Do You Have a Potty-Mouth? – Survey of the Day

It seems you cant turn on a movie or put the latest greatest album on the stereo without hearing a bad word or two. Heck, you cant watch cable TV without hearing something like that these days. It has become so common to hear "bad" words, that they are almost not even bad anymore. So even the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary has decided to add the term “F-bomb” to the dictionary. Do you have a dirty mouth?

“F-bomb” surfaced in newspapers more than 20 years ago, but has just now landed for the first time in the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, along with sexting, energy drink and life coach. The company picks about 100 additions for the 114-year-old dictionary’s annual update, gathering evidence of usage over several years in everything from media to the labels of beer bottles and boxes of frozen food. The word spies at the company traced the term “F-Bomb” back to 1988, in a Newsday story that had the now-dead Mets catcher Gary Carter talking about how he had given them up, along with other profanities. But the word didn’t really take off until the late ‘90s, after Bobby Knight was dropping F-bombs during a locker room tirade. Here are some more words and definitions added to the latest edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary:

aha moment n (1939): a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension

brain cramp n (1982): an instance of temporary mental confusion resulting in an error or lapse of judgment

bucket list n (2006): a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying

cloud computing n (2006): the practice of storing regularly used computer data on multiple servers that can be accessed through the Internet

copernicium n (2009): a short-lived artificially produced radioactive element that has 112 protons

craft beer n (1986): a specialty beer produced in limited quantities: MICROBREW

earworm n (1802) 1: CORN EARWORM 2: a song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind

energy drink n (1904): a usually carbonated beverage that typically contains caffeine and other ingredients (as taurine and ginseng) intended to increase the drinker’s energy

e-reader n (1999): a handheld electronic device designed to be used for reading e-books and similar material

f-bomb n (1988): ... used metaphorically as a euphemism

flexitarian n (1998): one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish

game changer n (1993): a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way

gassed adj (1919) ... 2 slang: drained of energy: SPENT, EXHAUSTED

gastropub n (1996): a pub, bar, or tavern that also offers meals of high quality

geocaching n (2000): a game in which players are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items which they search for with a GPS device

life coach n (1986): an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems

man cave n (1992): a room or space (as in a basement) designed according to the taste of the man of the house to be used as his personal area for hobbies and leisure activities

mash-up n (1859): something created by combining elements from two or more sources: as a: a piece of music created by digitally overlaying an instrumental track with a vocal track from a different recording b: a movie or video having characters or situations from other sources c: a Web service or application that integrates data and functionalities from various online sources

obesogenic adj (1986): promoting excessive weight gain: producing obesity

sexting n (2007): the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone

shovel-ready adj (1998): of a construction project or site: ready for the start of work

tipping point n (1959): the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place

underwater adj (1672) ... 3: having, relating to, or being a mortgage loan for which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth