# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/141 "2020-03-16T13:15:58Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Not just kids. I listen to a comic book podcast called _My Marvelous Year_ (a year-by-year examination of Marvel comics). One of the hosts, a grown man with children of his own, regularly says “verse” where I would say “versus”. E.g., “This issue features a Thor verse Hulk fight.” Sounds really weird to me… I have 3 kids, between 10 and 14. The don’t say “versus” or “verse” is alway “vee” i.e. 1 v. 1, 10 v. 10, or Sparky v. Cecil “Legit” has made a big comeback since the 80’s as well as “sick” to mean cool. But my most hated word right now, is by far, “Rubric” It’s fucking pedantic and half of the “rubrics” I get sent are not fucking rubrics! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/142 "2020-03-16T13:56:34Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > I have 3 kids, between 10 and 14. The don’t say “versus” or “verse” is alway “vee” > i.e. 1 v. 1, 10 v. 10, or Sparky v. Cecils Which is actually the way Supreme Court cases are spoken…Roe Vee Wade being the most famous. I agree with curate…anything that used to be provided or hand-selected is now curated. Another one: “inform”. Not in the sense of to learn, but in the sense of “motivated” or “inspired” or “engendered”. “The chef’s cuisine was informed by his time in Paris.” ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/143 "2020-03-16T14:51:49Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Which is actually the way Supreme Court cases are spoken…Roe Vee Wade being the most famous. Of course… but that’s not where they’ve learned it. This usage is a product of on-line gaming. ---
**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 16, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/144 "2020-03-16T15:14:00Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Really, such as…? > [@jsc1953](#): > > Which is actually the way Supreme Court cases are spoken…Roe Vee Wade being the most famous. “Roe vee Wade” is the most common way to pronounce “Roe v. Wade” but it is not _the_ way. “Roe versus Wade” is also common and correct. “Roe against Wade” is must less common but perfectly correct. U.K. lawyers would correctly pronounce it as “Roe and Wade.” ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/145 "2020-03-16T15:24:47Z")
“At the end of the day…” seems definitely more used than it was before. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/146 "2020-03-17T07:37:02Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > U.K. lawyers would correctly pronounce it as “Roe and Wade.” Did they ever settle that Jarndyce and Jarndyce matter? ---
**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 17, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/147 "2020-03-17T13:55:18Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Roe vee Wade” is the most common way to pronounce “Roe v. Wade” but it is not _the_ way. > > “Roe versus Wade” is also common and correct. > > “Roe against Wade” is must less common but perfectly correct. > > U.K. lawyers would correctly pronounce it as “Roe and Wade.” My “such as” referrred to “boss” being commonly used outside of law enforcement. I think you mistakenly bundled me with Roe v. Wade. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/148 "2020-03-18T01:08:49Z")
Any words that you think _should_ be more popular? Not sure what the precise criteria are; purely [statistically](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipf's_law), ineluctably the vast, vast majority of words are going to be hopelessly obscure. If you look at a representative sample of English text, approximately 135 different words already account for half of the volume. Also, spamming even the most sublimely poetic word will quickly spoil it: for instance, “awesome”. But so many words deserve to be dusted off, if only a bit. I will leave the choices up to you. Some preliminary ideas (no particular unifying theme): dwale/dwaal apricity fillip motley judder lunt flagitious noetic epigone gullion lum hieratic fop ken monsterful ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/149 "2020-03-18T01:27:21Z")
darkle fain yegg freck carouse groak enough from me for now 🙂 in fact not every word I’ve listed makes the cut… ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/150 "2020-03-18T13:21:22Z")
Granular. This one goes against the grain when it is used to indicate examining in more detail. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/151 "2020-03-18T13:25:25Z")
“Shelter in place” was coined a few years ago and has gotten heavy use ever since. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/152 "2020-03-18T15:52:19Z")
Potentially underused expressions: qui vive have kittens … ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/153 "2020-03-18T16:35:52Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Any words that you think _should_ be more popular? Well, if circumstances in the world change, then of course some words are naturally going to be used more. (Or we might need to change how we use current words.) The presumption in this thread seems to be that we have a static set of “officially approved” vocabulary, and if a word that’s not on the officially approved list starts to be used, people are just being “trendy.” But changing circumstances in society call for changes in vocabulary. So _shelter in place_, as mentioned above, is being used more now. _ **Of course** _ it is. _ **Of course** _ we are using certain words more with someone like Trump in the White House. Why shouldn’t we? That’s what language is for. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2020, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/154 "2020-04-10T11:04:00Z")
I don’t know exactly when this became trendy, but it has the feel of 1990s hip-hop to me—“drop.” Any new product release—be it a recordin, a film, a book, whatever—is now “dropped.” Never issued, released, published, distributed, debuted, launched, put out. Always dropped. I hate that metaphor. It’s very negative-sounding to me, aggressive, arrogant, and dismissive, but it’s becoming the regular term. Why “dropped” for something you worked hard on and want people to like? Dropping something is disrespectful, either to the thing that’s being dropped or the people who have to pick it up when you could have politely handed it to them. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/155 "2020-04-10T11:44:26Z")
Also, regarding music, every good song “slaps” or “is a banger.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962/156 "2020-04-11T18:38:44Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > This is gifting me a headache. This made me snort. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-have-suddenly-become-very-popular/848962.md?page=7)