报告》（The Colbert Report，美国一个讽刺性的电视喜剧节目），其声望短期内会急剧上扬，就像电视脱口秀主持人欧普拉在她节目中提到一本书，也会拉抬该书销售业绩一样。
6、grass station（加草站）
名词，一种有别於传统加油站的理论性代替品，可以让驾驶人为其汽车加「生物能源」，这些能源有些是从一般野草提炼出来的。
7、locavore（在地吃）
名词，指为了环保和节约能源而尽量只吃当地生产之食物者。
8、bacn（白啃）
名词，指网友自己要求接收的垃圾电邮（spam）。有些网友加入某些网站之后，定期会收到该网站寄来的电邮，但却从不阅读。
9、vajayjay（八姊姊）
名词，阴道（vagina）的代称。因为在电视影集《Grey’s Anatomy》和《欧普拉》脱口秀经常使用而风行起来。
10、freegan（福利埂）
名词，意指「反消费者」，这种人极端坚持物品循环利用，只有在万不得已时才会买东西。
