Don't Misunderestimate Bushisms; They Resignate

Reuters ^ | Wednesday, January 15, 2003

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Don't "misunderestimate" Dubya. Those verbal Bushisms are beginning to "resignate" with the American people. Maybe they'll even "embetter" the English language.

They may have started out as verbal slip-ups but several of President Bush's mangled phrases found their way on Tuesday to a list of the top words of 2002.

"There are already 11,000 instances of 'misunderestimate' on the Web. The more people use words, whether jocularly or seriously, the more likely they are to enter the language and last for generations," said Paul J.J. Payack, chairman of yourDictionary.com, which compiled the list.

Payack, a man who refuses to misunderestimate the power of a president to shape the language, said, "Our lists attempt to capture those ... innovations in word choice and usage that tell us something about ourselves."

The list of most important words of 2002 was drawn up with help from visitors to the yourDictionary.com Web site and from the site's group of linguists, who monitor the use of the English language around the world.

They include the so-called Bushisms; misunderestimate (to seriously underestimate), embetter (to make emotionally better -- the opposite of embitter), resignate (as in "They said this issue wouldn't resignate with the people") and foreign-handed (as in "I have a foreign-handed foreign policy").

In non-Bushisms, the post-September 11 world gave birth to "threat fatigue," while America's corporate and financial shenanigans introduced the verb to nasdaq (as in "His fortune was nasdaqued"), Nasdaq being the tech-heavy stock market.

There is also that well-known accounting practice disease known as Enronitis, and dot-communism (the conviction that everything on the Web should be free or, at least, paid for by someone else.)

But the most frequently used word on the planet, whatever the native language, is still "OK."

[anniegetyourgun]

Reuters has a hang-up - their intense dislike for the current president. They are not "OK".....

[EggsAckley]

Er.....Okay.

<{;o)

[PaulJ]

My nomination for the most over used word/phrase in 2002 is vis-a-vis.

[EggsAckley]

My nomination is Hannity's "at the end of the day..."


He uses it waaaaay too much.

[Poohbah]

Bushisms are part of a strategery of subliminable misinformation to get Democrats to misunderestimate Bush's ability to resignate with the American people.

[Phantom Lord]

Strategery!

[Lil'freeper]

The more people use words, whether jocularly or seriously, the more likely they are to enter the language and last for generations," said Paul J.J. Payack,

Wow, that Paul fella is a sharp one.

[Maedhros]

The most overused phrase of the past year is "in the wake" of September 11.

[TankerKC]

Strategery!

Lock Box!

[woofie]

Clinton is responsible for a new word...the "Lewinski"

[lorrainer]

Flock Reuters.

[richardtavor]

LOL!

[amused]

A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.

Embiggens is a perfectly cromulent word.

[Ditto]

"Reuters has a hang-up - their intense dislike for the current president".

That's just a Return to Normalicy.

[MistrX]

What is resignate?

[Mamzelle]

Now they make fun of Bush, but in years to come, he will be touted as the most prolific and inventive neologist, ever! (g)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Who da thunk we'd have a President who occasionally talks like Norm Crosby?!

[KarlInOhio]

Reuters: a network full of Clymers.

[KarlInOhio]

What is resignate?

"They said this issue wouldn't resignate with the People. They've been proved wrong, it does resignate.". It seems similar to resonate.