NEW WORDS FOR 2011


Essential vocabulary additions for the workplace (and elsewhere)


BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.


SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, complains about everything, and then leaves.


ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.


SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream, only to get screwed and die in the end.


MOUSE POTATO: The online, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.


STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.


SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.


IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying, but you find yourself unable to stop watching them.


PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.


404: Someone who is clueless. From the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested site could not be located.


GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.


OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an e-mail by mistake.)