# Words that have suddenly become very popular **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2020, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962 "2020-03-05T13:38:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/121 "2020-03-13T21:59:55Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > My contribution: “ask” as a noun, in place of the perfectly good “request”. Ooo that’s a good one—“I know this is a big ask, but I’m going to need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday too.” Gah! Goes along with “That’s going to be a heavy lift for my team.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/122 "2020-03-14T12:15:39Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Shit” as an adjective. As in “that’s a shit idea” instead of “that’s a shitty idea.” Similarly, “crap” as an adjective instead of “crappy.” ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/123 "2020-03-15T00:30:59Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Yes, I have noticed people using gifted more, and it strikes me as a both natural and efficient change in the language. GIVE is somewhat ambiguous in that it does not necessarily imply a change of ownership, merely of custody. GIFT, always implying change of ownership, is more clear. But there is no real ambiguity. Give has always meant a change of ownership. If there’s a problem, it’s caused by people saying give when they really mean lend. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/124 "2020-03-15T00:39:14Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But there is no real ambiguity. Give has always meant a change of ownership. If there’s a problem, it’s caused by people saying give when they really mean lend. I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this at face value. Care to back it up? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/125 "2020-03-15T01:51:25Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But there is no real ambiguity. Give has always meant a change of ownership. If there’s a problem, it’s caused by people saying give when they really mean lend. As others have pointed out, the use of GIFT as a verb is not new; it has just seen a resurgence in recent years. And words change meaning all the time anyway. That is inevitable in any living language. DOG Once was specifically made to imply a certain breed of domestic canine, while HOUND was the generic; now it is the reverse. ADULT was strictly a noun meaning “grown end up person” when I was a child, but around the early 80s the adjective or meaning “sexually oriented” was added, and in the last decade has increasingly become a verb meaning “to behave competently in the manner of a grown-up person” as well. None of these changes are bad, and even if they were it is pointless to rail against them. You might as well try to order the incoming tide to reseed. If you want a language who’s vocabulary never changes, you will have to confine yourself to Latin, Sindarin, or Klingon. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/126 "2020-03-15T02:14:41Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I think you’re halfway there – any time I heard somebody say “Jaden verse Asher” I assume they don’t know what vs. really stands for, or are just slurring it badly. > > My contribution: “ask” as a noun, in place of the perfectly good “request”. > > I swear it’s becoming more common to hear “bravery” instead of the perfectly good and more mellifluous “courage”. I daresay you are correct about the way VERSE has come to mean VERSUS in the mouths of mini speakers, but I would add that errors like that are largely how language changes over time. It would not surprise me if, in a century or two, VERSE was the standard form for that meeting (except that I would be really surprised to find myself alive in a hundred years, let alone two). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/127 "2020-03-15T03:14:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this at face value. Care to back it up? With the understanding that people argue about the meaning of words all the time, as well as the disagreements between descriptivists and prescriptivists, I just looked up the definition of “give” on [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/give). First definition: > [@](#): > > 1: to make a present of > //give a doll to a child None of the definitions given say anything about expecting to get the thing given back. In fact, one of the examples of the use of “give” in a sentence is: > [@](#): > > Are you giving this to me or only lending it? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/128 "2020-03-15T03:48:41Z")
That does not represent a fair summary of the common connotations of “give.” If I give you a definition, or if I give you my name, or if I give you my pencil so you can write down your telephone number for me, am I necessarily transferring ownership of something to you? See here for example — [give - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/give) > [@](#): > > give (third-person singular simple present gives, present participle giving, simple past gave, past participle given) > > (ditransitive) To move, shift, provide something abstract or concrete to someone or something or somewhere. > To transfer one’s possession or holding of (something) to (someone). > I gave him my coat. > I gave my coat to the beggar. > When they asked, I gave my coat. > To make a present or gift of. > I’m going to give my wife a necklace for her birthday. > She gave a pair of shoes to her husband for their anniversary. > He gives of his energies to the organization. > To pledge. > I gave him my word that I’d protect his children. > To provide (something) to (someone), to allow or afford. > I gave them permission to miss tomorrow’s class. > Please give me some more time. > To cause (a sensation or feeling) to exist in. > It gives me a lot of pleasure to be here tonight. > The fence gave me an electric shock. > My mother-in-law gives me nothing but grief. > To carry out (a physical interaction) with (something). quotations ▼ > I want to give you a kiss. > She gave him a hug. > I’d like to give the tire a kick. > I gave the boy a push on the swing. > She gave me a wink afterwards, so I knew she was joking. > To pass (something) into (someone’s hand, etc.). > Give me your hand. > On entering the house, he gave his coat to the doorman. > To cause (a disease or condition) in, or to transmit (a disease or condition) to. quotations ▼ > My boyfriend gave me chlamydia. > He was convinced that it was his alcoholism that gave him cancer. > (ditransitive) To estimate or predict (a duration or probability) for (something). > I give it ten minutes before he gives up. > I give it a 95% chance of success. > I’ll give their marriage six months. > (intransitive) To yield slightly when a force is applied. quotations ▼ > (intransitive) To collapse under pressure or force. > One pillar gave, then more, and suddenly the whole floor pancaked onto the floor below. > (transitive) To provide, as, a service or a broadcast. quotations ▼ > They’re giving my favorite show! > (intransitive) To lead (onto or into). > The master bedroom gives onto a spacious balcony. > (transitive, dated) To provide a view of. > His window gave the park. > To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to yield. > The number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship. > To cause; to make; used with the infinitive. quotations ▼ > To cause (someone) to have; produce in (someone); effectuate. quotations ▼ > To allow or admit by way of supposition; to concede. quotations ▼ > He can be bad-tempered, I’ll give you that, but he’s a hard worker. > To attribute; to assign; to adjudge. quotations ▼ > To communicate or announce (advice, tidings, etc.); to pronounce or utter (an opinion, a judgment, a shout, etc.). > The umpire finally gave his decision: the ball was out. It also ignores the fact that “gift” can comnotatr a specific kind of giving. If you give me a receipt for my purchase, that’s not a gift, for example. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/129 "2020-03-15T06:51:16Z")
This is gifting me a headache. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/130 "2020-03-15T10:42:18Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Another thing that has been common in the last decade or so is making a statement by asking a rhetorical question and then answering it: > > “Could our defense have played better today? Absolutely” > > Maybe I am just being a curmudgeon, but do I find this annoying and pretentious? Yes, definitely This! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/131 "2020-03-15T10:51:27Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > This! I don’t like rhetorical questions either, but they are hardly knew. I remember looking up the word “rhetorical” in sixth grade — so around 1980 — upon first hearing the term, and my youthful inability to parse the meaning is what led to me learning the definition of “idiom.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/132 "2020-03-15T11:20:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I don’t like rhetorical questions either, but they are hardly knew. I remember looking up the word “rhetorical” in sixth grade — so around 1980 — upon first hearing the term, and my youthful inability to parse the meaning is what led to me learning the definition of “idiom.” They aren’t new at all - Cicero probably used them! But, this particular tic, common in interviews with sports coaches and almost as common among political pundits (and not uncommon among politicians), is very much a “thing” that started maybe ten years ago at most. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/133 "2020-03-15T14:06:19Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > That does not represent a fair summary of the common connotations of “give.” > > If I give you a definition, or if I give you my name, or if I give you my pencil so you can write down your telephone number for me, am I necessarily transferring ownership of something to you? > See here for example — [give - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/give) > > It also ignores the fact that “gift” can comnotatr a specific kind of giving. If you give me a receipt for my purchase, that’s not a gift, for example. You’re ignoring the facts that people can tell the difference from context, and that people who say “gifted” are just trying to sound cool and trendy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/134 "2020-03-15T15:32:40Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > They aren’t new at all - Cicero probably used them! But, this particular tic, common in interviews with sports coaches and almost as common among political pundits (and not uncommon among politicians), is very much a “thing” that started maybe ten years ago at most. Secy of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was famous for this rhetorical device, of asking/answering his own questions, circa 2003. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/135 "2020-03-15T15:57:04Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Secy of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was famous for this rhetorical device, of asking/answering his own questions, circa 2003. True. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/136 "2020-03-15T15:59:39Z")
The worst is using that device while referring to oneself in the third person: Blowhard: "_And why doesn’t Mr. Blowhard do that? Because that’s not how Mr. Blowhard rolls!!!"_ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/137 "2020-03-15T18:36:43Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Secy of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was famous for this rhetorical device, of asking/answering his own questions, circa 2003. How could you miss the opportunity to say “Did Secy of Defense Donald Rumsfeld use this rhetorical device? He did!” I’m also irrationally irritated by the use of “curate” in contexts outside of galleries and museums. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/138 "2020-03-15T19:19:55Z")
I don’t think “curate” is overused. It’s used infrequently enough that when I need to use it I can’t think of it, which also shows that it serves a purpose at least to me since there isn’t one word that means exactly what it means. “A selection of …” captures 95% of the intent but sometimes does not fit grammatically and in any case is longer. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/139 "2020-03-15T21:28:10Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I don’t think “curate” is overused. It’s used infrequently enough that when I need to use it I can’t think of it, which also shows that it serves a purpose at least to me since there isn’t one word that means exactly what it means. “A selection of …” captures 95% of the intent but sometimes does not fit grammatically and in any case is longer. I hear it way too much. Everyone who makes a list has to specify that it’s curated. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/140 "2020-03-16T12:39:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > There are entire cultures in which “boss” is the standard way to address a stranger and that’s not a new thing. Really, such as…? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962.md?page=8)