Writing Whiplash

“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands, and goes to work” —Carl Sandburg

My neck is beginning to feel like Linda Blair's in the Exorcist. I'm experiencing writing whiplash due to the electronic and internet impact of changes in publishing...and sometimes life in general.

The new words added to dictionaries reveal how life and times change. The Random House Webster’s College Dictionary was the first dictionary to include "Internet" and "World Wide Web". Only their dictionary includes these words:
B2B
Bazillion
Bleeding edge
Cross-post
Dot-commer
Hotlink
Hottie
Identity theft
Microbrowser
Mifeprex
Push poll

Words Entering English Since 1940

1940
A-bomb
Bikini
Cheeseburger
Fax
Quiz show
Tape recorder
TV

1950
Aerospace
Computerize
Desegregate
Doublespeak
Hash browns
Skydiving
Weirdo

1960
Cable television
Counterculture
Instant replay
Jet lag
Sitcom
Space shuttle
Sexism

1970
Chairperson
Detox
Diskette
Gas-guzzler
Infomercial
Punk rock
Video game
X-rated

1980
Automated teller machine (ATM)
Compact disc
Desktop publishing
Emoticon
Palmtop
Sandwich generation
Twelve Step
Virtual reality

1990
Bad hair day
Buffalo wing
Carjacking
Designated driver
Intranet
Personal trainer
Superchurch
V-chip
Web site

A Look Back…
The Merriam Webster Dictionary added these “new” words in 1806.
Advocate, verb: to defend, plead in favor of
Electrician, noun: one versed in electricity
Psychology, noun: the doctrines of spirit or mind
Census, noun: an enumeration of inhabitants, a register of people, etc.
Constitutionality, noun: the state of being agreeable to the constitution, or of affecting the constitution
Presidential, adjective: pertaining to a president
Unmarketable, adjective: not saleable or fit for the market
Americanize, verb: to render American
Checkers, noun pl.: a game
Immigrant, noun: one who removes into a country
Penmanship, noun: the act, art, or use of writing
Slang, noun: vulgar language, cant phrases [low]

How Hip Is Your Vocabulary?
How many of the new words added to the 2006 Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary do you use?
Mouse potato, noun, a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer
Ringtone, noun, the sound made by a cell phone to signal an incoming call
Gastric bypass, noun, a surgical bypass operation that typically involves reducing the size of the stomach and reconnecting the smaller stomach to bypass the first portion of the small intestine so as to restrict food intake and reduce caloric absorption in cases of severe obesity
Soul patch, noun, a small growth of beard under a man's lower lip
Supersize, verb, to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
Drama queen, noun, a person given to often excessively emotional performances or reactions

I don't want to be a drama queen, so I'll keep rolling up my sleeves, spitting on my hands, and putting my fingers to the keyboard.