January 10, 2005

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  'Red State, Blue State' Voted Top Phrase

  
  

   

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  Sun Jan 9,10:48 PM ET

  
  

  
  

  OAKLAND, Calif. - A panel of linguists at the Linguistic Society of America  has deemed "red state, blue state, purple state" the phrase that most colored the nation's lexicon in 2004.

  
  

  Other nominees were: flip-flopper, a politician who changes political stances; meet-up, a local special interest meeting organized though a national Web site; mash-up, a blend of two songs or albums into a single cohesive musical work; and wardrobe malfunction, an unanticipated exposure of bodily parts.
  

  
  

  The term "lawn mullet," which describes a lawn that is neatly mowed in the front but unmowed in the back, was a candidate for the Most Creative category. "Hillbilly armor," describing U.S. troops scavenging for material to protect their vehicles, and nerdvana, a term for collaborative geekiness, also were nominated in that category, but lost to pajamahadeen: bloggers who challenge and fact-check traditional media.
  

   

  • 1:48 pm
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