The Washington Post has published its latest list of neologisms (new uses for old words), and there are some doozies (full list is here thanks to Pharma Gossip -- can't find it on the Post site for some reason). A few that meeting planners might enjoy:
1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs. (Get that hand sanitizer ready!)
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained. (Happens to me after pretty much every industry meeting I've attended lately)
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms. (This reminds me of someone in the biz I know...)
Then there's the contest The Post's Style Invitational runs that asks readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.
I wish these didn't apply to meetings, but they all-too-often do:
1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
and
12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
Anyone feeling creative? I think we could add to this list...