How big was "bailout," etymologically speaking? While Congress was considering the enormous financial industry rescue package this fall, searches for "bailout" eclipsed perennial puzzlers like "irony" and the bedeviling duo of "affect" and "effect."

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary decided to choose the "word of the year" based on the volume of look-ups for the most misunderstood word of the century: bailout. The seemingly simple word suddenly took on $700 billion worth of importance, and Merriam-Webster could not ignore it.

Read more here.

Comments

[LeeQuod]

On a website I just saw "economic meltdown" crossed out, and replaced with the much more PC "civilization deleveraging".

Wish I could be there to hear Allen wheeze, even if sardonically.

[Rolley Haggard]

I heard that wheeze and caught it on tape ---

http://www.godzillatemple.com/hidden/zilla4.wav

[LeeQuod]

Welcome, Angelise, to the wonderful world of "commenter dodgeball". Many experienced Point bloggers just let us go on ad infinitum, without responding, to avoid getting beaned.

It's roughly like this: http://comics.com/over_the_hedge/?DateAfter=2008-12-07&DateBefore=2008-12-07&Order=s.DateStrip+DESC&PerPage=1&x=0&y=0&Search=

If you, in self-defense, adopt a more Roberto-like strategy of posting and then retreating, we'll understand. Gina, who is quite familiar with close encounters of the third kind, can step in as needed.

[Rolley Haggard]

Nailed again.

I confess: my superfluity of naughtiness springs from a) having too little time to do justice to most of the excellent posts on these pages, and b) having a Guinness-class case of A.D.D.

Though my apologies are sincere, Angelise, I fear entire reformation may be slow and piecemeal. Therefore, I beg patience and not a little indulgence.

No huhu, eh?