<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/932921.asp?cp1=1" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.com/news/932921.asp?cp1=1</a>
"McJob" is now in the dictionary. *sigh*
Quote:
| SPRINGFIELD, Mass., June 30 — A former dot-commer working a McJob was listening to some headbangers while laying out the last of his dead presidents for longnecks and some less than heart-healthy Frankenfood. Confused? Consult the new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary from the folks at Merriam-Webster. Pop culture remains a vibrant source of new words, with such additions as “headbanger” (defined as both a hard rock musician and a fan), “dead presidents” (paper currency), “McJob” (low paying and dead-end work), “Frankenfood” (genetically engineered food) and “longneck” (beer served in a bottle with a long neck). ... The Web has spun the biggest influence on the American language in the past decade both with the new words it has spawned and the speed with which they have been adopted by the general public, said John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster. “Typically, it takes 10 to 20 years before a word moves out of usage by small groups into the larger populace,” Morse said. But dot-commer - someone who works for an online outfit - made the cut in a scant five years. ... To glean new words and usages, Merriam-Webster’s editors spend a large part of their day reading newspapers, magazines and other popular publications. Each new word and usage - along with a snippet from the publication showing how it was used - goes into an electronic database as well as the Springfield-based industry leader’s massive card files. The files, started by Webster himself, now contain more than 75 million words and their usage dating to 1790. |
