Fast-Rope, 'Viewbicle,' 'Brandjack,' & More

Top 10 User-Submitted Words, Vol. 7
top 10 user submitted words vol 7 fastrope

Definition:

(verb) : to descend from a flying helicopter by sliding down a thick rope

Example:

"He and the eleven other SEALs on 'helo one,' who were wearing gloves and had on night-vision goggles, were preparing to fast-rope into bin Laden's yard." - Nicholas Schmidle, The New Yorker, August 8, 2011

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 viewbicle

Definition:

(noun) : a cubicle workspace with a view through a window

Example:

"I was moved from a third floor 'corner cube' facing the parking deck to a tenth floor window cube facing the woods with a pole- a so-called 'obstructed viewbicle.'" - Steve Finch, post on A Fine Line blog, June 13, 2007

Submitted by:

Debbie, CA; Erin, PA

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 slacktivism

Definition:

(noun) : activism (such as signing an online petition) that requires very little commitment or action

Example:

"I had eventually come to the realization that wearing purple, or changing your avatar in support of spirit day, is an act of slacktivism.... Social Media like Facebook and Twitter have provided a space for slacktivism to exist." - blog post by Dan on OutSpokenNYC.com, October 20, 2011

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 kablooie
Photo: nukeit1 on Flickr

Definition:

(adverb) : wrong or awry

Example:

"Why Deep-Fried Frozen Turkeys Go Kablooie" - headline on Gizmodo.com, November 23, 2011

Submitted by:

L.K. Tucker, AL

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 brandjack

Definition:

(verb) : to create a parody Web site or social media page using the official brands and logos of a company

Example:

"The temptation to brandjack a company stems at least in part from the perception of a large brand as monolithic, unresponsive, and unassailable. It's a lot more fun to go after a player that deserves to be taken down a few pegs; this has been a basic rule of satire since the ancient Greeks." - Eric Anderson, blog post on iMediaConnection.com, July 11, 2011

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 optics

Definition:

(noun) : appearance; esp.: the way that the public understands a public or political decision

Example:

"Explaining why he rose to help [Gabrielle Giffords] stand for every ovation she offered President Obama during his speech, even when it meant he was the only Republican on his feet, Rep. Jeff Flake said that the optics just didn't matter to him: 'After sitting next to an empty seat last year, I couldn't be happier to have Gabby back in the House chamber for this year's State of the Union speech...'" - Dahlia Lithwick, Slate.com, January 25, 2012

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 doording

Definition:

(verb) : to open a car door in such a way that it causes minor surface damage to the vehicle next to it

Example:

"I door-dinged another car's bumper at a grocery store parking lot Saturday. The owner was irate and wants me to pay to have the .10 of an inch "ding" fixed. ... Am I liable?" - question posted on LawGuru.com, September 22, 2008

Submitted by:

Karen Edwin, MO

Photo: ASurroca / flickr

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 technostress

Definition:

(noun) : stress or frustration as a reaction to technology

Example:

"The workplace is also a source of technostress, because changes in software programs, computers, hardware and communications are frequent in most industries." - Heather Breen on Suite101.com, January 16, 2011

Submitted by:

Richard B. Singer IV, MI

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 carvery

Definition:

(noun) : a restaurant in which servings of cooked meat are carved at the request of each diner

Example:

"Get your meat and two veg at this Nolita nook, which doles out carvery staples under the guise of a British butcher's shop. The bowler-hat–sporting staff slice a selection of roasted meats to your liking (leg of lamb, pork shoulder, rump steak), served alongside authentic sides such as puffy Yorkshire pudding and rosemary-kissed new potatoes." - restaurant review in TimeOut New York, June 12, 2011

Submitted by:

Khoo, Malaysia

top 10 user submitted words vol 7 philanthropreneur

Definition:

(noun) : an entrepreneurial philanthropist

Example:

"But [Ted Turner] shares the philanthropreneurs' impatience with the lines drawn by legal, regulatory and tax regimes between business and philanthropy." - Stephanie Strom, The New York Times, November 13, 2006

Submitted by:

Allyn Griffin, WA